Dancing with the Sacred: Evolution, Ecology, and God.

Dancing with the Sacred: Evolution, Ecology, and God. By Karl E. Peters. Harrisburg, PA: Trinity Press International, 2002. x and 171 pages. Paper. $15.00.

Karl Peters, Professor Emeritus of Philosophy and Religion at Rollins College in Winter Park, Florida, is perhaps best known to readers of Currents as coeditor of Zygon: Journal of Religion and Science. His goal in Dancing With the Sacred is to talk about God in a way that is compatible with contemporary science, that makes positive use of our cultural pluralism, and that contributes to more respectful treatment of the environment.

Peters's goal of presenting a view of God consistent with science leads him to describe a nonpersonal God who is part and parcel of the evolutionary process. Religious transformation is not separate from evolution but, like all else, is a product of the evolutionary ebb and flow of chance and necessity. Peters suggests thinking of God as "serendipitous creativity." "To err is divine," for the mystery of divine creativity may lead in all manner of unexpected directions. Is this not what Jesus did when he expressed the authority of divine creativity by leading his disciples beyond the traditional religion of their day? Faith is like a "cosmic dance"; we are invited to be caught up in the spontaneity of the divine, evolutionary, creative process, even while we follow the patterns of the dance. That is, the evolutionary process combines random, chance changes with natural laws; in theology we recognize the role of both the creative Spirit and the orderly Logos.

How, then, shall we live? How we participate in this cosmic dance of divine creativity depends on how we view "our sacred center"--that is, what is the nature of the self that responds to the mystery of divine creativity? Peters argues convincingly that it is important for us to think not only of our "phenomenal self" (the self that appears to our senses) but also of our "big self"--the selves that reflect our interrelation with the rest of the evolutionary process. He describes three selves: the biological, the cultural, and the cosmic. We are not the isolated individual of our phenomenal self; we are connected with the universe through our biological, cultural, and cosmic relationships. The goal of life is to rejoice in our place within the cosmic dance. Compatible, perhaps, with a Lutheran theology of the cross, Peters's view of the cosmic dance is cruciform. The evolutionary dance leads us through death which gives rise to rebirth and new opportunities. The ethical principles that guide us will support participation in the flow of "serendipitous creativity," particularly in a way that recognizes our "big-self" connection with the realms of biology, culture, and the universe. Living in such harmony with the flow of life should help us care for the environment rather than degrade it. Finally, Peters suggests seeing the Earth as one child of the evolutionary process. We humans are like the developing mind of this child of God, and our responsibility is to guide the developing Earth-child in respectful, caring ways.

Dancing With the Sacred has much to commend it. I tend to be sympathetic with process theology both because I believe it does a more adequate job of accounting for the dynamic realities of God in the Bible than does traditional theology and also because it provides a frame-work of fruitful dialogue with science. Peters's theology here provides a similarly intriguing and exciting way of thinking about God.

I find Peters's emphasis on our "big self" as an expression of our interconnectedness with culture and cosmos to be a helpful antidote to an excessive individualism and anthropocentrism that can endanger not only the environment but people in need as well. Peters's recognition that the creative process includes suffering and death saves his "big-self" view from being unduly romantic.

Peters is a "naturalistic theist," and his God is nonpersonal. Thus, his theology may go beyond the bounds of acceptable Christian theology. John says that "God is a spirit," and we know the "cosmic Christ" of Colossians. Do they point in the direction of God as creative dance, or does Peters go too far for Christian theology? Peters includes religion within the sphere of cultural evolution. Christians do believe in the ongoing power and guidance of the Holy Spirit, but we may be reluctant to affirm the evolutionary transformation of Christian faith if it means going beyond core Christian beliefs. The difficulty, of course, is agreeing on what those core beliefs are that cannot be changed if we are to remain within the Christian tradition.

Dancing With the Sacred is helpful, stimulating, and challenging, especially for those concerned for the intersection of faith and science.

Roger E. Timm

Ascension Lutheran Church

Riverside, Illinois