Are All Things One?
That just might be the case.
Teilhard and Whitehead
Pierre Teilhard de Chardin was born in France in 1881. He died in New York in 1955. He was many things — philosopher, paleontologist, theologian, and Jesuit priest. He taught geology in a higher education setting in Paris beginning in 1918. In 1929, he directed work at the Peking Man site. For this and other geological work, he was acclaimed and won high honors. His Jesuit order did not approve. He wrote books dealing with, well, I guess you would say, the evolution of the universe.
He wrote theological works that were heavily influenced by his scientific work, especially a belief in evolution. He saw humankind as being on an evolutionary trajectory. He saw the entire universe growing towards the Omega Point (more about that below). His books were banned from publication by the Jesuits during his lifetime. (source)
In many ways, his work compliments that of his contemporary, Alfred North Whitehead. Whitehead is the main progenitor of Process Philosophy, which informs a theological movement known as Process Theology. I first encountered that thinking over 40 years ago in seminary. I strongly rejected it as heretical. Little did I know that within ten years of encountering it, I would be a strong proponent of its tenets.
