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Session III: Humans and Animals in Theology and Evolution The Wisdom of the Liminal: Re-Imaging the Image of God in an Evolutionary Multispecies Context Celia Deane-Drummond, Professor, Department of Theology, University of Notre Dame March 1, 2014 | 11 -- 11:45 a.m. The image of God has, for much of the history of Christian theology, sought to define the meaning of human uniqueness by stressing human superiority compared with other animals. Many geologists now argue that we have entered a new era, the Anthropocene, where humans dominate the life on planet earth, reinforced by a restricted Neo-Darwinian interpretation of human evolution as survival of the fittest. I will draw on current anthropology to present a case that even prior to the emergence of symbolic religious capabilities humans evolved in cooperative communities that recognised the significance of other animals as part of a wider community niche. I argue in this lecture that a constructive theological anthropology needs to be sensitive to such insights, while offering its own distinctive voice. In order to do this, I press for a performative interpretation of the image of God in terms of theo-drama, one that has some analogies with current anthropological understanding of community niche construction. Theo- drama does not eschew human distinctiveness, but it places greater emphasis on an enlarged vision. Theo-drama is, in this view, about the specific and unique performance of humanity in relation to God, but it is responsive to the active presence of other creatures. Celia Deane-Drummond is currently full Professor in Theology at the University of Notre Dame. She took up this position in August 2011 and her unique appointment is concurrent between the Department of Theology in the College of Arts and Letters and the College of Science. Her research interests are in the engagement of theology and natural science, including specifically ecology, evolution, animal behavior and anthropology. Her research has consistently sought to explore theological and ethical aspects of that relationship. Her most recent books include Future Perfect, ed. with Peter Scott (London:Continuum, 2006, 2n edn. 2010), Ecotheology (DLT/Novalis/St Mary's Press, 2008), Christ and Evolution (Minneapolis: Fortress/London:SCM Press, 2009), Creaturely Theology, ed. with David Clough (London: SCM Press, 2009), Religion and Ecology in the Public Sphere, ed. with Heinrich Bedford-Strohm (London, Continuum, 2011), Animals as Religious Subjects, ed. with Rebecca Artinian Kaiser and David Clough (London: T & T Clark/Bloomsbury, 2013), The Wisdom of the Liminal: Human Nature, Evolution and Other Animals (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2014).