EVOLUTION, EVIL AND COSMIC CHRIST A DIALOGUE WITH PIERRE TEILHARD DE CHARDIN

In this essay, I analyse and reconstruct Pierre Teilhard de Chardin's cosmic vision based upon his evolutionary worldview. This allows us to reveal his distinctive contributions to the contemporary Theology-Science dialogue. I highlight his creative synthesis of scientific and theological visions of the Universe, his dynamic metaphysics of cosmogenesis, his strong commitment to the Christological and eschatological orientations of the Christian faith, and his fresh reinterpretations of traditional doctrines. Despite these and other significant insights, Teilhard is often accused of the pantheistic, deterministic, and triumphalist tendencies underlying his thoughts. In the final analysis, I correct these and other misunderstandings of Teilhard's vision, and update his insights for today's Science-Theology dialogue.