Michael Dowd

Michael Dowd (1958 - 2023) was an American author, lecturer, and advocate of ecotheology and post-doom. His 1991 book, EarthSpirit, launched his public speaking career, grounded in the epic of evolution, religious naturalism, and progressive Christianity. His 2007 book, Thank God for Evolution, brought him an invitation to contribute a chapter, "A Story Big Enough to Hold Us All," in a book published in 2009. It also extended his speaking invitations beyond religious institutions. These included the Values Caucus at the United Nations, The Skeptics Society, the Darwin Day lecture at two universities, and TEDx in Grand Rapids, Michigan in 2012 and 2014.

In 2014 Dowd added climate change activism to his volunteer efforts and his public speaking in church contexts. His speaking schedule in 2014 roughly tracked the cross-USA route of the Great March for Climate Action, including speaking in city parks and local churches in support of the marchers. In 2014 he adopted a stage name, "Reverend Reality," and began wearing a green clergy shirt (image at right) to exemplify his shift into foregrounding ecotheology in his presentations. He merged the science of ecology with liberal Christian theology by using the term "grace limits" when referring to ecological limits and Earth's carrying capacity.

He interpreted additional biblical metaphors for his purpose of ecological advocacy. Primary among them was the need for humanity to break away from ecological destruction and to seek redemption as the "prodigal species" who was finally "coming home to Reality." For guidance in how to do this, Dowd offered a set of "Reality's Rules: Ten Commandments to Avoid Extinction and Redeem Humanity." He wrote and spoke of the ten in the form of "Thus sayeth the Lord": Stop thinking of me as anything less than the voice of undeniable and inescapable reality.
 Stop thinking of ‘revelation’ or ‘divine instruction’ without including evidence.
 Stop thinking of Genesis, or your creation story, apart from the history of the universe.
 Stop thinking of theology apart from ecology: the interdisciplinary study of my nature.
 Stop defining and measuring ‘progress’ in short-term, human-centered ways.
 Stop allowing the free or subsidized polluting of the commons.
 Stop using renewable resources faster than they can be replenished.
 Stop using non-renewable resources in ways that harm or rob future generations.
 Stop exploring for coal, oil, and natural gas—keep most of it in the ground.
 Stop prioritizing the wants of the wealthy over the needs of the poor.

In 2019 Dowd pivoted his message to a pastoral form of support for those who, like himself, had lost hope that climate change, ecological overshoot, biodiversity loss and other causes of civilizational collapse already underway could be halted. Post-doom was the word he coined for the process of moving through the stages of grief, then beyond mere acceptance and more fully into "calm, clarity, and courageous love-in-action." In her 2021 book, Victoria Loorz writes of "Michael Dowd's post-doom spirituality" and describes it as "a spirituality that accepts the fullness of our reality: the tragedy as well as the beauty. This spirituality moves into — and then eventually beyond — grief and repentance toward a deeper, more courageous, compassionate, and spiritual aliveness. Post-doom spirituality is, as Dowd says, 'what opens up when we remember who we are, accept the inevitable, honor our grief, and prioritize what is pro-future and soul-nourishing'."

As Dowd reflects in a 2022 essay, "Denial, anger, bargaining, depression, acceptance: where are you in the vaunted stages of grief? And is doom automatically the end point?" He continues, "I began to explore (with others) the possibility of compassionate 'post-doom' forms of awareness." His 2023 essay in Progressing Spirit is titled, "The Real End Times: From Doom to Faith." He writes,A post-doom perspective is practical without promoting nihilism or lethargy. Trust, a secular name for faith, is its foundation. From there, generous and compassionate actions can continue, but they tend to be smaller in scope. They are here and now. They are free of frantic imperatives to engage in protests with the aim of transforming “the system.” Post-doom overall is hope-free. Dipping even one toe into this cool pool of acceptance can begin to yield benefits —
emotional, spiritual, and relational benefits."

In his 2023 essay, Dowd includes a list of 15 "Postdoom Benefits" developed by Karen Perry. Jem Bendell, the originator of the Deep Adaptation concept, also wrote about Perry's benefits list in 2023. Dowd features other perspectives on the topic of postdoom in both video and audio formats by conducting conversations with more than 80 people from 2019 through 2023. These and other resources can be accessed on Dowd's Postdoom.com website.

Dowd lived in Ypsilanti, Michigan with his wife, the science writer Connie Barlow.

References

Further reading 

 "Michael Dowd: America's Evolutionary Evangelist" (chronological list of his videos), https://thegreatstory.org/michaeldowd.html

 "What's New" on The Great Story website (chronological list of publications and events),  https://thegreatstory.org/new.html

1958 births
Living people
American evangelists
American religious writers
Converts to Protestantism from Roman Catholicism
Evangel University alumni
Palmer Theological Seminary alumni
Religious naturalists
People from Ypsilanti, Michigan