The pioneering thought of Pierre Teilhard de Chardin (1881-1955) continues to send ripples across the waters of religion, science, theology and environmental studies. This French Jesuit and paleontologist offered a holistic view of the universe that opened up fresh approaches to evolution and the Christian understanding of creation. As Arthur Fabel and Donald St. John point out in the introduction to this paperback, Teilhard's life question was seeing the deep unity of creation and his unique blend of science and religion resulted in a startling appreciation of mystical union. They conclude: "Teilhard's sweeping evolutionary perspective provides a context for understanding the human in a universe far larger and more complex than we had imagined."

This essay is followed by a short biography of this mystic and scientist by John Grim and Mary Evelyn Tucker. This section also includes Donald P. Gray's essay, "The Creative Spirituality of Teilhard de Chardin," Thomas M. King's "Teilhard's Unity of Knowledge," Ursula King's "The Letters of Teilhard de Chardin and Lucile Swan" and Thomas Berry's "Teilhard in the Ecological Age." Other sections of the book deal with ecology, cosmogenesis, and the theological and social dimensions of Teilhard's work.

The multidimensional essays here make it clear that this Jesuit was a visionary, a seer whose spiritual quest was to meld the old religious story with the new scientific one. Teilhard's sacramental understanding still registers on our senses and we intuit the truth of his vision: "To understand the world knowledge is not enough, you must see it, touch it, live its presence and drink the vital heat of existence in the very heart of reality."