Loyal Rue is an American philosopher and writer whose research focuses on naturalistic theories of religion. He is Professor Emeritus in the philosophy and religion departments at Luther College in Decorah, Iowa.

Major Publications[link]

• Religion Is Not About God: How Spiritual Traditions Nurture Our Biological Nature And What to Expect When They Fail, Rutgers University Press, 2006, ISBN 0-8135-3955-2
• Everybody's Story: Wising Up to the Epic of Evolution, State University of New York Press, 1999, ISBN 0-7914-4392-2
• By the Grace of Guile: The Role of Deception in Natural History and Human Affairs, Oxford University Press, USA, 1994), ISBN 0-19-507508-0 (A New York Times Notable Book).
• Amythia: Crisis in the Natural History of Western Culture, University Alabama Press, 2004), ISBN 0-8173-5136-1
• Co-editor, Contemporary Classics in Philosophy of Religion, Open Court Pub Co, 1991, ISBN 0-8126-9168-7

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Michael Dowd (born 1958) is an American evolutionary theologian, bestselling author, and evangelist for Big History and Religious Naturalism.^[1][2]

His evangelizing to over 1,600 audiences starting in 2002 provided material for Thank God for Evolution in 2008. This book is noteworthy for its breadth and depth of endorsements; it includes six Nobel Prize-winning scientists.^[3] On April 2, 2009, Dowd at the United Nations addressed the lack of an evolutionary worldview which he maintains has resulted in a global integrity crisis that requires a deep-time view of human nature, values and social systems to provide a solution for going forward.^[4][5] He maintains a Christian perspective and accepts the theory of evolution.

Dowd expanded his outreach program with the founding of EvolutionaryChristianity.com in 2010. Thirty-eight religious leaders from diverse backgrounds joined him in an audio seminar introduction.^[6] In spite of their dissimilar religious orientations and backgrounds, they hold many perspectives in common; such as valuing Big History (deep time), a global ethos, and realistic expectations grounded in an understanding of scientific (Evidence of common descent), historical (History of the world), and cross-cultural facts (cultural evolution) as "divine communication". This program has drawn both rebuttals and praise from Christian sources.^{[7][8] [9]}

Biography[link]

Dowd, raised Roman Catholic, graduated from Evangel University in Springfield, Missouri summa cum laude receiving a B.A. in philosophy and biblical studies. He went on to earn a Master of Divinity degree with honors at Eastern Baptist Theological Seminary (now Palmer Seminary) in Philadelphia. Dowd was ordained as a United Church of Christ minister and served as a congregational minister for nine years in churches in Massachusetts, Ohio, and Michigan.^[10]

During this time he allied with Jewish, Roman Catholic, Protestant, Evangelical, Unitarian Universalist, and New Thought leaders across America on environmental, peace, and justice issues.^[11] In 1995 he worked on social and environmental issues that were being considered by Congress.^[12] He was Religious Organizer for the Washington D.C. based National Environmental Trust.^[12] From 1997 to 2000 he headed The Portland Sustainable Lifestyle Campaign, in Portland, Oregon, the first government-funded program designed to produce large-scale voluntary citizen behavior change along stewardship lines in the United States.^[12] In 2000 and 2001 he served as Campaign Manager of Global Action Plan's EcoTeam and Livable Neighborhood Programs in Rockland County, New York.^[12]

He become an itinerant "evolutionary evangelist" in 2002.^[13][14] Dowd and his wife Connie Barlow travel North America, teaching their "Gospel of Evolution."^[15] They present their case for "the marriage of religion and science" at events sponsored by a diverse group of denominations, including Christian, Unitarian Universalist, Unity Church, Free Thinkers, Religious Science, secular humanism and Religious Naturalists venues.^[16] Barlow is a notable science writer/lecturer with 4 published works. Together they travel the continent by van as nomads, offering a view of evolutionary theology and relating their Great Story (Epic of Evolution)to both secular and religious audiences. Their message embraces both science and religion, combining her scientific humanism with his evolutionary theism, her soft-spoken manner with his zealous preaching style. They draw in Muslims, Jews, Buddhists, and Christians; theists and atheists; scientists and philosophers.^[17]

Philosophy and theology[link]

Dowd considers himself to be a Pentecostal Evangelical naturalist or evolutionary Christian minister.^[18][19] Dowd describes himself as having been "born again" while serving in the United States Army in Germany in 1979, and for the next three years living within a fundamentalist culture that was strongly opposed to evolution. Thereafter he came under a more eclectic range of religious influences (including a friendship with a "Buddhist-Christian" former Trappist monk, Tobias Meeker), that opened him up to first intellectual, and then spiritual, acceptance of evolution.^[20]

Dowd is pluralistic in his ministry. He teaches that humanity will never see an end to the science and religion war until religious leaders do their part and preach evolution enthusiastically from the pulpit. He recommends the Clergy Letter Project as a resource for clergy to help do this.^{[21][page needed]} Dowd promotes the Epic of Evolution as a sacred story and Religious Naturalism as his own religious orientation.. It addresses both objective truth and subjective meaning answering questions in ways that are both religiously and scientifically accurate.^[22] He claims that science can be interpreted in ways that nourish and inspire people like traditional religious stories do.^[23]

Colleen Engel-Brown, former pastor at a First Unity Church believes Dowd has a "very provoking message". Accepting evolution as plausible "disturbs those who take the Bible literally". ^[24] Even the Dowd vehicle provokes as it displays two fishes kissing with the labels "Jesus" and "Darwin".^[25] His message of evolutionary theology attaches a lot of attention as a subject that opens up the debate on the creation-evolution controversy. Both sides of this debate have been at it for a century and a half. Dowd attempts to serve as a pacifier by showing people that celebrating Big History and interpreting it meaningfully will bring them nearer to spiritual fulfillment.^[26][27]

By utilizing traditional religious methods, Dowd invites "people to think about religion in new ways". Stephen Uhl, a former Catholic priest-become humanist psychologist, writes that Dowd does a great job of expanding minds beyond sectarian belief systems and entertains while doing it.^[28]

Works[link]

Dowd's Earthspirit: A Handbook for Nurturing an Ecological Christianity (1991, 23 publications) was inspired by the writings of cultural historian Thomas Berry, cosmologist Brian Swimme, and deep ecologist Joanna Macy.^[29] His preachings since 2002 provided material for Thank God for Evolution (2008, influences – Thomas Berry, David Sloan Wilson and others.^[30]) Its endorsements includes six Nobel Prize-winning scientists - Craig Mello, John Mather, Thomas C. Schelling, Frank Wilczek, Lee Hartwell and Charles Townes.^[3][31][32] It has also gotten favorable reviews^[33][34][35] and compliments from a host of religious leaders, scientists and cultural icons.^[36][37] Starting in the spring of 2008, Professor Hogue at the Meadville Lombard Theological School was using Dowd’s book in his course on theology and science.^[38] Penguin purchased the worldwide rights to it in mid 2008.^[39]

1. * Thank God for Evolution: How the Marriage of Science and Religion Will Transform Your Life and Our World -Viking Adult (June 19, 2008), ISBN 0-670-02045-1
2. * Earthspirit: A Handbook for Nurturing an Ecological Christianity, - 23 Pubns, (April 1991), ISBN 0-89622-479-1
3. * THE MEANING OF LIFE IN THE 1990s: An Ecological, Christian Perspective [17]
4. * Study Guide - Thank God for Evolution, 4 hr DVD [18]

See also[link]

• Evolutionary psychology of religion
• Liberal Christianity
• Progressive Christianity
• Theistic evolution

References[link]

Further reading[link]

• By Connie Barlow Exceptional Wisdom Radio (Dowd’s wife and ministry companion)
  • The Ghosts of Evolution - Basic Books (February 28, 2002), ISBN 0-465-00552-7
  • Green Space, Green Time: The Way of Science - Springer; 1 edition (September 26, 1997), ISBN 0-387-94794-9
  • Evolution Extended: Biological Debates on the Meaning of Life- The MIT Press (August 4, 1995), ISBN 0-262-52206-3
  • From Gaia to Selfish Genes - The MIT Press (July 8, 1992), ISBN 0-262-52178-4
• Brian Swimme - The Universe Story: From the Primordial Flaring Forth to the Ecozoic Era: A Celebration of the Unfolding of the Cosmos, Harper Collins, 1992 (1994, ISBN 0-06-250835-0)
• Jerome A. Stone - Religious Naturalism Today: The Rebirth of a Forgotten Alternative, State University of New York Press, 2008, ISBN 0-7914-7537-9
• Chet Raymo - When God Is Gone, Everything Is Holy: Making of a Religious Naturalist, Sorin Books (September 2008), ISBN 1-933495-13-8
• Ursula Goodenough - Sacred Depths of Nature, Oxford University Press, USA; 1 edition (June 15, 2000), ISBN 0-19-513629-2
• Eric Chaisson - Epic of Evolution, Columbia University Press (March 2, 2007), ISBN 0-231-13561-0
• Loyal Rue - Everybody's Story: Wising Up to the Epic of Evolution, State University of New York Press, 1999, ISBN 0-7914-4392-2
• The Oxford Handbook of Religion and Science, chapter: The Sacred Emergence of Nature by Ursula Goodenough and Terrence Deacon. ISBN 0-19-954365-8

External links[link]

• Michael Dowd
• Religious Naturalist
• Information on Religious Naturalism
• Epic of Evolution
• Thank God for Evolution
• Evidence as Divine Communication: Realizing Faith

Sean Burke
Born	(1967-01-29) January 29, 1967 (age 45) Windsor, ON, CAN
Height	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Weight	215 lb (98 kg; 15 st 5 lb)
Position	Goaltender
Caught	Left
Played for	New Jersey Devils Hartford Whalers Carolina Hurricanes Vancouver Canucks Philadelphia Flyers Florida Panthers Phoenix Coyotes Tampa Bay Lightning Los Angeles Kings
National team	Canada
NHL Draft	24th overall, 1985 New Jersey Devils
Playing career	1987–2007

Sean Burke (born January 29, 1967) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey goaltender who played 18 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the New Jersey Devils, Hartford Whalers, Carolina Hurricanes, Vancouver Canucks, Philadelphia Flyers, Florida Panthers, Phoenix Coyotes, Tampa Bay Lightning and Los Angeles Kings.

Playing career[link]

Burke was drafted by the New Jersey Devils in the second round of the 1985 NHL Entry Draft. He earned national attention from his international play. He backstopped Canada's junior team to a silver medal in the 1986 World Junior Championships and a fourth-place finish for the national men's team at the 1988 Calgary Olympics.

Burke went from the Olympics to the Devils. He started 11 games for the Devils in the 1987–88 NHL season, including an overtime victory against the Chicago Blackhawks on the final night of the season that qualified the Devils for their first playoff series.

Dubbed a "rookie sensation", Burke helped the Devils go on a playoff roll, defeating the division-leader New York Islanders in the first round in six games and then the Washington Capitals in seven games. Burke was one game away from the Stanley Cup Finals but lost in Game 7 of the Wales Conference finals to the Boston Bruins.

Burke's play was widely-heralded. The Hockey Digest declared, "Burke is now the franchise for the Devils, and to whatever heights he rises, the Devils will rise with him" and in December 1988 made Burke the first Devil to appear on its cover.^[1]

Because he played just 11 games in the 1987–88 regular season, he maintained his rookie status for the next season. The next season, Burke was elected into the NHL All-Star Game, becoming the first rookie goaltender to play in the All-Star game.

Burke played for the Devils through the 1990–91 NHL season, and then sat out the 1991–92 season in a contract dispute. Instead, he played for the Canadian national team and played in the Olympics for a second time. This time, he backstopped Canada to a silver medal.

On August 28, 1992, Burke was traded to the Hartford Whalers for Bobby Holik, a second-round pick in 1993 draft (Jay Pandolfo) and future considerations.^[2] He played there (and with the relocated Whalers team, the Carolina Hurricanes) for six seasons. Was voted Whalers' team MVP from '93–'97. In February 1998, Burke pleaded guilty to assaulting his wife, and was ordered to complete a domestic violence program and pay a $200 fine.[1] Burke then played with several teams, including the Philadelphia Flyers, Vancouver Canucks, and Florida Panthers. He then signed with the Phoenix Coyotes, and played there for five seasons, where he was a finalist for the Vezina Trophy and 3rd finalist for the Hart Trophy in the 2001–02 NHL season.^[3]

After that, Burke played for the Philadelphia Flyers (for the second time) recording his 300th career win (the twentieth goalie to reach this milestone), and the Tampa Bay Lightning. Burke was placed on waivers by Tampa Bay before the 2006–07 NHL season, but was not picked up. He then played for the Lightning's American Hockey League affiliate Springfield Falcons. However, he struggled with the Falcons and lost his starting job to Karri Ramo. He was then placed on waivers by the Lightning and picked up off re-entry waivers by the Los Angeles Kings.

Burke, a 3-time NHL All-Star (1989, 2001, 2002), officially announced his retirement on September 18, 2007. On March 4, 2008, the Phoenix Coyotes hired Burke as the Director of Prospect Development.^[4] He is now the Coyotes' goaltending coach.

Career statistics[link]

Regular season[link]

International play[link]

Medal record
Men's ice hockey
Competitor for Canada
World Junior Championship
Silver	1986 Canada	Ice hockey
Canada Cup
Gold	1991 Canada	Ice hockey
Olympic Games
Silver	1992 Albertville	Ice hockey
World Championship
Gold	1997 Finland	Ice hockey
Gold	2003 Finland	Ice hockey

Burke played in 11 games for the Canadian National team in the 1988 and 1992 Winter Olympics.^[5] He served as the back-up Goalie in the 1991 Canada Cup, and has also played in 130 games for other Canadian National teams from 1985 through 2003.^[6]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Sean Burke's career stats at The Internet Hockey Database
• Sean Burke at Hockey-Reference.com
• Sean Burke's biography at Legends of Hockey
• Sean Burke's NHL player profile