A new heaven, a new earth : the Bible and catholicity

How are we to understand the Christ of history in the context of amazing discoveries like multiverses that contain billions of galaxies, some of which, no doubt, contain planets that are able to support life? How are we to reconcile the findings of a contemporary science that is cosmocentric with the religious message of the Bible when so much of the latter is anthropocentric and appears to be based on a mythological understanding of the universe?This groundbreaking book is an experiment in reading the Bible through the lens of the integrity of creation. Each chapter examines an aspect of the natural world (determined by the biblical text itself) from the perspective of the principle(s) of evolution and ecojustice.A New Heaven, A New Earth thus leads us to new ways of understanding and talking about God. It asks us to choose images of a generous and provident creator whose beauty and imagination are manifest in creation rather than a callous retaliator whose honor has been offended by human transgressions and who wields the forces of nature as a punishing club. These new images evoke sentiments of wonder and praise and gratitude rather than fear and trembling. Embracing the view of 'community of Earth' and our evolving role in the mission of Christ lays bare the astonishing "catholicity" of our faith: a wholeness that in truth is unbreakable.A New Heaven, A New Earth is a natural follow-up to Ilia Delio's leadoff book for the Orbis series on Catholicity in an Evolving Universe: Making All Things New: Catholicity, Cosmology, Consciousness. It gives scriptural justification for further investigation into an understanding of God, creation, and humankind in light of both theology and science.… (more)