Michael Dowd - Thank God for Evolution!

Michael Dowd is on a mission from God–the God of Evolution, that is. A former evangelical minister and protégé of the great Thomas Berry, Dowd travels around the United States spreading what he calls a new gospel (aka: The Great Story or Evolutionary Christianity), an all encompassing cosmic story that he hopes will serve as the basis for a new and universal spiritual mythos capable of bridging the gap between science and religion, faith and the future of the humanity. In this interview, Dowd speaks with EnlightenNext executive editor Carter Phipps about his work, his life on the road (for the last four years!), and his vision of a great Wilberian transcend-and-include flip he hopes will help propel us from a “my God vs. your God”, “my belief vs. your fact” world into one where a higher unity founded on evolutionary truths, awe-inspiring scientific fact, and yes—religious order—might one day prevail.

BIO

The Rev. Michael Dowd, a gifted teacher, preacher, and evolutionary theologian. A leading voice in the Evolutionary Spirituality movement, Michael is the author of the 1991 book "EarthSpirit: A Handbook for Nurturing an Ecological Christianity" (Twenty-Third Publications), which was inspired by the writings of cultural historian Thomas Berry, physicist Brian Swimme, and deep ecologist Joanna Macy. During the 1980s and 90s, Michael pastored three United Church of Christ congregations, worked with Jewish, Roman Catholic, Protestant, Evangelical, Unitarian Universalist, and New Thought leaders across America on environmental, peace, and justice issues, and managed government funded Sustainable Lifestyle Campaigns on both coasts. His great joy is telling the 14 billion year history of everyone and everything in ways that evoke awe, gratitude, and trust, inspire faith and openheartedness, and empower people to follow the path where their own great joy and the world's great need intersect.

Since April 2002, Michael and his wife Connie Barlow, an acclaimed science writer, have lived permanently on the road, teaching and preaching "the marriage of science and religion for personal and planetary wellbeing" in churches and living rooms as well as in public and private schools all across North America. Their website The Great Story is one of the best community empowerment tools in the conscious evolution/evolutionary spirituality movement, consistently generates nearly a half million hits per month! It is a leading resource for those working to heal the rift between science and religion, and for those envisioning a just, healthy, beautiful, and sustainably life-giving world for future generations of all species. Michael also has a website specifically for Christians.