Robert James "Sam" Berry (26 October 1934 – 29 March 2018) was a British

geneticist A geneticist is a biologist or physician who studies genetics, the science of genes, heredity, and variation of organisms. A geneticist can be employed as a scientist or a lecturer. Geneticists may perform general research on genetic processes ...

, naturalist and

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words '' Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρ ...

theorist. He was professor of

genetics Genetics is the study of genes, genetic variation, and heredity in organisms.Hartl D, Jones E (2005) It is an important branch in biology because heredity is vital to organisms' evolution. Gregor Mendel, a Moravian Augustinian friar worki ...

University College London , mottoeng = Let all come who by merit deserve the most reward , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £143 million (2020) , budget = � ...

between 1974 and 2000. Before that he was a lecturer in genetics at The

Royal Free Hospital The Royal Free Hospital (also known simply as the Royal Free) is a major teaching hospital in the Hampstead area of the London Borough of Camden. The hospital is part of the Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust, which also runs services at B ...

School of Medicine in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

. He was president from 1983 to 1986 of the

Linnean Society The Linnean Society of London is a learned society dedicated to the study and dissemination of information concerning natural history, evolution, and taxonomy. It possesses several important biological specimen, manuscript and literature colle ...

, the

British Ecological Society The British Ecological Society is a learned society in the field of ecology that was founded in 1913. It is the oldest ecological society in the world. The Society's original objective was "to promote and foster the study of Ecology in its widest ...

and the European Ecological Federation. As a Christian, Berry spoke out in favour of

theistic evolution Theistic evolution (also known as theistic evolutionism or God-guided evolution) is a theological view that God creates through laws of nature. Its religious teachings are fully compatible with the findings of modern science, including biological ...

, served as a lay member of the

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britai ...

General Synod The General Synod is the title of the governing body of some church organizations. Anglican Communion The General Synod of the Church of England, which was established in 1970 replacing the Church Assembly, is the legislative body of the Church of ...

and as president of Christians in Science. He was a member of the Board of Governors of

Monkton Combe School (Thy Word is Truth) , established = , type = Public school Independent school Boarding school , founder = The Revd Francis Pocock , head_label = Head Master , head ...

from 1979 to 1991. He gave the 1997–98 Glasgow

Gifford Lectures The Gifford Lectures () are an annual series of lectures which were established in 1887 by the will of Adam Gifford, Lord Gifford. Their purpose is to "promote and diffuse the study of natural theology in the widest sense of the term – in ...

entitled ''Gods, Genes, Greens and Everything''. His father, A. J. Berry, died in 1947.

Early life and education

He was educated at Kirkham Grammar School and

Shrewsbury School Shrewsbury School is a public school (English independent boarding school for pupils aged 13 –18) in Shrewsbury. Founded in 1552 by Edward VI by Royal Charter, it was originally a boarding school for boys; girls have been admitted into th ...

. One of his first published works in 1961 was in the "Teach yourself books" series

Genetics Genetics is the study of genes, genetic variation, and heredity in organisms.Hartl D, Jones E (2005) It is an important branch in biology because heredity is vital to organisms' evolution. Gregor Mendel, a Moravian Augustinian friar worki ...

. The paperback version was released in 1972.

Bibliography

Biological works

* ''Teach yourself books Genetics''. (1965) * ''Inheritance and Natural History''.

New Naturalist The New Naturalist Library (also known as ''The New Naturalists'') is a series of books published by Collins in the United Kingdom, on a variety of natural history topics relevant to the British Isles. The aim of the series at the start was: "T ...

series no. 61 (1977) * ''The Natural History of

Shetland Shetland, also called the Shetland Islands and formerly Zetland, is a subarctic archipelago in Scotland lying between Orkney, the Faroe Islands and Norway. It is the northernmost region of the United Kingdom. The islands lie about to the ...

''. New Naturalist series no. 64 (1980) * ''The Natural History of

Orkney Orkney (; sco, Orkney; on, Orkneyjar; nrn, Orknøjar), also known as the Orkney Islands, is an archipelago in the Northern Isles of Scotland, situated off the north coast of the island of Great Britain. Orkney is 10 miles (16 km) nort ...

''. New Naturalist series no. 70 (1985) * ''Genes in Ecology'' (ed. R. J. Berry, T. J. Crawford, G. M. Hewitt, N. R. Webb) (1992) * ''Islands''. New Naturalist series no. 109 (2009)

Religious works

* ''God and the Biologist: Personal Exploration of Science and Faith'' (Apollos 1996) * ''Science, Life and Christian Belief:A Survey of Contemporary Issues'' (IVP 1998) (preface by Berry) * ''The Care of Creation: Focusing Concern and Action'' (IVP 2000) (edited by Berry)
''God's Book of Works:The Nature and Theology of Nature''
(T & T Clark International 2003) (

1997–98) *
Did Darwin Kill God?
in ''God for the 21st Century'', Russell Stannard ed., Templeton Foundation Press, 2000, * ''God and Evolution: Creation, Evolution, and the Bible'' (Regent College Publishing 2001) * ''Creation and Evolution, Not Creation or Evolution'' (2007, Faraday Institute Paper no. 12)

References

External links

Gifford Lecture Book summary
1934 births 2018 deaths English biologists English Anglicans Fellows of the Linnean Society of London English geneticists Members of the International Society for Science and Religion Presidents of the Linnean Society of London Fellows of the Royal Society of Edinburgh Theistic evolutionists Academics of University College London New Naturalist writers Governors of Monkton Combe School Deaths from cerebrovascular disease Writers about religion and science {{Anglican-stub