My friend John Wilding, Elder at Kingsway, URC, Church Street, Slough, together with Margaret Boaden, has written a book (1) with this title, and the subtitle "Evolution of Humanity". On their website (2) the authors declare that
"This book is intended for readers who are dissatisfied equally with the materialistic certainties of much contemporary science, the competitive self-interest of the current political and economic scene and the divisive dogmatism characteristic of religions. It is for those who are looking for a practical and realistic view of the purpose of life, consistent with modern knowledge, that can be relevant to the whole of humanity and replace restless striving for individual pleasure."
Their main assertion is that Jesus did not intend to found a new religious system but lay the foundations for a further evolutionary step for self-centred mankind to be transformed into an "others aware" stage of cooperative living. Unfortunately, they say, the teaching of Jesus was very early on hijacked by St Paul. He could not shake off his Jewish past and foisted upon us a new religion with Christ's sacrificial atonement as its centrepiece, and obedience to the new church's rigid rules and regulations necessary to win eternal life after death. What Jesus did teach was God's "cosmic generosity", that the Spirit would bring God's influence when Jesus was no longer physically present, that true prayer is "listening, changing and acting" and that eternal life is human evolution into "a fuller life beyond physical constraints and nurtured through the exercise of love".
This is stuff to make us sit up and pay attention, but I have four particular problems with this book. First, the authors rely for the teaching of Jesus primarily on John's Gospel. Wilding and Boaden believe this to be the work of an eyewitness and so an accurate rendering of Jesus' life and teaching. But most scholars agree that this gospel written very near the end of the first century, is most unlikely to have been written by one of the Twelve or another eyewitness, that it is less reliable as an historical record than the three synoptic gospels and that it shows extraneous Gnostic and Hellenistic influences.
Second, although there is much emphasis on "evolution", the chapter on Creation uses arguments from the "intelligent design" thesis (3), i.e. that evolution theory relies on too many coincidences, e.g. the Big Bang that started the universe was of just the right force, gravity is just strong enough, the Sun the right size and that essential carbon simply came into being. Thus evolution theory is just as much a matter of faith as belief in a continually active creator god. This seems a dangerous attack on post-Enlightenment science. Do not most Christians, including Christian scientists, believe in evolution while at the same time believing in an active God as heaven and earth overlap. (4)
Third, the contribution of competition (survival of the fittest) in evolution is downplayed and its influence in economic development denigrated. "Evolution theories emphasise competition, as did prevailing economic and social theories of the age in which they developed. Yet….. Cooperation is at least as important in the evolution of life." Since Adam Smith argued for removal of restraints on competition and the division of labour in his 1776 "Wealth of Nations", economic growth in Europe, the USA and latterly other countries has lifted millions from the exigencies of poverty. The Soviet Bloc collapsed because its non-market economies could not deliver. Yes, there can be market failure, more often than not through government failure to establish market rules and institutions to enforce them. Market competition is not inconsistent with a welfare state, cooperation and measures to ensure all sections of the community share in rising prosperity.
Fourth, I do agree that Jesus' life and teaching about the loving nature of God is inconsistent with the penal substitution theory of atonement that can be derived from St Paul's writings. But also to junk all St Paul said about the Church is to throw the baby out with the bath water. Wilding and Boaden look forward to the withering away of churches as we know them – to be replaced with a loose network of like-minded individuals guided by the Spirit but free from formal structures, leaders and hierarchy. I am coming to believe that the ecumenical dream of a visibly united church throughout the world is a chimera, or indeed a nightmare. But if Christianity is to survive as an influence on individual lives and corporate behaviour it must have organisation(s) and leadership.
I hope this review does not seem unduly negative. This is an exciting book with many good things and much food for thought. I particularly like the definition of prayer noted above: listening, changing and acting. It does do what the paragraph I quoted at the outset promised and I hope many will read it carefully and beneficially.
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(1) Janus Publishing Company, price £7.95 - obtainable from St Andrew's Bookshop at Kingsway, Church Street, Slough; Ottakers/Waterstones; or Amazon
(2) www.humanfuture.co.uk
(3) which has been characterised as "creationism in a suit"
(4) See, for example, Tom Wright in his new book "Simply Christian", SPCK, £8.99