Thank God for Evolution

Since 2002, ordained United Church of Christ minister Dowd and his wife, science writer Connie Barlow, have traveled the country celebrating evolution as a grand epic story with a host of psychological and moral implications for shaping contemporary life. As narrator, Dowd projects an earnest next-door neighbor teaching style that earns a measure of patience and forgiveness when he undertakes divergent metaphors and analogies that may leave listeners scratching their heads at times. Dowd’s talking points offer a potpourri of scientific and theological insights that remain generally engaging, though not necessarily stirring. He reaches the peak of his effectiveness when he provides specific calls to actions for his audience to meld “flat-Earth” Christianity and “evolutionary” Christianity in both their personal problem-solving and in larger global challenges. These nuggets make the lengthy journey worthwhile, at least for those in the fields of science and religion wanting to foster new areas for dialogue beyond the current culture wars. A Viking hardcover. (Sept.)