about the author

 

 

Michael Dowd

Michael Dowd is a gifted teacher, preacher, and evolutionary theologian, at home in both conservative and liberal settings, has been called "America's evolutionary evangelist." Michael's 1991 book, EarthSpirit: A Handbook for Nurturing an Ecological Christianity, published by Twenty-Third Publications, was one of the earliest attempts to look appreciatively at New Testament faith from the perspective of a modern cosmology.
During the 1980s and 90s, Michael pastored three United Church of Christ congregations, worked with Jewish, Roman Catholic, Protestant, and Evangelical leaders across America on issues related to environmental stewardship, peace, and justice, and managed government funded Sustainable Lifestyle Campaigns on both coasts. Michael's great joy is telling the 14 billion year history of the Universe in God-glorifying, Christ-edifying, scripture-honoring ways that touch, move, and inspire people of all ages and theological orientations.
The Great Story
Evolutionary Christianity

My Vision of the Future

The vision of the future that touches, moves, and inspires me most deeply is this: Having integrated the meaning and significance of the fact that evolution has consistently produced spheres of cooperation and interdependence at larger and wider scale, we GET that this is our destiny.

I see these two questions being primary guides for human activity in the 21st century…

1. How can we further the evolutionary impulse and govern ourselves as a species (locally, regionally, nationally, and globally) so that there are real and effective incentives for individuals, corporations, and nation-states to cooperate and serve the common good (each benefits substantially by doing so) and equally effective incentives for them NOT to cheat, dominate, pollute, or otherwise harm the common good?  In other words, how can we create laws, taxes, and moral incentives to successfully motivate individuals and groups to do the just and ecologically beneficial thing and NOT do the unjust or ecologically harmful thing?

2.  How can the epic of evolution be told in a multitude of personally and collectively meaningful (mythic) ways, so that it inspires billions of human beings with different worldviews to really want, and then successfully manifest, this vision?