A wreathlaying ceremony took place at Charles Darwin's grave in Westminster Abbey last night, prior to the launch of a new book, Darwin and God, by Theos Director of Studies Nick Spencer. The flowers used in the ceremony to commemorate the 200th anniversary of Darwin's birth - berberis darwinii - were taken from the garden of Darwin's home at Down House, in which he walked every day.

Speaking at the ceremony, the Canon Theologian of the Abbey, Nicholas Sagovsky said: "Let us keep a moment of silence to give thanks for the life and work of Charles Robert Darwin, for his skill as an observer of the natural world, for his intelligence in interpreting it, and for the brilliance of his legacy as a scientist, thinker and writer."

Darwin and God was launched in the Abbey’s Cheyneygates room immediately after the wreathlaying. The book is the first full length account of Darwin's religious beliefs to be published in the UK. It draws on Darwin's autobiography, manuscripts, notebooks and letters - as well as his world-famous publications - in exploring Darwin's view of design, purpose, morality, the universe and the human mind.

Speaking at the launch, John Hedley Brooke, Emeritus Professor of Science and Religion, Oxford University said that there were important lessons to learn from Darwin, not least by the way he engaged in public debate. Quoting from the book he commented:

“In an age where such courtesy and grace are notable for their absence from debates about evolution and religious belief, that is the lesson, above any other, we need to hear from Charles Darwin."

Darwin and God by Nick Spencer, published by SPCK, is released on 19 February 2009 and can be purchased here.