Conflict avoidance? Anglican modernism and evolution in interwar Britain

Many historians have assumed that after the debates of the Victorian era, there was little interaction between science and religion in early-twentieth-century Britain. Although there was only small-scale opposition to evolution from Fundamentalists, debates over the implications of evolutionism were still active, especially in the Anglican Church. The Modernist movement hoped to produce a brand of Christianity that was compatible with the teachings of modern science, including evolution theory. This article studies the writings of three Modernists, Charles Raven, E.W. Barnes and W.R. Inge, showing how each adopted a different strategy of reconciliation. Raven used increasingly dated biological theories, including Lamarckism, to argue that evolution was essentially purposeful, Barnes attracted much attention by stressing the need to reinterpret the Christian concept of the Fall in the light of evolution, but was in touch with the darwinian biologist R.A. Fisher. Inge opposed progress on the grounds of its incompatibility with thermodynamics, and, like Barnes, supported the social policy of eugenics.