He finds contemporary theological formulations of sin closely attuned to an evolutionary understanding of human nature. These include sin as 'falling short,' as 'failure to realize potentiality,' and as being in tension between 'self-centeredness and openness,' and as 'unfulfilled paradox,' all of which issue from our being created as free to respond, or not, to God. Two of the most notable features of Philip Hefner 's theological anthropology are his sustained critical interaction with sociobiology and the way he has recently structured his work explicitly in terms of a Lakatosian research program. His work is deeply informed by the work of Ralph Wendell Burhoe and Solomon Katz, as well as by his commitment to Lutheran theology and a Trinitarian doctrine of God, and by his profound appreciation for Teilhard de Chardin. Homo sapiens is thus a two-natured creature, a symbiosis of genes and culture.
Nature is crucial since nature is the medium of both divine knowledge and grace.
Culture is crucial since myth, ritual and religion are critical sources of information and guidance for the future of life on earth. Remarkably, Hefner lists a number of potential falsifiers of his proposal, such as dualistic views of technology and human nature, or reductionist arguments about religion as merely functional or culture as reducible to genetics. Finally we should note very recent criticisms of reductionism in sociobiology by Holmes Rolston and by Nancey Murphy . These values must be generated initially, and then regenerated and distributed indefinitely, and genes provide the means. Genetic information thus tells the organism how to survive, but it is inappropriate to label this knowledge 'selfish' as sociobiologists and behavioral ecologists do.