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:
MichaelDowd.org
TheGreatStory.org
PostDoom.com
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
Transcript of this interview.
Interview conducted 6/13/2015
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


