The author is a respected theologian with over a dozen books on a range of subjects, including Aquinas, Rahner, Bultmann, Tillich, Mariology, theology of ministry, and others. Past president of the Catholic Theological Society of America, his academic posts include professor at the Aquinas Institute of Theology, Warren Professor of Theology at the University of Notre Dame, and visiting professor at Weston Jesuit School of Theology, Wartburg Lutheran Seminary, and the Dominican Institute of Theology.

O’Meara has visited the topic of this new book in a previous book, Vast Universe: Extraterrestrials and Christian Revelation (2012). Theologians are expressing increasing interest in the implications of intelligent extraterrestrial life, so an update to O’Meara’s earlier work is in order. This new book explores the vastness of the universe and the subatomic world, as well as the possibility of extraterrestrial life.

I commend O’Meara, and other theologians, for addressing these questions, and especially the possibility of intelligent extraterrestrial life. Although there is plenty of disagreement, that possibility is seriously entertained by enough experts to make theological reflection most appropriate. O’Meara is on the side of intelligent extraterrestrial life being likely, and he offers evidence for that view. If such life was encountered by humans, it could affect a Copernican-like revolution in Christian theology and all other aspects of human life.

O’Meara approaches all these cosmic issues from a model of religion and science as in dialogue, rather than in competition. I appreciate that perspective and welcome thoughtful theologizing, which will need to be robust to keep up with the fast pace of scientific advancement.

Like some other theologians, O’Meara occasionally sees connections between specific Christian doctrines and scientific findings on cosmology and quantum mechanics. For example, in a section on “The Subatomic and the Spirit’s Presence,” he writes that “… these particles and their forces could suggest ways in which the divine enters into the human personality.” (76) I welcome theological exploration in the context of science and religion in dialogue. However, this kind of specific connection between a current scientific consensus and some specific doctrine seems forced, if only because our scientific understanding of the world will continue to unfold.

While this short book is about important issues, it does not break new ground in any substantive way. That said, thoughtful reflections by a seasoned theologian have value for those who follow O’Meara’s work or have interest in the important religion and science topics here addressed.