Description
Book SynopsisWhat happens when the wrench of evolution is dropped into the hopper of Christian theology? Written by a philosopher, Saving the Neanderthals takes evolution as its foil and shows what might have to change in Christian theology in order to make theology compatible with evolution. If the Christian faith is shown consistent with what Mark S. McLeod-Harrison calls “hard evolution,” then the softer versions will also be compatible. Indeed, that is exactly what the book argues, specifically for the Christian doctrines of sin and salvation. These doctrines typically rely on some fairly strong realist version of essentialism, which hard evolution denies; but McLeod-Harrison proposes an approach to sin and salvation that is compatible with the anti-essentialist claims of hard evolution.
Table of ContentsChapter 1: Did Jesus Die for Neanderthals? Chapter 2: The Issues Chapter 3: Are Humans Special? Chapter 4: Is There a Human Species? Chapter 5: Theologizing Evolution’s Challenges Chapter 6: The Ubiquity of Sin and the Universality of Saintly Love Chapter 7: Essences, Sin, and Our Neanderthal Sisters and Brothers Chapter 8: Uniqueness and the Image of God Chapter 9: Love, Altruism, and the Inevitability of Sin Chapter 10: The Redemptive Work of the Biological Person, Jesus Chapter 11: Saving the Neanderthals Appendix: Is a Literal Adam and Eve Necessary?
