What are the essential characteristics of Pierre Teilhard de Chardin’s philosophical and theological insights? How might they help to shape a new appreciation of the God-world relationship?

The twentieth-century Jesuit scientist Pierre Teilhard de Chardin was an exciting and novel thinker. He had a profound love for the natural world and grappled intimately with the mystery of materiality, a dynamic exchange that ultimately revealed an unmistakable luminosity at the heart of all things. For him, science was not a closed system of predetermined truths about the universe; it was an interactive process of probing the dimensions of the unknown, whereby each act of discovery was a new and more compelling truth. Teilhard identified this deepening awareness, or consciousness, with the Christ as the very fiber of a complexifying, unifying, and personalizing universe.

As we continue to grapple with the revelations of the world—the new truths that frequently require a reorientation of the content of our hearts and minds—the Center for Christogenesis is offering this course as an opportunity to explore the unique Teilhardian vision of Ilia Delio, with the explicit intention of digging deeper into the core concepts of Christogenesis, Creativity, and Christophany. We will deal primarily with such questions as: What are the essential characteristics of Pierre Teilhard de Chardin’s philosophical and theological insights, and how might they help shape a new appreciation of the God-world relationship? What exactly is this notion of “Christogenesis” so frequently evidenced in his writings, and why is it necessary and important in an evolving world? What are the overarching goals of our evolutionary energies? How might our global consciousness help us transform the world through deeper realizations of love, compassion, and empathy?

If you have any questions, or have any trouble accessing the course after registering, please contact us at info@christogenesis.org

Logistics

We will meet on four consecutive Tuesdays:
November 29th to December 20th from 7pm – 8:30pm EST. 

Each meeting will last an hour and a half, with time allocated for a presentation from the instructor and a subsequent group Q&A.

While no theological background is required to register, participants are asked to read the books indicated beneath each class description. PDFs of specific readings will be supplied to registrants. In addition, links to purchase the books are hyperlinked below and will be provided in your email receipt after registration.

Click here to read descriptions of course topics and meetings

About the Instructor

Robert Nicastro is a Ph.D. student in the Theology and Religious Studies program at Villanova University. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy and Psychology from Gannon University in Erie, Pennsylvania, and a Master of Arts in Theology from Saint Mary’s Seminary and University in Baltimore, Maryland.  Robert’s research interests lie at the intersection of theology and artificial intelligence, neuroscience, and quantum physics.