Mr Roberts is vicar of St Michael’s, Cockerham, a part-time tutor for the Open Theological College and an Honorary Fellow in History at Lancaster University. After reading geology at Oriel College, Oxford (65-68), he became exploration geologist for Falconbridge of Africa from 1968-71. He then read theology at Cranmer Hall, Durham (1971-4) and was ordained in 1974. He served parishes in Liverpool and Chirk before taking up his present incumbency in 2001.
In 1997 his Darwin’s doubts about Design won the John Templeton Foundation Award of $2000 for an Exemplary Paper in Science and Theology.
Mr Roberts’ current research interests include: the history of geology, especially Darwin, Sedgwick and Buckland; the relationship of Christianity with geology and evolution, both historically and contemporarily; the relationship of Geology and Genesis from 1600 to the present day, a detailed project considering original sources in various languages; and Design past and present. These involve him in giving courses for University Continuing Studies, to local groups, and at various conferences in UK and USA. He attempts to give a wide science and religion approach for parish and diocese. Dr Roberts is a member of Christians in Science and of the History of Geology Group of the Geological Society of London.
Selected recent science-religion publications
- Darwin’s Doubts about Design, Science and Christian Belief, 1997 Vol 9, pp.113-128
- Geology and Genesis Unearthed, The Churchman, 112 (3), (1998), pp.225-256.
- Design up to Scratch, Perspectives on Science and Christian Faith, Dec 1999, vol 51, 244-53
- ‘Revising the Age of the World’, The Discovery of Time, ed. Stuart McCready. Source Books (USA)/MBQ Publications, UK, 2001.
- ‘The Genesis of Ray and his Successors’ Evangelical Quarterly, Vol LXXIV no 2 p143–65, April 2002.
- Entries on Henry Morris and Asa Gray for IVP Biographical Dictionary of Evangelicals (2003)
- ‘Intelligent Design: some geological and historical perspectives’ chapter in Debating Design: from Darwin to DNA, ed. Michael Ruse and William Dembski, Cambridge University Press. (2004)
- ‘Genesis Chapter One and Geological time from Hugo Grotius and Marin Mersenne to William Conybeare and Thomas Chalmers (1620 to 1825)’, in Geology and Myth, ed. Masse and Piccardi, Geol Soc of London Special Publication (forthcoming 2006/7)
- Evangelicals and Modern Science, (forthcoming, book commissioned by Greenwood Press, USA.)
Other recent publications
- ‘Darwin at Llanymynech’, British Journal for the History of Science, 1996, Vol 29, pp. 469-78
- ‘Darwin’s Dog-leg’, Archives of the History of Natural History, 1998, Vol 25
- ‘I coloured a map’, Archives of the History of Natural History, 2000, Vol 27
- ‘Darwin’s 1831 notes of Shropshire’, Archives of the History of Natural History 2002,Vol 29 co-authored with Prof.S.Herbert (University of Maryland)
- ‘Darwin’s Welsh Geology, 1831’, Endeavour Spring 2001
- Entries on Hailstone, Lewis, Symonds and Salter for Thoemmes Dictionary of 19th century scientists, (2004)
