Rev. Michael Dowd is a bestselling evolutionary theologian and pro-future evangelist whose work has been featured in The New York Times, LA Times, The Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, Newsweek, Discover, and on television nationally. His bridge-building book, Thank God for Evolution, was endorsed by 6 Nobel Prize-winning scientists, noted skeptics, and religious leaders across the spectrum. Michael and his science-writer wife, Connie Barlow, have spoken to more than two thousand groups across North America since 2002.
Michael has delivered two TEDx talks and a program at the United Nations. In 2010 he interviewed 38 Christian leaders across the theological spectrum, all of whom embrace an ecological, evolutionary worldview and are committed to a healthy future, as part of a series, titled, “The Advent of Evolutionary Christianity.” Most recently, he interviewed 55 experts on climate change, peak oil, and sustainability, as part of an online conversation series, titled, The Future Is Calling Us to Greatness.
Dowd’s passion for proclaiming a pro-science message of inspiration — what he calls “the Gospel of Right Relationship to Reality” — has earned him the moniker ‘Reverend Reality’ as he speaks prophetically in secular and religious settings alike about the generational evil of anti-future / anti-Christian policies and the necessity of co-creating a just, healthy, and sustainably life-giving future for humanity and the larger body of life.
- Websites:
- Huffington Post blog: huffingtonpost.com/rev-michael-dowd
- Facebook pages: facebook.com/RevMichaelDowd
- Important video. According to Michael, “the single most important thing I’ve created in my lifetime“: Ten Commandments to Avoid Extinction: Reality’s Rules
Key quote: “God is reality with a personality, not a person outside reality. If you don’t get personification, you can’t possibly understand the world’s myths and religions — and you’ll surely miss what God is telling us today through scientific evidence. Few things matter more than this in a world of ecological degradation and climate chaos. Anyone who doubts this need only watch one or two of the Hollywood star-studded ”Nature Is Speaking” videos that have gone viral in recent months.” ~ Rev. Michael Dowd
Suggested readings:
- Overshoot: The Ecological Basis of Revolutionary Change, by William R. Catton
- Collapse Now and Avoid the Rush: The Best of The Archdruid Report, by John Michael Greer
- Active Hope: How to Face the Mess We’re in without Going Crazy, by Joanna Macy and Chris Johnstone
- Thank God for Evolution: How the Marriage of Science and Religion Will Transform Your Life and Our World, by Michael Dowd
- This Changes Everything: Capitalism vs. The Climate, by Naomi Klein
Interview conducted 6/13/2015
Video and audio below. Audio also available as a Podcast.
YouTube Video Chapters:
- 00:00:00 – Buddha at the Gas Pump Interview
- 00:04:12 – Reality as Lord
- 00:08:11 – Personification of Gods and Goddesses
- 00:11:49 – The Perspective of Atheists and Secular People
- 00:15:29 – Shifting the Course
- 00:19:32 – Ethics of Nature Conservation
- 00:23:25 – The Intimacy of Nature’s Destruction
- 00:27:40 – Personification of Nature and Relationships
- 00:31:17 – The Reality of Relationships and Naming the Powers
- 00:35:05 – Personification of Cities and Corporations
- 00:39:27 – Interpreting Life Generously
- 00:43:16 – Universal Consciousness and the Decline of Civilizations
- 00:47:08 – Book Recommendations: Overshoot, Afterburn, and Collapse Now and Avoid the Rush
- 00:51:10 – Pro-Future Responsibility and Deep Time Eyes
- 00:55:11 – Regaining Humility and Sacred Eyes
- 00:58:59 – Honoring Time, Nature, and Mystery
- 01:03:06 – Embracing Life’s Impermanence
- 01:06:54 – Perspectives on Death and Afterlife
- 01:10:29 – Exploring the Innate Capacity for Past Life Memories
- 01:14:17 – The Connection Between Mystical Experience and Changing Societal Systems
- 01:18:19 – Spiritual Awakening and the Environment
- 01:22:53 – Returning to a Mutually Enhancing Relationship
- 01:26:56 – The Shift in Consciousness and Creating a Healthy Human-Earth Relationship
- 01:30:53 – Shifting Environmental Conditions
- 01:34:41 – The Best and Worst of Humanity in a Changing World
- 01:38:32 – The Future of Solar Power and the Threat to Business Models
- 01:42:26 – Judging our actions by whether they are pro-future or anti-future
- 01:46:11 – The Great Reckoning and the Great Homecoming
- 01:50:11 – Finding Joy and Meeting the World’s Needs
- 01:53:31 – Building Trusted Community
- 01:57:28 – Check out BATGAP.com for past and future interviews
Michael’s wife Connie Barlow split this video into two segments, edited it a bit, and added text and graphical annotations. In this first segment, Michael Dowd speaks of his “pro-future” distinctions in the context of broad concerns as well as the metaphysical/Buddhist worldview set forth in questions posed by Rick Archer, host of the “Buddha at the Gas Pump” conversation series (extracts of which have been re-shaped into this video).
YouTube Video Chapters:
- 00:00:00 – The Evidential Reformation and the Greening of Religion
- 00:01:58 – The Demonic Nature of the Economic System
- 00:04:04 – The Power of Metaphors and Analogies in Shaping Perception
- 00:05:43 – The Importance of Our Concepts of God
- 00:07:29 – The Miracle of Nature and the Atheist Perspective
- 00:09:09 – The Emergentist Perspective
- 00:10:09 – The Perspective on Emergent Creativity
- 00:11:44 – Global Weirding and Its Impact on Climate Patterns
- 00:13:32 – The Path of Factual Faith
- 00:15:19 – The Unsustainable Economic System and Destruction of Nature
- 00:17:03 – The Voice of Nature and Ecological Principles
- 00:19:03 – The Most Important Book of the 20th Century
- 00:20:55 – The Universe Becoming Aware of Itself
- 00:22:29 – The Three Ways of Thinking and the Importance of Personification
- 00:23:47 – The Power of Personification
- 00:25:08 – The power of personification
- 00:26:25 – Personification: Creating Meaning through Symbols
- 00:27:56 – The Relationship Between Reality and Myth
- 00:29:34 – The Personification of Integrity and Anti-Future
- 00:31:22 – Powers and Principalities as Corporate Personhood and Evil
- 00:33:20 – Personification and Subtler Strata of Creation
- 00:35:34 – Spiritual Experiences and Nature
- 00:37:51 – Interpreting Reality through our Lenses
- 00:39:30 – Life’s Conspiring on My Behalf
- 00:41:15 – Catabolic Collapse: The Decline of Civilizations
- 00:43:04 – Evolutionary Imperative: Going Through Collapse
- 00:44:34 – Cleansing the Doors of Perception and Universal Truth
- 00:46:55 – The Limitations of Nature and Ecological Reality
- 00:48:45 – The Intrinsic Infinity of Creation
- 00:50:55 – Rediscovering Humility in the Face of Nature
- 00:52:59 – Humility and Seeing the Sacred in All Beings
- 00:55:04 – [BLANK_AUDIO]
In this second segment, Michael Dowd speaks of his “pro-future” distinctions derived from ecological sciences. Rick Archer, host of the “Buddha at the Gas Pump” conversation series, poses questions of broad interest as well as topics central to Buddhist and metaphysical worldviews.
YouTube Video Chapters:
- 00:00:00 – Living in Right Relationship to Reality
- 00:01:44 – Honoring Time, Nature, and Mystery
- 00:03:37 – Living in Humility and Deep Intelligence
- 00:05:29 – The Paradox of Mortality
- 00:07:06 – Gratitude and Trust in the Future
- 00:08:42 – Cherishing the Gift of Life
- 00:10:22 – The Triple Idolatries of Religion
- 00:12:09 – Focusing on Practical Truths
- 00:13:48 – Practical Truth and Social Coherence
- 00:15:36 – The Unforeseen Benefits of Knowledge
- 00:17:47 – The Importance of Environmental Responsibility
- 00:19:33 – Honoring the Limits of the Ecological System
- 00:21:50 – Honoring Nature’s Limits
- 00:24:05 – Expanding Consciousness and Global Cooperation
- 00:26:24 – Urgency for Change
- 00:28:04 – David and Goliath: The Fall of the Petrochemical Industry
- 00:30:01 – The Need for Biocracy in Law and Medicine
- 00:31:53 – The Rise and Fall of Civilizations
- 00:33:36 – Challenges in a contracting civilization
- 00:35:19 – The Impact of Climate Change on Civilization
- 00:36:58 – The Unpredictability of Emergence and Future Surprises
- 00:38:37 – Pro-Future Technologies and Anti-Future Technologies
- 00:40:29 – Judging our actions based on their impact on future generations
- 00:42:14 – Shifting the Economy and Evolving Ecological Wisdom
- 00:43:45 – The Great Reckoning and the Prodigal Species Coming Home
- 00:45:23 – The Great Disruption and the Birth of a New World
- 00:47:06 – Finding Joy and Compassion
- 00:48:57 – Finding Your Calling and Making a Difference
- 00:50:21 – Supporting Organic and Sustainable Agriculture
- 00:52:01 – Being a Participant in Life
- 00:52:49 – Technical Difficulties
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