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Worshiping with Charles Darwin
Christians can accept evolution without dumping God.
Worshiping with Charles Sermons and Essays Touching on Matters of Faith and Science, shows why and how we can logically and religiously embrace both. Dr. Robert D. Cornwall uses mind and heart, empirical evidence and Scripture to cogently guide pastors, theologians, lay leaders, and congregants through the troubling waters of one of the most controversial topics plaguing Christianity today. When this dreaded topic is broached, emotions often run high and Christian charity is frequently absent. Bob Cornwall explores with courage and insight, here and in the pulpit, as pastor of Central Woodward Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Troy, Michigan.
He takes on the evolution/faith quandary openly and regularly through his sermons, his commemoration of Evolution Sunday (on the Sunday nearest Charles Darwin's February birthday), and his columns in the local newspaper, The Troy Patch. Worshiping with Charles Darwin will help you meaningfully consider related issues. Sample sermons, liturgical aids, and tips for engaging community discussion provide practical assistance. Among Cornwall's many books--Ultimate The Subversive Nature of the Lord's Prayer asks us to give our primary allegiance to Jesus and to his kingdom; Faith in the Public Square urges us to make our faith a real civic force--while remaining neighborly and Christ-like; Unfettered Spiritual Gifts for the New Great Awakening implores Christians of all traditions to be led by the Spirit toward God-sized goals. Now he calls on us to bridge the gap between science and faith.
Failure to do so could threaten the future of Christianity.
Worshiping with Charles Sermons and Essays Touching on Matters of Faith and Science, shows why and how we can logically and religiously embrace both. Dr. Robert D. Cornwall uses mind and heart, empirical evidence and Scripture to cogently guide pastors, theologians, lay leaders, and congregants through the troubling waters of one of the most controversial topics plaguing Christianity today. When this dreaded topic is broached, emotions often run high and Christian charity is frequently absent. Bob Cornwall explores with courage and insight, here and in the pulpit, as pastor of Central Woodward Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Troy, Michigan.
He takes on the evolution/faith quandary openly and regularly through his sermons, his commemoration of Evolution Sunday (on the Sunday nearest Charles Darwin's February birthday), and his columns in the local newspaper, The Troy Patch. Worshiping with Charles Darwin will help you meaningfully consider related issues. Sample sermons, liturgical aids, and tips for engaging community discussion provide practical assistance. Among Cornwall's many books--Ultimate The Subversive Nature of the Lord's Prayer asks us to give our primary allegiance to Jesus and to his kingdom; Faith in the Public Square urges us to make our faith a real civic force--while remaining neighborly and Christ-like; Unfettered Spiritual Gifts for the New Great Awakening implores Christians of all traditions to be led by the Spirit toward God-sized goals. Now he calls on us to bridge the gap between science and faith.
Failure to do so could threaten the future of Christianity.
116 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 1, 2013
21 people want to read
About the author
Robert D. Cornwall
35 books126 followersRobert D. Cornwall is minister-at-large after his retirement as pastor of Central Woodward Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Troy, Michigan. . He holds a M.Div. and a Ph.D. in Historical Theology from Fuller Theological Seminary, and is a graduate of Northwest Christian University in Eugene, OR. He is the author/editor of several books including "Second Thoughts About the Second Coming: Understanding the End Times, Our Future, and Christian Hope" (Westminster John Knox Press) coauthored with Ronald J. Allen. Other books include the second edition of "Unfettered Spirit: Spiritual Gifts for the New Great Awakening" and "The Letters of John: A Participatory Study Guide" (Energion Publications), along with a wide variety of other books (see the author listing), including Visible and Apostolic: The Constitution of the Church in High Church and Nonjuror Thought (University of Delaware Press, 1993); Gilbert Burnet's Discourse on the Pastoral Care, (Edwin Mellen Press, 1997), A Cry from the Cross: Sermons on the Seven Last Words of Christ (CSSPublishing, 2008), Religion, Politics and Dissent, 1660-1832: Essays in Honour of James E Bradley, edited with William Gibson (Ashgate, 2010); Ultimate Allegiance: The Subversive Nature of the Lord's Prayer, (Energion Publications, 2010); and Ephesians: A Participatory Study Guide, (Energion Publications, 2010). He has contributed articles to a number of books, encyclopedias, and journals, including Religious Identities in Britain, 1660-1832, Events that Changed the Word in the Eighteenth Century, The Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, The Encyclopedia of the Stone Campbell Movement, Encyclopedia of Protestantism, Church History, Anglican Theological Review, Christian Century Congregations, the Progressive Christian, and Anglican and Episcopal History. He served for many years as the editor of Sharing the Practice, the journal of the Academy of Parish Clergy.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
July 24, 2013
"Worshiping with Charles Darwin", by Bob Cornwall, was a refreshingly pleasant surprise for me. I was really intrigued by the subject matter and very impressed with how Cornwall addresses the subject of creation versus evolution in the public square today. He takes a position that I wholeheartedly agree with, namely, that science and religion are by no means incompatible and that they ask fundamentally different questions. Creationists and proponents of “intelligent design” hold positions that are inherently inconsistent with evolutionary theory. These positions lead not only to bad science but also to bad religion. Cornwall rightly notes that the creation stories in Genesis were never intended to be scientific accounts of how creation happened but are instead poetic accounts of God’s agency in creation.
Because the book is a collection of sermons, articles, and essays that Cornwall has written over the years, it tends to repeat the same points. One of these is Cornwall’s claim that he is not a scientist but a pastor and theologian. While this is true, he is familiar enough with evolutionary science to make some clear and accurate statements about it. One thing I would be very much interested in hearing more about is how he might describe his understanding of how God is at work in the process of evolutionary biology. How might one describe God as creator, affirm evolutionary process, and deny the claims of the “intelligent design” proponents all in one swoop? Perhaps Cornwall will address this issue more in future writing, but whether or not he does, this book powerfully makes the case that evolutionary science and faith are far from being mutually exclusive alternatives. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in this subject and especially to Christians who are tempted to reject evolutionary science because they (mistakenly) think that their faith teaches them that it’s wrong to accept it.
Because the book is a collection of sermons, articles, and essays that Cornwall has written over the years, it tends to repeat the same points. One of these is Cornwall’s claim that he is not a scientist but a pastor and theologian. While this is true, he is familiar enough with evolutionary science to make some clear and accurate statements about it. One thing I would be very much interested in hearing more about is how he might describe his understanding of how God is at work in the process of evolutionary biology. How might one describe God as creator, affirm evolutionary process, and deny the claims of the “intelligent design” proponents all in one swoop? Perhaps Cornwall will address this issue more in future writing, but whether or not he does, this book powerfully makes the case that evolutionary science and faith are far from being mutually exclusive alternatives. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in this subject and especially to Christians who are tempted to reject evolutionary science because they (mistakenly) think that their faith teaches them that it’s wrong to accept it.
November 19, 2013
I’m a fan of Robert Cornwall’s writing. It’s hard to overrate brevity, common sense, and simple honesty. Last year, one of his books made my Top Ten for 2012: See Faith in the Public Square.
In this book, Cornwall tackles the sticky subject of evolution. He writes as a theologian, not a scientist, but as one who recognizes his limited expertise and therefore respects and appreciates the contribution of scientists. Cornwall believes evolution is true not only because our greatest minds have offered convincing explanations, but because they have made great strides in medicine by building atop this biological knowledge. Cornwall believes the war between science and religion harms both sides, and that truth can best be approached by leaving the experts on each side to do their jobs without interference.
Cornwall is not alone in this opinion. A few years back, Dr. Michael Zimmerman penned a letter encouraging the compatibility of religion and science, and this letter has now garnered over 10,000 clergy signatures. “Evolution Sunday” was born, marking the closest Sunday to the birthday of Charles Darwin (February 12th), and at last count nearly 600 churches celebrated this day by using their worship service to address the issue, declaring that evolutionary science and faith are compatible.
Worshiping with Charles Darwin is a series of non-technical sermons and essays to that end. Many of the points and themes repeat in multiple sermons/essays, so there’s a bit of redundancy, yet I believe this book fills an important niche, with the theologian side of the war respectfully reaching out to make peace.
In this book, Cornwall tackles the sticky subject of evolution. He writes as a theologian, not a scientist, but as one who recognizes his limited expertise and therefore respects and appreciates the contribution of scientists. Cornwall believes evolution is true not only because our greatest minds have offered convincing explanations, but because they have made great strides in medicine by building atop this biological knowledge. Cornwall believes the war between science and religion harms both sides, and that truth can best be approached by leaving the experts on each side to do their jobs without interference.
Cornwall is not alone in this opinion. A few years back, Dr. Michael Zimmerman penned a letter encouraging the compatibility of religion and science, and this letter has now garnered over 10,000 clergy signatures. “Evolution Sunday” was born, marking the closest Sunday to the birthday of Charles Darwin (February 12th), and at last count nearly 600 churches celebrated this day by using their worship service to address the issue, declaring that evolutionary science and faith are compatible.
Worshiping with Charles Darwin is a series of non-technical sermons and essays to that end. Many of the points and themes repeat in multiple sermons/essays, so there’s a bit of redundancy, yet I believe this book fills an important niche, with the theologian side of the war respectfully reaching out to make peace.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews