[leighton]This month Charley and I have come across Michael Dowd who, as explained by our last guest, has a fascinating perspective on evolution and religion. This adds up to possibly being our most intriguing guest podcast yet.
Michael Dowd is one of the most inspiring speakers in America today. He is the author of Thank God for Evolution: How the Marriage of Science and Religion Will Transform Your Life and Our World, which has been endorsed by 5 Nobel laureates and other leading scientists, as well as by religious leaders across the spectrum. He and his wife, Connie Barlow, a noted science writer, have spoken to more than a thousand groups since they launched their itinerant ministry in 2002.
Michael graduated with highest honors from Evangel University in Springfield, Missouri (affiliated with the Assemblies of God), where he received a B.A. in biblical studies and philosophy. He also graduated with honors from Eastern Baptist Theological Seminary (now Palmer Seminary) in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (affiliated with the American Baptist Church), where he earned a Master of Divinity degree. Rev. Dowd served as a United Church of Christ minister for nine years, pastoring churches in Massachusetts, Ohio, and Michigan. His 1991 book, EarthSpirit: A Handbook for Nurturing an Ecological Christianity (Twenty-Third Publications) was one of the first attempts to look appreciatively at traditional Christianity from the perspective of a modern cosmology.
2 Responses to “June Guest Interview”
I’ve read Dowd’s book and have met him in person. I have a lot of respect and intrigue for his message and what he’s doing, and I for one don’t think that science and religion are at odds as long as they don’t stray from the questions they’re supposed to be asking. But I found his book to be pretty convoluted and not what the title makes you expect. I would rename his book “Evolutionary Self-Help Spirituality.” He claims to offer a perspective that can be embraced by all the world’s religions, but anyone who knows anything about the world religions and has read his book knows that this is very far-fetched and basically just shows his ignorance of most religions. Good guy, though. Seems to have connected with lots of people.
Personally, I haven’t had a chance to read his book yet. I’ve been through his site reading up on him there, but when I went to the bookstore they didn’t have it. I’m sending the girlfriend to the library today to see if she can track down a copy, but if not I’m going to have to hunt it down on Amazon.
If you like, post an email to me through the site or at irreligiosophy@gmail.com. When we’re going through the interview I’ll bring up some of your questions/concerns.