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Table of Contents
Author's Promises
Prologue: Personal Journey
The Marriage of Science and Religion
Itinerant Evolutionary Evangelism
Introduction
From "Adam and Eve" to Us-and Beyond
Science and Religion Spurring Each Other to Greatness
In Context
Overview
PART I. THE HOLY TRAJECTORY OF EVOLUTION
Chapter 1. Our Big Picture Understanding of Reality
Stories Within Stories
What Is the Great Story?
From Shape-Shifting Story to Unchanging Scripture
Meaning-Making
Chapter 2. Evolution is Not Meaningless Blind Chance
Interpreting Our Immense Journey
The Mythopoeic Drive
Time's Arrow, Time's Cycle
The Role of Strife
The Role of Cooperation
The Role of Initiative
Chapter 3. Evolution and the Revival of the Human Spirit
PART II. REALITY IS SPEAKING
Chapter 4. Private and Public Revelation
Beyond Belief
The Birth and Maturation of Public Revelation
Flat-Earth Faith versus Evolutionary Faith
Toward an Evolutionary Christianity
Facts Are God's Native Tongue
Religious Knowers
Chapter 5. The Nested, Emergent Nature of Divine Creativity
Thank God for the Hubble Telescope!
We Are Made of Stardust
The Gifts of Death
Chapter 6. Words Create Worlds
Experiencing God versus Thinking about God
The Split Between Religion and Science
From Clockwork "It" to Creative "Thou"
Day and Night Language
Chapter 7. What Do We Mean by the Word "God"?
No Less Than a Holy Name for the Whole
Prayer in a Nestedly Creative Cosmos
A Personal, Undeniable God
God or the Universe: What's in a Name?
Creatheism
The Role of Humanity in an Evolving Universe
Being "Faithful to God"
PART III. THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO EVOLUTION
Chapter 8. Growing an Evolutionary Faith
Genesis in Context
Don't Throw Out the Apple
Chapter 9. REALizing "The Fall" and "Original Sin"
Lessons from Evolutionary Brain Science
Lessons from Evolutionary Psychology
Resurrecting "The Fall"
Your Brain's Creation Story
Reclaiming "Original Sin"
Chapter 10. REALizing "Personal Salvation"
The Challenges of Our Lizard Legacy
Furry L'il Mammal to the Rescue
Thank God for Our Higher Porpoise!
Salvation Through Evolutionary Integrity
The DNA of Deep Integrity
Christ-like Evolutionary Integrity
REALizing "Saving Faith"
REALizing "the Gospel"
PART IV. EVOLUTIONARY SPIRITUALITY
Chapter 11. Evolutionary Integrity Practices
Taming Our Monkey Mind
Taming Our Lizard Legacy
Growing in Trust: Nurturing Humility and Faith
REALizing "Love Your Enemies"
Growing in Authenticity: REALizing "Remove the Plank"
Growing in Compassionate Responsibility: REALizing "Judge Not"
Growing in Gratitude: REALizing "Love God and Your Neighbor"
Chapter 12. Evolving Our Most Intimate Relationships
Touch and Tenderness
Respectful Communication
Playfulness and Humor
Meaningful Songs and Rituals
Synergy and Service
Chapter 13. Transformed by the Renewal of Your Mind
Deep Integrity Affirmations
Imagination Matters! Upgrading Your Mental Software
PART V. A "GOD-GLORIFYING" FUTURE
Chapter 14. Collective Sin and Salvation
Wrongdoing in a Nestedly Emergent Universe
Collective Sin in an Age of Information
Confronting Institutional Sin
Chapter 15. The Wisdom of Life's Collective Intelligence
On Earth As It Is in Heaven
Collective Deep Integrity
Conversation and Creative Emergence
Co-Intelligent Social Technologies
The Core Commons
Cultivating Discernment within the Whole
Co-Creating Our Evolutionary Spiritualities
Chapter 16. Knowing the Past Reveals Our Way Forward
The Cosmic Century Timeline
Aligning Self-Interest with the Wellbeing of the Whole
Who and What Are We, Really? And Why Are We Here?
Our Sense of Self and Our Role in the Body of Life
Evolutionary Revivals
Chapter 17. Beyond Sustainability: An Inspiring Vision
Major Challenges in the Next 250 Years
Wildcards
Long-term and Short-term Positive Trends
Likely Good News in the Next 250 Years
Chapter 18. Our Evolving Understanding of "God's Will"
Responding to Critics Who Reject Religion Because of Scripture
Transcending Biblical Values and Scriptural Morality
REALizing "Holy Scripture" and "Divine Revelation"
Public Revelation: "The Ever-Renewing Testament"
REALizing Godly Morality and Ethics
Wider Circles of Care, Compassion, and Commitment
REALizing "Jesus as God's Way, Truth, and Life"
Conclusion
Epilogue
Testimonial
Vision
Appendix A. "Good and Bad Reasons for Believing" by Richard Dawkins
Appendix B. REALizing the Miraculous
Miracles through the Ages
REALizing "the Virgin Birth"
REALizing "Christ's Resurrection and Ascension into Heaven"
Resources
Acknowledgments
Quoted / Referenced
Index
Highlighted Stories
"The more awesome my God becomes" p. xx
Making Meaning of the Great Tsunami of 2004 p. xx
"It's hard to be a Great Story fundamentalist!" p. xx
"Is a cheetah my cousin?"
"He said it changed his life"
"I get it! My life is not just my own!"
What Is Conscious Evolution?
"All things work together"
"To connect religiously with this awesome monument"
Evolution: Theory and Fact
Better than a smoking gun: "DNA-beyond any reasonable doubt"
"That's where baby stars are born!"
"What a mind-bender, dude!"
"It made that feeling go away"
"Death-don't blame God!"
"I learned that my grandmother will die"
"I am at peace with his death"
"What does God look like on the inside?"
"Two Gods?"
"I'm here, too"
"Read me a nighttime book, Mommy"
"Finally, a God that makes sense!"
"What does Jasmine want?"
"Praise God, brother, so am I!"
Original Sin and the New Cosmology
The Parable of the Pickle Jar
"I don't know that guy!"
"Do you want them to gaze at your belly?"
"Using the sexual impulse to evolve"
"My life purpose"
"What the hell are we preaching?!"
STAR Clusters
Growing in Deep Integrity: Questions for Reflection and Discussion
The Nature of Integrity
"Why do we think differently about God?"
"The joy of watching young and old alike light up"
"I don't merely believe...I know!"
REALizing "the Centrality of the Cross"
"Who wants to be filled with the Holy Ghost?"
"Magic in any relationship"
"That's your cosmic task!"
"Can we have a Heart-to-Heart Talk?"
"Where's my avocado?"
Atoning for Collective Sin Through "Pleistocene Rewilding"
"When I Repent"
Citizen Assemblies and Citizen Juries
"How do you measure sustainable progress?"
"We're acting like cancer cells"
"Such hope!"
"Mixed moral messages"
Morality One-Liners
"Viva evolution!"
AUTHOR'S PROMISES
This book is intended for the broadest of audiences. The ideas have been evolving within and
beyond me during five years of living and working entirely on the road, as a once traditionally
religious and now exuberantly born-again evolutionary evangelist. From gothic cathedrals to
cozy livingrooms, from gatherings of evangelical students to meetings of campus freethinkers,
from university departments of religion and the social sciences to high school classrooms and
homeschooling events, from rousing praise worship to quiet prayer circles, from local talk-radio
to National Public Radio: in all these venues and more, I have found diverse peoples hungering
for the ideas you will encounter here. No matter who you are, and no matter what your beliefs or
background, I promise that reading this book will expand the horizon of what you see as possible
for yourself, for your relationships, and for our world.
To those of you who have rejected evolution...
I promise that the secular version of evolution you have rejected is not the version of evolution
presented in these pages. Indeed, if the understanding of our collective past and the vision of our
common destiny outlined here do not inspire you to be more faithful in all your relationships, to
find new ways to bless others and the world, and to awaken eagerly each morning to a life filled
with meaning and purpose, then please continue to reject evolution!
To those who accept evolution begrudgingly (like death and taxes)...
I promise that this book will provide you with an experience of science, and evolution
specifically, that will fire your imagination, touch your heart, and lead you to a place of deep
gratitude, awe, and reverence. You will also find here effective ways to talk about evolution to
any friends, family, co-workers, and neighbors who are biblical literalists or young earth
creationists.
To devoutly committed Christians...
Whether you are Roman Catholic, Orthodox, Protestant, Evangelical, Anabaptist, or New
Thought, and whether you consider yourself conservative, moderate, or liberal, my promise to
you is that the God-glorifying evolutionary perspective offered here will enrich your faith and
inspire you in ways that believers in the past could only dream of.
To Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus, and other non-Christians...
I promise that it will be easy to apply most of what you find here to your own life and faith. I
also promise that if you explore the meaning of your tradition's insights within an evolutionary
context, as I attempt to do with Christian doctrine, you will provide an invaluable service to your
religion and our world.
To agnostics, humanists, atheists, and freethinkers...
I promise that you will find nothing here that you cannot wholeheartedly embrace as being
grounded in a rationally sound, mainstream scientific understanding of the Universe. I also
promise that the vision of "evolutionary spirituality" presented here will benefit you and your
loved ones without your needing to believe in anything otherworldly.
To those who embrace an eclectic spirituality...
I promise that this perspective will enrich your appreciation of the traditions and practices that
nourish you most deeply, while helping you find new excitement in each. It will also help you
communicate and relate to others who hold very different religious or philosophical worldviews.
To those who aren't really sure what they believe...
I promise that this holy evolutionary understanding will not only help you make sense of the
world; it will also provide a rock-solid moral and ethical foundation for a life of passion and
deep meaning in the midst of inevitable difficulties.
To those who struggle with addiction or codependence...
I promise that if you say "Yes!" to the path of evolutionary integrity offered in this book, you
will gain a profound understanding of yourself and others. The framework presented here is fully
compatible with 12-step and other recovery programs. In coming to appreciate the deep roots of
human instincts, you will see new possibilities for living the life of your dreams, while benefiting
others, and you will experience a freedom and peace that "passes all understanding."
* * *
Request for Feedback
After reading this book, if you are less than wildly enthusiastic about the ideas and practices
offered here, I would love to hear from you. Any and all suggestions for improvement are
welcomed. And if you feel one of my promises was not kept, or was overstated, please tell me
about that, too. Email comments to: Feedback@ThankGodforEvolution.net.
Thank you!
[INSERT GRAPHIC SIGNATURE FOR "Michael Dowd"]
PROLOGUE
Personal Journey
"Evolution is Darwin's great gift to theology." - JOHN HAUGHT
"Satan obviously has a foothold in this school!" I told my roommate twenty-five years ago at
Evangel University. Moments earlier, I had stormed out of freshman biology class after the
teacher held up the textbook we were going to use, and I recognized it as one that taught
evolution. How else could I explain why a Bible-believing, Assemblies of God institution would
teach evolution?
A little background...
I grew up Roman Catholic. As a teenager-and like so many of my peers during the
1970s-I struggled with alcohol, drugs, and sexuality. In 1979, while in Berlin, Germany, and
serving in the U.S. Army, I was "born again." Six months later I experienced what Pentecostals
call "baptism in the Holy Spirit," evidenced by speaking in tongues. For the next three years, the
people I fellowshipped with, the books I read, the television programs I watched, and the music I
listened to all reflected a fundamentalist perspective strongly opposed to evolution.
I was taught that evolution was of the devil. It was antithetical to the Word of God and
would seduce people away from godly thinking and living. I believed Darwinism was the root of
most social problems, and I was deeply concerned for my friends and family-especially those
caught in the snares of a secular humanistic worldview. I even distributed anti-evolution tracts
and was eager to debate anyone who thought the world was more than six thousand years old. So
how was I to make sense of the fact, as I soon discovered at Evangel, that virtually all
evangelical colleges and universities teach evolution?
The shift occurred in three steps. First, I came to know and trust several students and
teachers before learning that they held evolutionary worldviews. Having already conversed,
prayed, sung, and worshipped with each, I couldn't write any of them off as demonically
possessed. The second influence was the biblical studies and philosophy courses I took at
Evangel. Both the content and the professors reinforced the idea that "all truth is God's truth."
The final element in my transformation was a budding friendship with a Roman Catholic hospital
chaplain and former Trappist monk, Tobias Meeker. Before I discovered that Toby considered
himself a "Buddhist-Christian," and that he embraced a process theology understanding of
evolution, I had already assessed that he was the most Christ-like man I had ever met.
The past two and a half decades have been an amazing journey. After completing my
undergraduate work at Evangel (double majoring in biblical studies and philosophy), I went on
to earn a Master of Divinity degree at Eastern Baptist Theological Seminary. Although I learned
to accept evolution at Evangel, I did so only with my mind-not my heart. That final shift
happened suddenly, in February 1988. I was in Boston for the first session of a course titled "The
New Catholic Mysticism," taught by cultural therapist Albert LaChance. Albert began by telling
the scientific story of the Universe in a way that I had never heard it told before-as a sacred
epic. Less than an hour into the evening, I began to weep. I knew I would spend the rest of my
life sharing this perspective as great news. My evangelizing began shortly thereafter as an
avocation wedged into the rest of my life. Even so, virtually everything I've preached and
written since that epiphany has been in service of a God-glorifying understanding of evolution,
such that others, too, might experience our common creation story as gospel and be inspired to
serve God accordingly.
By no longer opposing evolution, but wholeheartedly embracing it as the "Great Story"
of 14 billion years of divine grace and creativity, I now have a more intimate relationship with
God and a more joyful walk with Christ than ever before. Throughout this book, I will be sharing
how and why this is the case, and I will do so in ways that non-Christians and non-religious
people can also celebrate.
The Marriage of Science and Religion
Over the course of ten years, I pastored three United Church of Christ congregations-one in
New England and two in the Midwest-before shifting careers into interfaith sustainability work
and community organizing. In the spring of 2000, I attended a Pentecostal/Charismatic worship
service near my childhood home of Poughkeepsie, New York. I've always loved the energy and
enthusiasm of "Spirit-filled" worship. At a moment when the congregation was swept up in
ecstatic praise, the woman who had invited me turned and grasped my hands. "I have a word
from God for you," she declared. "Great!" I replied. She continued, "Thus sayeth the Lord, 'My
son, I have called thee home to reveal thy true mission. Step out boldly with thy beloved and fear
not. For I will bless thy steps and thy ministry more abundantly than thou canst imagine.'"
Several thoughts raced through my mind. The first: "Praise God! I'm ready!" Then, "I
wonder why God prefers Elizabethan English?" Finally, "Whoa boy, did you hear that? God
said, 'with your beloved.' You'd better get moving, dude. You don't even have a girlfriend!"
Several months later my friend's prophetic words were made flesh. I met science writer
Connie Barlow at a lecture given by cosmologist Brian Swimme at Auburn Theological
Seminary in New York City. Connie was the author of four books, and two of them had
"evolution" in their titles (Evolution Extended: Biological Debates on the Meaning of Life and
The Ghosts of Evolution). She, too, was a long-time "epic of evolution" enthusiast. What is more,
her passion for sharing a sacred understanding of cosmic history was no less than mine. Seven
months later I asked Connie to marry me. Three weeks after that, we were wed at the EarthSpirit
Rising Conference on Ecology, Spirituality, and the Great Work, which was held in Louisville,
Kentucky in June 2001. Surely this was a marriage of science and religion. Connie was a self-
described atheist, and her professional life was steeped in the sciences. My life was devoted to
religion. Our union embraces both.
Three months later, the World Trade Center was attacked. We were living north of New
York City, and Connie had a scheduled meeting in Tower No. 1 the very next day. The collapse
of the towers forced us to reevaluate our priorities. A month later, we were watching the final
installment of the PBS television special, Evolution: A Journey into Where We're From and
Where We're Going. That episode was titled "What About God?" It examined the struggle that
conservative Christian college students face in trying to embrace both evolution and a pre-
evolutionary interpretation of their faith. As the program ended, Connie turned to me and said,
"You need to be out there speaking to those students. You need to show how an evolutionary
understanding can enrich one's faith!"
Connie and I were still newlyweds. I had no idea she was prepared to follow through-
personally-on her declaration. A few weeks later, after a frustrating day at work, I told her (not
really serious, just sort of whining), "You know, I wish we could just travel non-stop, teaching
and preaching the Great Story wherever we go." Her response was astounding. Looking me in
the eyes, she said with utter conviction, "I'd love to do that!"
Itinerant Evolutionary Evangelism
Since April 2002, Connie and I have been full-time "evolutionary evangelists." We live
permanently on the road, offering a spiritually nourishing view of evolution throughout North
America. In the tradition of traveling preachers, we gave up our worldly possessions, left our
home, and now carry everything we need in our van. We go wherever we are invited. Our goal is
to inspire people of all ages and theological orientations to embrace the history of everyone and
everything in personally and socially transforming ways.
We offer a view of our collective evolutionary journey that fires the imagination, touches
the heart, and leaves people begging to hear more. We keep our distance from the polarized
science versus religion conflict that festers in our society, particularly with respect to public
school education. In the few hours or days that we engage with any given group, we present only
the most compelling and alluring features of what many call the epic of evolution, or the Great
Story. As with other leaders in this movement, we believe that the 14-billion-year story of
cosmic, Earth, life, and cultural history can enrich any and all of humanity's cherished creation
stories and religious paths.
In our first five years on the road, we have delivered Sunday sermons, evening programs,
and multi-day workshops in more than five hundred churches, convents, monasteries, and
spiritual centers across the continent, including liberal and conservative Roman Catholic,
Protestant, Evangelical, Unitarian Universalist, Unity, Religious Science, Quaker, Mennonite,
and Buddhist groups. We have also presented audience-appropriate versions of this message in
nearly a hundred secular settings, including colleges, high schools, grade schools, nature centers,
and public libraries.
When we launched our ministry, we chose to display on our first van both a Jesus fish
and a Darwin fish-kissing. Many passersby flashed a smile when they saw it, although
disapproving responses were not uncommon. A retired biology professor in Lawrence, Kansas,
took one look at the decals and laughed, "Oh great! Now you piss everyone off!"
What Connie and I do on the road is serious, but it is best served by our maintaining a light-
hearted approach. Our fishy pairing of what many regard as oppositional was thus a playful
reminder to ourselves of who we wish to be along our shared journey.
Life on the road is far from a hardship. Connie and I have no home base in the usual
sense, but North America as a whole feels like home to us. We are blessed to experience the
stunning beauty of this vast continent. More, we rarely stay in public lodgings. Instead, we are
invited into people's homes for a few days or perhaps a week at a time-and this, too, nurtures
our souls.
Connie and I love being part of what is now a fast-growing movement that unites people
across the theological and philosophical spectrum. Throughout this book, you will find a wealth
of quotations from others who, like us, hold a sacred view of evolution. I will also share
personal stories gleaned from our experiences on the road. These stories include evolutionary
epiphanies-when people suddenly see the meaning of their lives in a larger context.
A dozen years before Connie and I met, cosmologist Brian Swimme issued a
proclamation that we are now privileged to live: "We are in the midst of a revelatory experience
of the Universe that must be compared in its magnitude with those of the great religious
revelations. And we need only wander about telling this Great Story to ignite a transformation of
humanity."
Amen!
Introduction
"Evolution is the creation myth of our age. By telling us our origin, it shapes our views
of what we are. It influences not just our thought, but our feelings and actions too."
- MARY MIDGLEY
Many conservative Christians reject evolution. I commend them for their resistance. It compels
those of us who do embrace evolution to find ever more sacred ways of communicating our
conviction. Religious believers can hardly be expected to embrace evolution if the only version
they've been exposed to portrays the processes at work as merely competitive and pointless,
even cruel, and thus Godless. Is it any wonder that many on the conservative side of the
theological spectrum find such a view repulsive, and that many on the liberal side accept
evolution only begrudgingly?
Only when the evolutionary history of the Universe is articulated in a way that
conservative religious believers feel in their bones is holy, and in a way that liberal believers are
passionately proud of, will evolution be widely and wholeheartedly embraced. Fortunately, that
time is now-not 2,000 years ago, not 200 years ago, and not even 20 years ago. Now is when
we are awakening to the reality that God did not stop communicating truth vital to human
wellbeing back when scripture was still recorded on animal skins and preserved for posterity in
clay pots.
There is nothing for the religious to fear in this turn of events. God's gift of science
reveals that our faith traditions are more meaningful and grounded in undeniable reality than
previous generations could possibly have known. When we focus our attention on the points of
broad consensus, rather than where there is legitimate disagreement, conflicts that have festered
for decades, even centuries, lose their grip.
Most people, in my experience, simply don't know that more than 95 percent of the
scientists of the world-including scientists who are devout Christians-agree on the general
flow of natural history. Even those impressed by "intelligent design" arguments, I've discovered,
are unaware that the leaders of the ID movement agree with evolutionists on the basic timeline of
cosmic and biological emergence. That is, they agree that matter and life have undergone a
sequence of irreversible transformations in measurable time. Why (and for some, exactly how)
the living and nonliving worlds have morphed over the eons is the focus of debate. But the fact
that our Universe has been transforming along a discernible path for billions of years-the fact
that creation was not a one-time event-is of little or no dispute. It is this fact, this undeniable
fact, of an emergently complex Universe that makes me want to shout from the mountaintops:
"The war is over! The war is over!"
The war is over for another reason, too. Scientists have discovered that evolution is not a
mechanistic, meaningless process. Admittedly, if one looks primarily at interpretations drawn by
prominent scientists and natural philosophers not long dead, there is ample reason to conclude
that the history of change in our Universe gives no guidance for how we should lead our lives
and weave our legacies. But when we look at what prominent scientists alive today know and are
discovering, we find a creation story that we can once again embrace as sacred, as holy, as ours.
From "Adam and Eve" to Us-and Beyond
"Education and religion need to ground themselves within the empirical story of the
Universe. Within this functional cosmology, we can overcome our alienation, and begin
the renewal of life on a sustainable basis. This story is a numinous, revelatory narrative
that can inspire the vision and energy needed to bring ourselves and the entire planet
into a new order of magnificence." - THOMAS BERRY
Human consciousness emerged within a world of powerful and mysterious forces beyond our
comprehension and control. As modes of communication evolved-from gestures and oral
speech to writing and mathematics, to print, to science, to computers-so has God been able to
reveal more and more about...well, everything: God's nature and will, the scale and venerability
of Creation, and the meaning and magnitude of humanity's divine calling. An inspiring
consequence of seeing the full sweep of history is discovering that human circles of care and
compassion have expanded over time. As we shall learn, this trend is in keeping with
evolutionary forces. Truly, this is Good News.
Early on, owing to genetic guidance honed in a pre-linguistic world, and then
supplemented by knowledge that could be accumulated, retained, and shared only to the extent
that spoken language would allow, our abilities to cooperate with one another were limited and
localized. Anyone outside the tribe was suspect, and probably an enemy. As technologies of
communication evolved, our ancestors entered interdependent relationships in ever-widening
circles, from villages, chiefdoms, and early nations, to today's global markets and international
organizations. Finally, the emergence of the World Wide Web has made possible collaborations
no longer stifled by geographic distances and political boundaries. Throughout this evolution of
human communities and networks, an inner transformation has also been taking place. At each
stage our circles of care, compassion, and commitment have grown and our lists of enemies have
diminished. Our next step will be to learn to organize and govern ourselves globally, and to
enjoy a mutually enhancing relationship with the larger body of Life of which we are part.
Traditional religions have played crucial roles in fostering cooperation within each tribe,
kingdom, and early nation-though not infrequently by provoking suspicion and enmity of those
outside the group. Now emerging is an orientation that encourages wider affinities and global-
scale cooperation. For religious traditions to fulfill their potentials in our postmodern world, each
will be called to harmonize its core doctrines with the evolutionary worldview. This effort will
prove far more than an exercise in catching up and making do. Rather, leaders within each
tradition will delight in discovering that the evolutionary outlook bolsters their core teachings.
Instead of an intrusion on our faith, evolution becomes a precious blessing.
Evolutionary versions of each religion-Evolutionary Buddhism, Evolutionary
Christianity, Evolutionary Islam, Evolutionary Judaism, Evolutionary Hinduism, and more-are
emerging. Why is this happening? Because adherents of each tradition have discovered the same
thing: Religious insights and perspectives freed from the narrowness of their time and place of
origin are more comprehensive and grounded in measurable reality than anyone could have
possibly dreamed before. Evolution does not diminish religion; it expands its meaning and value
globally.
Science and Religion Spurring Each Other to Greatness
"As evolution proceeds, living things will increasingly coordinate their actions for the
benefit of the group because it will be in their self-interests to do so. Cooperators will
inherit the Earth, and eventually the Universe." - JOHN STEWART
Understandably, many devout religious believers have rejected evolution because the process has
been depicted as random, meaningless, mechanistic, and Godless. The growing edge of
evolutionary thinking today, both scientifically and theologically, points to a very different
understanding of the Cosmos and a far more realistic picture of divine creativity. We encounter a
Universe astonishingly well suited for life and our kind of consciousness. Scientists themselves
are moving away from a mechanistic, or design, way of thinking and into an emergent,
developmental worldview. Evolution from this perspective (to use traditional Christian language)
can be embraced as God glorifying and Christ edifying.
[BOX] "The more awesome my God becomes"
While pastoring my first church, in rural New England, I stood under the stars one night
with a parishioner, an 82-year-old farmer and amateur astronomer affectionately known as
"Gramps." Gazing at the Milky Way, Gramps whispered, "You know, Reverend, the more
I learn about this amazing Universe, the more awesome my God becomes!" [END BOX]
Two thousand years ago, it was widely believed that the world was flat and stationary, and that
the Sun and stars revolved around us. The biblical writers reasonably assumed that mountains
were unchanging, that stars never died, and that God placed all creatures on Earth (or spoke them
into existence) in finished form. How could they have thought otherwise? The idea of a spherical
Earth turning on an axis and orbiting the Sun, or of Polaris as an immense bundle of hydrogen
gas fusing into helium quadrillions of miles away, or of mountains rising and eroding as crustal
plates shift, or of creatures morphing over time: all these would have seemed absurd to anyone
living when the Bible was written. Had God inspired someone to write about such things then,
the early church leaders would never have considered the document authoritative. They would
have thought it bizarre and dangerously misleading, and would have ensured that any such
proclamations were discredited and quickly forgotten.
Many Jews, Christians, and Muslims still regard the early history of the Hebrew people,
as recorded in the Torah, to be the history of humanity as a whole. We now, however, know a
great deal more about what was happening in the world 3,500 years ago-two centuries before
Moses was born-thanks to the worldwide, cross-cultural, self-correcting enterprise of
archeological and anthropological science. Although none of this world history is mentioned in
the Bible, no historian alive today would deny the following: Before Moses was born and before
the story of Adam and Eve was written, King Tut III ruled the Egyptian empire's 18th Dynasty;
southeast Asians were boating to nearby Pacific islands; Indo-European charioteers were
invading India; China, under the Shang Dynasty, entered the Bronze Age; and indigenous
peoples occupied most of the Western Hemisphere.
Each of these cultures told sacred stories about how and why everything came into being,
what is important, and how to survive and thrive in the landscapes and cultures in which they
lived. To interpret the early chapters of Genesis-or any of the world's creation narratives-as
representing the entire history of the Universe, or to imagine them as rival rather than
complementary views of a larger reality, is to trivialize these holy texts. It is also time for
scientists to share their work with religionists and to understand that the traditions will not go
away. The ancient religious paths are aching for coherence with the great discoveries born of the
quest to understand this vast Universe, the living world, our evolved selves, and especially our
innermost psyches.
In Context
"The ultimate victory for a scientific idea is to become the new commonsense."
- DAVID SLOAN WILSON
American society is rife with conflict, big and small, born of the seemingly never-ending battle
between scripture-based faith and the discoveries of empirical science. A number of significant
books in the realm of religion and science have been published during the past few years. Those
that make the news typically fall into any of three categories:
. epistles countering "intelligent design" and the perennial claims that evolution is "just
a theory"
. books that attempt to reconcile (read: make palatable) the science-based understanding
of evolution with traditional religious views
. strident works that claim that otherworldly faith cannot be reconciled with science,
and that science must triumph over supernatural religion and render it ineffectual if our
species is to survive
None of those paths are offered here. Rather, my intent is to help you see what I see-science
and religion can be mutually enriching. We are in the early stages of one of the most far-
reaching transformations into which human consciousness has ever ascended. Today's conflict
between science and religion is the catalyst by which both will mature in healthy ways. Neither
will drive the other into extinction. Rather, both are moving in remarkable, previously
unthinkable directions. As astrophysicist Joel Primack and cultural historian Nancy Abrams
explain in their book, The View from the Center of the Universe: "Many scientists think
integrating science and meaning is a danger to science, but a science that doesn't consider its
own meaning can be a danger to everyone else. Interpreting modern cosmology is-if anything
is-a sacred responsibility."
This book is thus a message of realistic hope, grounded in reason and inspired by faith.
Here is my vision: Within the first half of this century, virtually all of us-believers and
nonbelievers alike-will come to appreciate that evolution is a gift to religion and that meaning-
making is a gift to science. As the religions come to embrace the science-based history of the
Cosmos, each tradition's core insights will be accessed in larger, more realistic ways than ever
before. Cultures in conflict will find common ground that today seems inconceivable.
And this, I suggest, is God's will.
Overview
"The most practical belief system for a large-scale society in the long run is one that is
firmly anchored in factual reality." - DAVID SLOAN WILSON
Part I, "The Holy Trajectory of Evolution," delineates what I mean by, and how I will be
using in this book, words such as "cosmology," "evolution," "emergence," "revelation," "God,"
"the Universe," "cosmology." Here we shall consider what evolution is, what it is not, and why
human societies require a mythic and meaningful context.
Chapter 1 examines why a people's cosmology, or "Big Picture," is so important. We
cannot thrive without myth-that is, without meaningful stories that freely use poetry and
metaphor to communicate what we individually and collectively experience to be true.
Chapter 2 is intended to evaporate the fears of those who reject evolution on the grounds
that it is a meaningless, Godless process. Here I show how mainstream science reveals that,
"Evolution is Not Meaningless Blind Chance." Rather, biological life and human life evidence a
trajectory (a holy direction). It is no coincidence, nor is it an accident, that greater complexity,
cooperation, and interdependence at increasing scale are evident in the DNA and fossil records,
and throughout human history as well. This does not, however, point to a designer God who
planned the whole thing or who is pulling the strings. Indeed, there is compelling evidence
against such a trivialized notion of the divine.
Chapter 3, "Evolution and the Revival of the Human Spirit," is written in sermon form
and offers a passionate, contextual introduction to some of the core concepts discussed in later
chapters. Here you will encounter lessons gleaned from billions of years of deep time grace.
These are lessons that, while enriching traditional religious insights, can nonetheless be
conveyed in ways that are also agreeable to individuals for whom religious language is off-
putting.
Part II, "Reality Is Speaking," explores various modes of divine communication. The nature of
human language and consciousness underpin this introduction to "the marriage of science and
religion." Here we will look for overarching understandings that can be celebrated by all
peoples, including devout religious believers of every tradition and ardent nonbelievers, too.
Chapter 4 introduces a novel distinction that will prove foundational for the rest of the
book. It is the distinction between private revelation (divine truth sporadically revealed through
the experience of single individuals) and public revelation (divine truth ongoingly revealed
through the contributions made by a vast community of individuals engaged in the scientific
quest). This chapter also introduces the radical idea that "facts are God's native tongue."
Chapter 5 considers "The Nested, Emergent Nature of Divine Creativity." This, I
contend, may be the single most restorative insight into the nature of reality gained through
public revelation. Here we shall contemplate the arresting fact that absolutely everything we
tangibly experience-including our own bodies-is, in truth, recycled stardust. The chapter
concludes with a brief exploration of another truth that carries profound religious implications
(foreshadowed in mythic terms in the early Christian gospels and book of Revelation): Death is
of supreme importance in the process of divine/cosmic creativity.
Chapter 6 probes the inherently symbolic and consequential nature of human language,
and why it is that "words create worlds." We shall also learn how our day (literal) and night
(symbolic) experiences of reality are both important, and thus why neither an exclusively
scientific nor an exclusively religious way of speaking about matters of ultimate concern would
be adequate to the task.
Chapter 7 tackles the question, "What Do We Mean by the Word, 'God'?" There is, of
course, no one right way to express our relationship to Ultimate Reality. Nevertheless, how and
where we imagine God makes a huge difference. Our images of the divine shape the largest
meanings (and purposes) we attribute to our individual lives and to the collective life of our
species. This chapter concludes with an invitation to know God and to be faithful to God, in a
more glorious and undeniably real way than was possible before evolution was understood.
Part III, "The Gospel According to Evolution," heralds the most immediately practical and
personal segments of this book. If your encounters with the scientific understanding of evolution
in school, in your religious education, or via the media have not yet offered anything of value for
your day-to-day living, or if the evolutionary worldview seems harsh and perhaps threatening to
your faith, then you might want to dive right into this part. Perhaps you, too, will experience the
saving grace I felt when I learned how our evolutionary past is still influencing each and every
one of us. From this vantage, the path to freedom becomes both obvious and achievable. By
understanding our brain's creation story, new possibilities open up for overcoming long-standing
personal challenges and living a life of deep integrity.
The way forward begins with this simple truth: Your greatest difficulties (including
substance addictions and other destructive habits), while your responsibility, are ultimately not
your fault. Such challenges spring from "inherited proclivities" that served the survival and
reproductive interests of our human and pre-human ancestors. Those very same drives also give
rise to some of the most precious aspects of our humanity-and what it means to be alive. They
are instincts; they are not a mistake. Thankfully, we can begin to walk this path, in faith, and
without becoming dour and anxious. Rather, we will learn how to harness the powers of the most
ancient core of our brain-that which goes all the way back to our reptilian ancestors, and which
I like to call our "Lizard Legacy." We will learn, too, why the "Furry L'il Mammal" part of our
brain is so adept at flooding us with emotions-welcome or not. Why does our "Monkey Mind"
exhaust us with incessant chatter, and what can we do about it? Here, too, you will learn about
the brain's most recently evolved capacity: our ability to choose a higher purpose ("Higher
Porpoise") powerful enough to override the problematic tendencies of all the older parts.
Chapter 8 introduces a simple set of criteria for imagining how otherworldly religious
concepts can be REALized-that is, made real in the world of our actual experience. Any new
interpretation of a traditional understanding that could be embraced across the theological and
philosophical spectrum will (a) validate the heart of earlier interpretations, (b) make sense
naturally and scientifically, (c) be universally, experientially true, and (d) empower people of all
ages, especially young people.
Chapters 9 and 10 explore human instincts from a God-glorifying evolutionary
perspective. The good news is that an evolutionary appreciation of our instincts can help us
navigate the troublesome issues many of us deal with related to food, safety, sex, and
relationships. Here we see how and why a meaningful, deep-time view of human nature
transforms lives in more comprehensive and lasting ways than classical religious or secular
approaches generally can. These two chapters begin to explore traditional Christian theological
concepts, such as "The Fall," "Original Sin," "Personal Salvation," "Christ-likeness," "Saving
Faith," and "the Gospel," through the lens of evolutionary psychology. I also introduce what I
call "The DNA of Deep Integrity": trust, authenticity, responsibility, and service. These virtues
are central to a developmental understanding of "God's will," and they are key facets of
evolutionary spirituality.
Part IV, "Evolutionary Spirituality," extends the practical emphasis by offering a solid
program for personal and relational transformation grounded in evolutionary integrity. Yes, the
practical is spiritual. Spirituality is not merely about prayer or meditation, mystical experiences,
or, indeed, anything ethereal. It is about cultivating right relationships at every scale of reality.
Chapter 11, "Evolutionary Integrity Practices," provides exercises that can bless your life
and the lives of everyone with whom you are in relationship-no matter what your religion,
philosophy, or beliefs. These are tools that will help you embody evolutionary spirituality in
healthy and empowering ways. Each practice is crafted to support your growth in deep
integrity-that is, in trust, authenticity, responsibility, and service. This is the book's most
practical and potentially life-changing chapter. Even those who do not embrace evolution will
find this chapter useful and the exercises transforming.
Chapter 12 explores the essential elements of "Evolving Our Most Intimate
Relationships." Here we learn how respectful communication, touch and tenderness, playfulness
and humor, meaningful songs and rituals, and service all reveal evolutionary wisdom. Attending
to these, we ensure that our most meaningful relationships evolve in healthy ways.
Chapter 13 offers a smorgasbord of affirmations and visual images to support one's
growth in evolutionary integrity. Here you will find practical suggestions for enhancing your
communion with life and deepening your walk with God.
Part V, "A 'God-Glorifying' Future," shifts focus from the individual to the collective. How
can we lovingly, yet firmly, confront corporate and systemic "sin" and "evil" while recognizing
the vital role of chaos and breakdowns in catalyzing evolutionary creativity? How can we
consciously co-evolve with the groups, communities, and institutions of which we are part?
What would it mean for corporations, nation-states, and our species to be in evolutionary
integrity? And what visions of realistic possibility can sustain and inspire us, and our children,
well into the future?
Chapter 14, "Collective Sin and Salvation," examines the nature of corporate and
systemic sin and suggests how we might participate in its redemption and transformation.
Chapter 15 identifies ways of discerning "The Wisdom of Life's Collective Intelligence" and
acting on what we discern. Here I suggest a way to REALize another core Christian concept: "the
Kingdom of Heaven." The nature of conversation is also explored here, and in a way that
showcases its potential as an evolutionary force.
In Chapter 16, "Knowing the Past Reveals Our Way Forward," and Chapter 17, "Beyond
Sustainability: An Inspiring Vision," I offer a hundred-year cosmic timeline and share what I and
many others experience as a compelling vision of the future, grounded in an inspiring
interpretation of the past. We will consider the major challenges and positive trends apparent
today that will surely continue, along with potential wildcards (momentous events that may or
may not take place) in the next 250 years. We also will revisit the question of who and what we
humans really are in the evolutionary process, and thereby fashion a believable and empowering
story of why we are here.
Chapter 18, "Our Evolving Understanding of 'God's Will'," uses our now sacralized
evolutionary perspective to broaden and enrich our culture's experience of divine guidance and
ethical instruction. We shall also consider fresh ways of understanding Jesus and his role in
cosmic history, in the lives of Christians, and in the life of the church.
In the Epilogue, you will find my own brief testimonial, along with a vision of what a holy
evolutionary future would entail. Appendix A is a previously published letter by Richard
Dawkins, a renowned scientist who is no friend of otherworldly, belief-based religion. This
letter, a forthright critique of the limitations of supernatural religion, is offered with loving
inflection and simple analogies-for it was written to his then ten-year-old daughter.
Appendix B is my theological response to Dawkins' letter. Here I articulate an
evolutionary REALizing of the miraculous stories that historically have been at the heart of the
Christian tradition: the virgin birth and the resurrection and ascension of Jesus the Christ.
* * *
Some chapters begin with "prophetic inquiry" questions designed to elicit new responses to core
religious concepts. Answers and interpretations beyond the ones I provide are not only possible;
they are desirable in that they will encourage the collective evolution of our faith traditions. If
any of my introductory responses speak to you, please make them your own-and let them live
through you and your life. If a different approach for finding the sacred in our common creation
story inspires you, then please share it here: www.evolutionaryspirituality.org. Thus might we
launch our own century's contribution to a long and venerable tradition of prophetic inquiry. As
more people share ideas in this way, we will generate an ever-evolving collective sense of our
traditions' magnificent teachings and their relevance in this rapidly changing world.
PART I
The Holy Trajectory
of Evolution
"Without a meaningful, believable story that explains the world we
actually live in, people have no idea how to think about the big
picture. And without a big picture, we are very small people."
- JOEL PRIMACK and NANCY ABRAMS
Library of Congress Subject Headings for this publication:
Evolution -- Religious aspects -- Christianity.
Religion and science.