Evolution & Emancipation 

An excerpt from a sermon offered at the First Unitarian Church of Philadelphia 
on Sunday, February 8, 2009 by Reverend Nathan C. Walker 

On Thursday, February 12, 2009, we will honor the bicentennial birthdays of two men who 
shaped the course of human history. Why do their ideas still resonate with us today? 

When thinking of Darwin we are reminded of the ways religion has suppressed scientific inquiry 
and put a false divide between faith and reason. In his time, Charles Darwin had to confront a 
culture of superstitious religiosity that closed the mind, feared science and rejected anything 
contrary to creation myths. Two hundred years later, we gather in the spirit of Evolution 
Weekend – where worship services are held throughout the country, which affirm the coupling 
of faith and reason. We celebrate the fact that we are still evolving in body, in mind, in spirit. We 
celebrate our collective ability to take but one more step toward understanding our place in the 
world. We know we are not there yet, but in celebrating his birth we see how Darwin was but 
one voice in the many throughout history who has helped us evolve. 

When thinking of Lincoln we are reminded of what many scholars call America’s greatest sin – 
the sin of slavery. In his time President Lincoln had to confront slavery and move the country 
into a trajectory toward emancipation. Two hundred years later, after having just elected the first 
African American to the highest office of the land, we gather in the spirit of Black history month 
and hold our heads back in wonder at the moral arch of our evolution. In terms of racial justice, 
we are but still evolving toward freedom; for each day we deliberately take one more step toward 
equality. We know we are not there yet, but in celebrating his birth we see how Lincoln was but 
one voice in the many who sought to liberate us from the discriminatory mind. 

In what ways are we still bound by the discriminatory mind? Who in our society and in our 
world are physically, morally or spiritually enslaved? Darwin speaks of the survival of the fittest 

– are humans going to be the species that will survive or will we fall victim to the power of 
Mother Nature? We may not be the fittest. Maybe our planet needs to be emancipated from 
human domination. In terms of the environment, maybe humans need to evolve from species of 
consumption to species of sustainable creation. In terms of politics, maybe humans need to 
evolve from nuclear-nation states to peace-making citizens of the world. In doing so, we not only 
help one another evolve but we emancipate one another from destructive practices, aware that in 
order to survive humans must be not only physically, but also intellectually, morally and 
spiritually fit.