Rating: 
Summary: Good information, needs more unity to the themes
Review: Excellent book overall, but I had to give it only 3 stars because it doesn't read like a good story as his first book (Celestine Prophecy) did. I think he is headed in the right direction with the philosophy here, but the book is not Earth-shaking in it's implications like other books I have read in a similar vein (such as "The Textbook of the Universe: The Genetic Ascent to God" which truly changed my world view forever...). Overall good stuff and interesting to read.
Rating: 
Summary: Great History of Progressive Thought -- Weak on 21st C
Review: God and the Evolving Universe offers an excellent review of progressive thought and discovery from early mystics through Plato and Socrates, Jewish prophets, religious and secular leaders. Very readable -- even a page turner! -- with great insights and optimism about the future. The book suggests the 21st C may rival the Renaissance and Enlightenment periods for progressive human breakthroughs. While I accept this conclusion and found the book very helpful, the authors overlook an important re-discovery, namely, the important and even critical role "small groups" and teams play in stimulating progressive thought and action. From Methodist founder Charles Wesley in England to Willow Creek Church in Chicago, small groups are the key to bring salvation, comfort and insights to millions of Christians. We now know that even bin Laden used small groups to effectively achieve his warped and distructive objective. Likewise in business, teams working in Thomas Edison's NJ lab pattented hundreds of new products; Manhattan Project team in Oak Ridge developed the bomb; business teams at HP, Intel, MIT, Apple, Microsoft et. al. unleashed a flood of revolutiony technologies and products. This book thus offers a great overview of progressive thought, but fails to note the importance of small groups in achieving this success. Expanding on this idea in a revised edition may offer greater insight into how to best achieve ongoing progress for individuals and their societies.
Rating:
Summary: Good information, needs more unity to the themes
Review: It is Redfield's genuine sense of optimism that makes me pick up his books and read them. There is something contagious about a positive outlook on life and spirituality. But I have never read a book by him that did not go miles beyond naive in its treatment of religion/spirituality. Redfield and his associates have loaded a plate for us at the salad bar of religious and philosophical syncretism. They have put some good things there. But the nutritional balance is suspect. Moreover, like mixing chemicals pulled randomly from under the kitchen sink, the resulting combination may be volatile. My biggest complaint against this book is its willingness to 'spin' religious and philosophical 'developments' so that they fit neatly into their spiritual evolution paradigm. No matter that their notions run cross-currents with the larger context within which many of these religious and philosophical ideas have developed. It reminds me of a kind of inter-religious proof-texting, whereby religious leaders of the ages are all pointing in the direction in which the authors want us to go. But this is NOT where many of the thinkers and religious leaders of the past suggested we go. Also disturbing is the book's over-simplification of ideas concerning evolution. While the authors deny that they do so, the book is built on the assumption of a linear trajectory that is not well attested by history or science. While I normally spend a lot of time criticizing Post-Modern thinkers, it might be wise for Redfield and company to take some of their critiques seriously and realize that the universe is not a 'just add water and stir' kind of place. In truth, this is a digested cut and paste book glued together with wishful thinking. Honestly, though, I think it is done with the best of intentions. And I will undoubtedly pick up Redfield's next book and read it, too. Lastly, I would caution the reader that there is basically nothing new here. If you have read New Age books before, you have read this one. The strongest part of the book is the annotated bibliography (for which I commend the authors). Again, I don't agree with their interpretation of what they have read, but they are reading a lot of interesting things. To repeat...I can't help but feel good feelings for the authors. But this book leaves a lot to be desired.
Rating: 
Summary: Distortedly Simplistic...Good Intentions...But Nothing New
Review: It is Redfield's genuine sense of optimism that makes me pick up his books and read them. There is something contagious about a positive outlook on life and spirituality. But I have never read a book by him that did not go miles beyond naive in its treatment of religion/spirituality. Redfield and his associates have loaded a plate for us at the salad bar of religious and philosophical syncretism. They have put some good things there. But the nutritional balance is suspect. Moreover, like mixing chemicals pulled randomly from under the kitchen sink, the resulting combination may be volatile. My biggest complaint against this book is its willingness to 'spin' religious and philosophical 'developments' so that they fit neatly into their spiritual evolution paradigm. No matter that their notions run cross-currents with the larger context within which many of these religious and philosophical ideas have developed. It reminds me of a kind of inter-religious proof-texting, whereby religious leaders of the ages are all pointing in the direction in which the authors want us to go. But this is NOT where many of the thinkers and religious leaders of the past suggested we go. Also disturbing is the book's over-simplification of ideas concerning evolution. While the authors deny that they do so, the book is built on the assumption of a linear trajectory that is not well attested by history or science. While I normally spend a lot of time criticizing Post-Modern thinkers, it might be wise for Redfield and company to take some of their critiques seriously and realize that the universe is not a 'just add water and stir' kind of place. In truth, this is a digested cut and paste book glued together with wishful thinking. Honestly, though, I think it is done with the best of intentions. And I will undoubtedly pick up Redfield's next book and read it, too. Lastly, I would caution the reader that there is basically nothing new here. If you have read New Age books before, you have read this one. The strongest part of the book is the annotated bibliography (for which I commend the authors). Again, I don't agree with their interpretation of what they have read, but they are reading a lot of interesting things. To repeat...I can't help but feel good feelings for the authors. But this book leaves a lot to be desired.
Rating: 
Summary: An Outstanding Book!!
Review: It's no accident that the 20th century has witnessed a dramatic expansion of human experience: the authors contend that thousands of years of human progress has lead to this era which represents a transition in planetary evolution and the evolution of the human species. God And The Evolving Universe promotes the notion of a super-normal series of experiences, which are changing how humans understand their lives. Chapters explain the range of human potentials and possibilities.
Rating:
Summary: A great read!!!
Review: Really enjoyed this book. It's clearly written for a curious, intelligent layperson, not scholars. Contains a great, concise, general overview of evolution, getting more specific as applied to the evolution of spiritual and philosophical schools of thought that have shaped our current ways of thinking, very clear presenations of many examples of ways in which we humans appear to be in the midst of (or quickly approaching) a period of rapid evolution in our awareness and capabilities, a significant number of practical ways a person might explore these ideas for him/herself, and a wonderful bibliography/recommended reading list . I found the book, enjoyable and inspiring, and would recommend it to anyone with a sincere interest in a greater understanding of the implications of individual, societal and global evolution of consciousness, and for people looking for ideas for participation and practice.
Rating:
Summary: Good Overview, with Lack of Awareness of Current Practices
Review: The book begins with a beautifully written insightful overview concerning the impact of worlds major religions and philosophies on human consciousness, realizations of our oneness with all, as well as the beauty of the individual's uniqueness and that more of us are will to step back and appreciate our spiritual consciousness from a much broader perspective. That section of the book is easily worth 5 stars. Part IV covers most of man's major transformative practices developed over the course of recorded history and blatantly misleads the reader concerning the effort transformation requires. It is not intentional, but it does indicate a lack of first hand experience on the part of the authors concerning the studies and developments by numerous organizations over the latter half of the 20th Century, much of which overshadows all previous history in effectiveness of the experiential transformative technologies available today. Look up in search engines and experience first hand the leading edge transformative practices available through the Monroe Institute, Star's Edge International, and other consciousness technologies where you can experience powers of consciousness that are more rapid than a thought and very effective. (Example: In January 1999, I healed a 9 year long painful skin rash on myself that doctors couldn't and also woke up with the flu one day, with teeth chattering chills, weak and sweating profusely and completely eliminated it in 5 minutes using modern practices of consciousness. After years of using the familiar practices discussed in this book, it took me about a week to learn the newer practices which have been developed in the last two decades. Asian monks say they achieved more enlightenment in a week with these newer practices than 20 years of meditating in a monastery).
Rating: 
Summary: Neocon New Ageism - Puritan rewrite of human history
Review: The Chapter "History of Human Awakening" includes mention of nearly every philosopher from Buddha onward. There are Plato, Freud, Jung, Rank and even an account of UFOs, ghost and poltergeiests. But, in the fantasy world of Redfield and Murphy, no human being ever ingested any substance for the purpose of understanding consciousness. Therefore, Louis Lewin, Aldous Huxley, Carlos Casteneda. Ram Dass and certainly Timothy Leary never existed. The psychedelic sixties never happened, according to Redfield and Murphy. This book tries to pass off neo-Puritanism as scholarship. Like much current thought, it is in complete denial of human history and human nature. This book is of interest as a striking example of drug war media control. How you talk about spirituality in the past half-century without a mention of entheogens, which drove the greatest spiritual awakening since the Transcendental 1840s? This is a very strange denial pattern for authors who come from those Esalen days back in the sixties when stuff happened they apparently don't want to remember. There is no credibility for authors who can't present a complete and accurate account of their own history, let alone any pretense of covering "Human Evolution." If they want to move people beyond drugs, then they need to start with some kind of truth about history. But no, there is not a single mention of any drug in their survey of "evolution," even when they report on Hinduism, Sufism, Taoism and other entheogen-using religions. This phony and pretentious book isn't about an "Evolving Universe." It's about drug war politics and 12-step ideology. All it really has to say is "Just Say No."
Rating:
Summary: Neocon New Ageism - Puritan rewrite of human history
Review: The Chapter "History of Human Awakening" includes mention of nearly every philosopher from Buddha onward. There are Plato, Freud, Jung, Rank and even an account of UFOs, ghost and poltergeiests. But, in the fantasy world of Redfield and Murphy, no human being ever ingested any substance for the purpose of understanding consciousness. Therefore, Louis Lewin, Aldous Huxley, Carlos Casteneda. Ram Dass and certainly Timothy Leary never existed. The psychedelic sixties never happened, according to Redfield and Murphy. This book tries to pass off neo-Puritanism as scholarship. Like much current thought, it is in complete denial of human history and human nature. This book is of interest as a striking example of drug war media control. How you talk about spirituality in the past half-century without a mention of entheogens, which drove the greatest spiritual awakening since the Transcendental 1840s? This is a very strange denial pattern for authors who come from those Esalen days back in the sixties when stuff happened they apparently don't want to remember. There is no credibility for authors who can't present a complete and accurate account of their own history, let alone any pretense of covering "Human Evolution." If they want to move people beyond drugs, then they need to start with some kind of truth about history. But no, there is not a single mention of any drug in their survey of "evolution," even when they report on Hinduism, Sufism, Taoism and other entheogen-using religions. This phony and pretentious book isn't about an "Evolving Universe." It's about drug war politics and 12-step ideology. All it really has to say is "Just Say No."
Rating:
Summary: A wonderful overview
Review: This book is an overview of the entire spiritual journey. It is a like a map of human consciousness, covering the evolution of our understanding of God, as well as giving information about every aspect of the spiritual path. It is not a novel (like Celestine Prophecy, etc.), but rather it is a guide to help each person as they increase their awareness of their own spiritual understanding. Redfield and Murhpy present an excellent overview, which I found inspiring, informational, and well-researched.
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