This week in Christian history: D. James Kennedy dies; Billy Graham's NYC Crusade ends
William Paley baptized – Aug. 30, 1743
This week marks the anniversary of when William Paley, an English cleric and college lecturer known for his Christian apologetics works, was baptized at Peterborough Cathedral about a month after he was born.
Paley graduated from Christ’s College, Cambridge, in 1763 and was elected a fellow of the college in 1766. A professional teacher, he was also ordained in the Anglican Church in 1767.
Paley published multiple books, including apologetics works like Horae Paulinae: Or, The Truth of the Scripture History of St. Paul and A View of the Evidences of Christianity.
Paley’s most famous work was Natural Theology: Or, Evidences of the Existence and Attributes of the Deity, which famously championed the “watchmaker” argument for creation. Specifically, that in the same way that something as complex as a watch required a watchmaker to craft it, so something as complex life required a creator.
“Much of Natural Theology discusses examples of purported design in nature, with many drawn from Paley's own observations, and likely to be familiar — and therefore persuasive — to readers,” noted the National Center for Science Education.
Paley’s work was famously critiqued by Charles Darwin in the 19th century with his writing on the Theory of Evolution and later by Richard Dawkins with his book The Blind Watchmaker.
