Christianity and Evolution

by Pierre Teilhard de Chardin

Nineteen essays concerned with the relationship of science and religion. As a believing scientist, Teilhard wrestled with the problem of presenting to the believer a scientific picture that would enlarge his religious vision and to the scientist a statement of religious ideas that would integrate with his understanding of reality. Foreword by N. M. Wildiers; Index. Translated by René Hague.A Helen and Kurt Wolff Book

Genres: Religion, Science, Theology, Philosophy, Nonfiction, Christianity, Evolution

264 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1969

About the author

Pierre Teilhard de Chardin was a visionary French Jesuit, paleontologist, biologist, and philosopher, who spent the bulk of his life trying to integrate religious experience with natural science, most specifically Christian theology with theories of evolution. In this endeavor he became enthralled with the possibilities for humankind, which he saw as heading for an exciting convergence of systems, an "Omega point" where the coalescence of consciousness will lead us to a new state of peace and planetary unity. Long before ecology was fashionable, he saw this unity as being based intrinsically upon the spirit of the Earth. Studied in England. Traveled to numerous countries, including China, as missionary.

Died in New York City on Easter 1955

Reviews

[Michael Redmond · Rating 5 out of 5]

My close re-read was PIERRE TEILHARD DE CHARDIN: Christianity and Evolution: Reflections on Science and Religion (Harvest, 1969), a collection of private essays and notes, some incomplete, by the priest-paleontologist (1881-1955) who may yet emerge as the most important Roman Catholic thinker of modern times.

Pere Teilhard was not a theologian, but a scientist; still, having had a thorough Jesuit education, he was no slouch at theology, either.

This book contains the entire solution to the Genesis vs. Darwin imbroglio and numerous other conceptual breakthroughs of immediate relevance to the science-religion debate. It shows the way forward, not by the abandonment of Christian belief but by a radical and startling rethinking of such touchstone dogmas as the Fall of Man, Original Sin, the Incarnation and the Redemption in the light of science, and by an awe-inspiring vision of Christ as the Lord of Life and as the Person and Principle through whom and in whom the entire universe consists (1 Col: 15-17).

The Christian faith was not Teilhard's problem; the dead-end of Thomism was. Teilhard's "Note on Some Possible Historical Representations of Original Sin," filched from his desk and forwarded to the heresy police, no kidding, translated here, was enough to send the Roman church into full Galileo syndrome relapse. Yes, Teilhard's ideas are "dangerous," in much the same way as faith itself is dangerous. Teilhard was forbidden to teach in Catholic universities, he was forbidden to publish, and he was sent packing from Paris to China, where it was hoped he would never disturb the peace again.

But God must have a supreme sense of humor among his other supreme attributes. The Roman church sent one of the day's leading paleontologists to China just in time for the discovery of Peking Man (Home erectus pekinensis), one of the most important fossil finds of the first half of the 20th century relating to human origins. Teilhard was all over it and is credited as co-discoverer. He wouldn't have been within 10,000 miles of the site were it not for the church's opprobrium.

Read this book. Then read it again. Teilhard even provides an intellectually plausible theory of why "miracles" are possible and how they may happen. It's ingenious.

A parting word from Pere Teilhard: "Someday, after mastering winds, waves, tides and gravity, we shall harness the energy of love; and for the second time in the history of the world, man will have discovered fire.

[Jonathan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I questioned whether to give this book four or five stars. At times the author is extraordinarily unclear in the manner of many theorists of days gone by, jumping from one huge conclusion to the next with hardly a sentence in between, never really explaining his assumptions or thought process. His vocabulary is also rather specialized, with a large number of neologisms (I believe), and it takes awhile to firmly grasp what he means by certain terms.

But given that this book is a collection of what seem to have been essentially personal notes over several decades across the first half of the 20th century(since most of them were unpublished in his lifetime), I was absolutely blown away by the continuing relevance of his ideas. I love old books, and I try to avoid "chronological snobbery," but I really did not expect a book so directly dealing with science (and a particular area of science that has come so far in the last fifty years) to be so profoundly applicable today.

I am a firm believer in evolution as fact, and I am also a passionate believer in the truth of Scripture. I have come to a point where evolution has become so undeniable that I believe that inconsistencies with theology are due to our inability to properly interpret scripture. And in my own mind, the largest unresolved questions about evolution are all theological, with a heavy emphasis on the nature of the Fall, sin, and death (particularly before humanity). This book is the only one I have read (and I have read many) that produces at least a plausible account of how these difficult theological questions can be resolved. I won't attempt to actually explain them here until I have ready more of the author's works, but suffice it to say that the book blew my mind. He may not be right about everything, but he certainly proposes radically compelling solutions that, on the whole, leave me feeling satisfied as both a Christian and a believer in the elegance and truth of evolution.

[Matt Burget · Rating 3 out of 5]

Père Pierre Teilhard de Chardin is brilliant, original, and structural in his thought; however this text was not what I expected and left me wanting. That said, this book serves as an excellent introduction to Teilhard’s theological premises without the density of a full treatise project.

This is mostly a collection of unpublished journals/essays instead of a unified project outlining his paleontology. He does a fair job of defining and drawing distinctions between his nuanced perspective and controversial mislabels. However, the excerpts are too short and distinctions too fine a line to do his position justice. That said, Père Teilhard draws awfully close to (a) Pantheism, (b) evil as ontologically necessary, and (c) God within Process theology.

I’m now intrigued and wish to hear his clarifying points, though I suspect I’ll still disagree with him based on his low emphasis of freedom (God and human).

[Robert Terrell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pierre Teilhard de Chardin's Christianity and Evolution sparked rich discussion in our group, though his notoriously dense writing often obscured his meaning, demanding significant interpretive effort. Despite this challenge, his ambitious synthesis of evolutionary theory and Christian theology, particularly his concept of the 'Omega Point,' offers a compelling and unique vision. While his prose can be daunting, the book's profound exploration of the relationship between science and faith, and its bold attempt to integrate them, ultimately makes it a worthwhile, if demanding, read for those interested in the intersection of these disciplines.

[Ephrem Arcement · Rating 4 out of 5]

Here you will find Teilhard's essays on Original Sin and other topics that develop his thought of God and evolution. On the whole, not as stimulating as other collections but still well worth your time.

[Mjh · Rating 3 out of 5]

5 for his brilliance. 1 for my ability to understand. Resonated with parts but mostly over my head.

[Frank Nemecek · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a bit of a long-winded read but still a very good one.

[Richard Pütz · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great book to read and put into the context of the world today. This is a great companion book to read in conjunction with Ilia Delio's book "Re-enchanting the Earth: Why AI needs religion"

[Luís Branco · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think that Chardin has a point when confronting some human beliefs about the universe, but his mode of putting it makes one believe that the "former" thinking is biblical. No, the Bible supplies us with sound, but limited information about the details of creation. Thus, he cannot use it to validate his evolutionary assumption. The biblical story of creation is simple and clear, it doesn't focus much on the details, not even is the worry of the Bible writers to give a scientific account, but an origin account of the universe. Chardin mislead his writers when he use a scientific theory to refute a theological belief and even so, he simply don't know what to do with Christ. What is the difference between believing that God created the whole universe in a number of days and with the virgin birth of Christ? If we consider the complexity of the human being, the miracle is not less of the one of God who creates the universe. We cannot adopt one and despise the other.

[Bryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

At times extremely profound and at other times very elusive. Chardin is truly a deep thinker in his attempts to reconcile science, and specifically evolution, and theology. Whether he has accomplished it or not, he at least makes a good case for the compatibility of science and Christianity. His main driving idea is that God's purpose, and the role that Christ's incarnation played, is the ultimate unity of all creation in God's all-encompassing presence and love. He sees evolution as a process whereby man progresses into ever greater unity with creation and with God, thus purging the universe of dross of sin.

[Greg Lehman · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the most honest and transformative spiritual books I've ever read. This is mostly due to the fact that Chardin in large part avoids the apologetics-style gymnastics that come off as defensive and contrived with so many other Christian writers. His paleontological background gives him license to explore a world in flux, in which all of life is developing further in order to approach the divine in an imperfect universe. This book doesn't answer every biological and philosophical issue, but it is a fantastic attempt towards addressing problems that have been oppressed before.

[Joe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Shockingly relevant 60 years later. It's a real eye opener to themes that are still untouched by the mainstream Catholic Church. It's hard not to expect some re-analysis to come... and the scope of it is rather mind boggling. But I appreciate the fact that Teilhard's faithfulness to scripture is founded precisely on who Jesus is. How can that not be grounds to rethink some elements of our understanding of the universe?

[Joel]

kind of incomprehensible...prob won't finish, picking and choosing essays.

[Aaron Cliff · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would suggest reading this before diving into the divine milieu, as Pierre's thoughts are better presented as a groundwork here. 4.5

[Rolando · Rating 4 out of 5]

Contains the beautiful essay, "How I Believe."