Dear Reader,

The Creation Spiritual tradition—unlike the Fall/Redemption tradition—is not anthropocentric. It does not begin with the human—humans after all are last to arrive in this universe, both in today’s scientific creation story and in the Genesis creation story (Genesis one). It is a mark of the modern consciousness that humans are the center of everything—“I think therefore I am”— these words of Descartes typify the species narcissism of the modern era.

Actually, Descartes and all of us owe our existence to 13.8 billion years of cosmic unfolding that gave birth to our galaxy and solar system and planet with its soil, water, air, trees and other creatures that make our existence possible. Not only possible but exciting and delicious and beautiful beyond words.

Since of all creatures on earth, only humans sin, to begin with, sin is, I repeat, purely narcissistic. It is time to begin with the gift, indeed, the original blessing that creation is. As physicist David Bohm put it, “I am a post-modern physicist who begins with the whole.” It is time religions begin again with the whole—that is, creation.

And this elicits “supreme gratitude”—which is the primary meaning of religion--according to Thomas Aquinas.

Science reminds us that humans are only a part of the history of the universe and the process of evolution, what Hildegard called the “web of creation.” Genesis one tells us the same truth.

One of science’s biggest contributions to spirituality in our time is to awaken—indeed flood us—with awe. “Awe is the beginning of wisdom,” as Rabbi Heschel continually reminds us, and “wonder is an act in which the mind confronts the universe.” Wonder and awe our primal experiences of the Via Positiva, the first step of our spiritual and mystical journeys.

We are living in an amazing time when science and technology—the Hubble and Webb Telescopes for example—are pouring pictures of the history of our universe daily into our internets and televisions. We are learning so much about our Earth and ourselves and all the amazing creatures with whom we share the universe over a 13.8-billion-year journey. And it is wondrous.

In our time, a new creation story is being believed around the world by people of all religions and none, and one of the gifts of science is to create a new and common language.

But this language is not neutral--the stories told are not neutral--they are exciting and fill us with awe. How, if the original fireball had expanded one second faster or slower over 750,000 years, or had been one degree warmer or colder, we would not be here today.

Gratitude anyone? Meister Eckhart: “If the only prayer you say in your whole life is ‘Thank You,’ that would suffice.”

Also, science tells us the facts about how Mother Earth is suffering today and engages intellect, imagination and creativity to heal the Earth and invent ways to move from fossil fuels to sustainable energy. Science is an indispensable part of solving some of our deepest problems including climate change and much more.

~ Rev. Dr. Matthew Fox