Last Friday the London, Ontario Free Press had a good article by Bruce Tallman on the meaning of the Incarnation in an evolutionary world. These ideas are consistent with those of Teilhard de Chardin although Teilhard would also emphasize that the Risen Christ (or the Omega Point) is continuing to attract each one of us and all of creation towards greater Unity with Him. You can find the entire article here but set forth below is an excerpt:
How does one integrate the theory of evolution with Christmas and with the apostle Paul writing that “In Christ all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, all things have been created through him and for him” (Colossians 1: 16-17)?
* * *
When Paul refers to “Christ Jesus,” it is not a case of dyslexia in the Bible. Paul is simply putting things in the right order, that is, the “Cosmic Christ” came first, and then Jesus of Nazareth. By the Cosmic Christ, I mean the one Christians traditionally think of as God before God took on human form.
* * *
There is . . . a clear direction to evolution: through natural selection, evolution creates beings of greater and greater consciousness and excellence, and therefore more capable of love. Animals are obviously more capable of love than plants, and humans are far more capable of love than animals. A dog might love its master and puppies, but humans can love God, others, themselves, and everything in the universe.
The same Cosmic Christ who created the universe also inhabited it. The Christ who was incarnate in the universe was constantly working through the evolutionary process, directing it by his love, and waiting for the perfect time to be born as a human being.
Thus, the whole direction of evolution found its fulfilment in the birth of Jesus of Nazareth, the most conscious, excellent, and loving being of all. The entire purpose of the universe came together in Jesus the Christ, or Messiah, which means the Anointed One, that is, God in human form.
Teilhard de Chardin 