ABSTRACT
Charles Darwin’s “dangerous” idea is his theory of natural selection, and for many it poses a much weightier challenge to classical theology than does that of common descent. As far as Phillip Johnson is concerned any alliance of Darwinian science with theism is a contradiction in terms, and proponents of evolutionary theology should understand that they too are actually enemies of genuine religious faith. Even though much of the revival of natural theology is the work of scientists rather than professional theologians, it is an important instance of contemporary engagement of religious thought with the natural setting of evolution. Evolutionary theology claims that the story of life, even in its neo-Darwinian presentation, provides essential concepts for thinking about God and God’s relation to nature and humanity. Traditionally Christian theology spoke of three dimensions of God’s creative activity: original creation, ongoing or continuous creation, and new creation or the fulfilment of creation.
