Diarmiud O’Murchu, Ancestral Grace: Meeting God in Our Human Story (Mary Knoll, NY: Orbis, 2008), xviii+ 270 Pps., $22.00.
Diarmuid O’Murchu, a social psychologist who has worked as a missioner with AIDS patients and refugees throughout the world, is well-known for writing cutting-edge books in science and religion. His other titles include Quantum Theology (1997), Evolutionary Faith (2002), and The Transformation of Desire (2007). Some might question why I choose to review a book about global theology with a book about so-called ancestral grace. My reasoning is simple: I posit that in order for humanity to truly embrace a global theology they must return to what O’Murchu refers to as ancestral grace’. He highlights that the ancestral values of those who came out of Africa years ago by noting that they were earth-based, communally-oriented, and holistic in orientation. In order for there to be a truly global theology, I think it wise for humanity to return to emphasizing these three primordial values. Indeed, a focus on the present state of humanity on earth (not a future state in heaven), a diverted attention from the individual (we are at all times the sum of our relationships), and the abolishment of dualism are all critical to advance a truly global theology.
The contributions of O’Murchu to the development of a truly global theology in this title are numerous, although one may need discernment to apply the concepts derived therefrom. He gives an astounding account of humanity, from our beginnings in Africa seven million years ago through the life of Jesus to the present, blending history, paleoanthropology, imagination, and spirituality together in order to demonstrate that God has been with us in our creative advance. O’Murchu draws attention to the spiritual significance of many discoveries made by scientists in Africa over the past fifty years, noting for example the evidence that our corporate ancestors advanced the most when they worked together (64). He invites us to consider an expansive understanding of Incarnation in light of these discoveries about humanity’s spiritual journey, picturing Jesus as the archetypal human, one that we not only would do well to emulate, but also that we must and can emulate (111–12). He then shows how our shared past can empower us to embrace the challenges that face us today as we evolve toward a new future, one that is at least partially instantiated by our volition (170–72). He highlights the critical role that the Spirit’s ever-present grace, the very sustaining energy of creation and the power that lures us forward (e.g. 218–20), has upon the attainment of a vital global theology.