Lowell Bliss, “Jacques Ellul, Eco-Realism, and the Breaching of the 1.5°C Climate Target”
“Realism,” Jacques Ellul says, “is also the result of a choice, because most Christians prefer idealism. The latter is more comforting, and it also enjoys more prestige, since it permits of lofty and profound conversation and seems so much better suited to the nobility and to discussions about ‘Christianity.’” When Ellul wrote Hope in Time of Abandonment in 1972, the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere was still 16 years away from crossing the threshold into what we call climate change. Nonetheless, Ellul’s context in 1972 was sufficient for him to conclude, “Never has man felt so closed in, so confined, so impotent.” In my experience as a reader of Ellul, it’s been difficult to understand, let alone commit to, what Ellul calls the three “decisions” of hopelessness: to wait, to pray, and to maintain realism—difficult, that is, until now with the impending breach of the 1.5° C climate target. The emerging perspective of “eco-realism” acknowledges the failure of our best mitigation and adaptation efforts to escape many of the collapses, catastrophes, and extinctions of climate change. Eco-realism challenges our faith in the systems (including religious) that will fail to be intelligible, let alone salubrious, for the growing number of those slated to join “the crucified class” in the near future. Against accusations of doomism, the early onset of the 1.5° breach significantly challenges idealism and allows us to prepare non-violent responses to the triggers historically attendant to collapses, while also assisting us to finally engage Ellul’s three decisions.
Lynn Braband, “When Creation Care Gets Messy; Human-Wildlife Conflicts in a “Not Yet” World”
Over the last half century, there has been increasing attention, even controversy, within the church over environmental concerns. Various theological paradigms have been promoted. Examples include the often strongly varying perspectives of the Evangelical Environmental Network (https://creationcare.org/) and the Cornwall Alliance (https://cornwallalliance.org/). A key point is the role of humans within creation with views ranging from mere member of the biota (Leopold 1949), numerous variations of steward (Beisner 1990, Bouma-Prediger 2023, Van Dyke et al. 1996), to reconciler (Warners and Heun ed. 2019) and facilitator of community flourishing (McFague 2001). The concept of servanthood is personally meaningful. With human tendencies to simplify ecosystems, working to maintain biodiversity is one of the best ways to serve biota. As a professional wildlife ecologist, I have spent most of my career in the subfield “wildlife damage management” (WDM) which addresses situations when wildlife comes in conflict with human interests including, but not limited to, health and property. I will discuss definitions of WDM and why WDM is important including the maintenance of biodiversity. I will also touch on the roles of death (Stump 2024), predation (Isaiah 11:6), humane treatment, and respect. I am particularly interested in thinking through the “practical theology” of promoting creation care in an imperfect world.
Taina Chan, “The Life-Giving Water: Jonathan Edwards and the Stockbridge Indians: A Perspective of Environmental Justice”
Water is an invaluable natural resource for our ecosystem. However, access to clean water is not self-evident. Although water covers most of our planet, the freshwater supply is limited and unevenly distributed. In addition, environmental problems intensify water scarcity. Ecological problems are often related to issues of environmental justice and equal rights. People living in low socio-economic communities struggle the most in coping with the consequences of climate change and pollution. For example, the residents of the Six Nations of the Grand River (the largest indigenous reserve in Canada), work hard to access clean water as their water treatment plant is not capable of providing purified water for everyone.
This presentation describes Jonathan Edwards’s (1703–1758) missionary work among the Stockbridge Indians from the perspective of environmental justice. First, this study demonstrates that the Native Indians of Stockbridge struggled to access the natural resources necessary to their livelihood and maintain their traditional lifestyle. This was a result of the disrespectful attitude (a perception of Native Indians and their culture as less valuable) and actions (e.g. dishonest acquisition of land) of the ruling population of the area. Secondly, this study confirms that despite his shortcomings, Edwards supported the Stockbridge Indians in many ways: in addition to his main interest of converting the native Americans, he advocated justice for the mistreated natives, developed his teaching and preaching methods, and supported the emotional and spiritual well-being of the Stockbridge Indians through his sermons. In addition, in his theological works, Edwards promoted compassion for the poor and opposed the common view of the colonial population as spiritually superior. His remarks on sin and grace encouraged ethnic equality: God’s election or grace does not depend on skin color or nationality.
John Elwood, “The Eco-realist Context: [Re]Thinking the Faith in a Failing World"
“Nobody ever told us what to do in case of failure,” writes Canadian theologian Douglas John Hall, “least of all our religion.” Today, however, we face the real possibility of ecosystem failure. Unsurprisingly, the chorus of voices proclaiming “It’s not too late!” is undiminished by decades of failure—unmet goals, cynical pledges, and unfulfilled hopes for external saviors, whether political, technological or spiritual. Now, however, we must take seriously the challenge of eco-realism—that it is, in fact, too late to avoid crushing losses to humanity and the biosphere on a global scale; and that human social systems—economic, political and religious—are largely unsuited to lead us through them. If so, we now inhabit a context that is foreign to those in which our inherited theologies were nurtured. How have those theologies functioned amidst the looming threat of ecosystem failure? In a world where religious expectation is often contradicted by lived experience, is it possible to reimagine “gospel” within such a context? What kind of faith can speak to a world marked by decline and suffering? I will argue that the very thin tradition of Luther's “theology of the cross,” as contextualized by Hall, has become vital to theological imagination in a world of runaway global crisis, compelling Christians to name and resist the elements of the “theologies of glory” which now dominate much of Western cultural thought and practice. This discussion will engage the works of Hall, Irving Greenberg, Sallie McFague, Wes Jackson and William Catton.
Steven Hall, “Natural and Human Thriving: Species Restoration and Aquacultural Food Production”
Our current era of history has been dubbed the Anthropocene (e.g. Clements 2024), being dominated by humans. Many of those who work in this area (Christians and others) acknowledge the impacts of the now nearly 10 billion humans on the planet. Among the challenges are energy use contributing to atmospheric changes; reduction of habitat; loss of species and the impact of producing food.
Wilson’s ‘doctrine of creation’ provides Christian impetus to consider justice for God’s creation and other species. Genesis 2:15 tells us to ‘shmar and abad’ – protect and serve creation. This is balanced by further Biblical injunctions to care for ‘the least of these’ – e.g. people with limited access to food, water and housing.
How do we care for creation while also caring for people? This paper will explore synergistic opportunities to culture aquatic creatures for human benefit while also caring for those species and allowing fruitfulness in their habitats.
Examples include the culture of Alligator mississipiensis in Louisiana which, with wise stewardship have led to substantial rebounds in these populations which have had additional benefits: reduction in nutria Myocastor coypus and concomitant rebound of wetland habitat via alligator predation. As a result, although previously on the endangered species list, they are now ‘of least concern’.
A second example is the Atlantic sturgeon Acipenser oxyrhincus still listed as endangered. Could wise culture also enhance natural populations? Could improved habitat and conservation help restore healthy populations, while benefiting humans? Can these case studies be used to positively impact both humans and care for creation, enhancing justice for both? This work will address these coupled issues.
Erik Ivaska, “Practicing Resurrection: United with the Risen Christ as Ambassadors of Reconciliation”
Oliver O’Donovan argues in Resurrection and Moral Order that the resurrection of Christ reaffirms God’s initial creation intent, thus providing us a framework for Christian ethics. Specifically, O’Donovan contends that, “Man’s life on earth is important to God; he has given it its order; it matters that it should conform to the order he has given it.” The question becomes: How does one live such a life in light of faith in Christ? According to the late Eugene Peterson, it looks like practicing resurrection. Through an exegetical exploration of Pauline texts, with a focus on Colossians, concerning both reconciliation and participation, a pattern for living as “ambassadors of reconciliation” emerges. This pattern has less to do with ethical imperatives than it does with the new ontological reality existent for the Christian who now, through union with Christ, possesses a new ability to begin to adhere to the inherent moral order of creation. To be such an ambassador means living out of the antecedent reality of our new status as redeemed creatures anticipating resurrection. This new reality not only implies substantive possibilities for reconciliation between human beings but also for caring for creation on behalf of the One who is actively reconciling all things.
Lydia Johnson, “Kindness and God’s Good Creation”
The notion that “God saw everything that he made, and indeed, it was very good” (Gen. 1:31 NRSVUE) is common to our Christian understanding. Those who embrace the testimony טוֹב .”that God created the heavens and the earth can infer that a “good God” makes “good things (tov) is the Hebrew term used in Genesis to describe God’s “good” design, defined as favorable, prosperous, and even in some translations, “kind.” Furthermore, throughout the scriptures, God shows His lovingkindness (ḥeseḏ) toward His “good” design by condescending to its needs (BDB). God’s kindness is evident in His covenant keeping faithfulness, provision, and care for His creatures. In the New Testament, Romans 8:19 describes creation waiting with “eager longing for the revealing of the children of God,” expressing a specific interrelationship between human “image bearers” and creation. Those who are like-God should embody His kindness as He relates to His creation.
According to philosopher William S. Hamrick, kindness is defined as acting for the benefit of others as it emerges within social relationships. Disruption within these relations are cause for insensitivity and destruction. Beyond human relations, Hamrick asserts that kindness also includes relationships between humans and their interactions with nature. This connection engulfs our social value systems for life and vegetation and the technological advances that either build or destroy this life (Kindness and the Good Society).
In this paper, I will draw on interdisciplinary research on kindness to explore the question of what it means for humanity to manifest God’s kindness in and in relation to His creation in a “groaning” earth (Romans 8:22 NRSVUE). In our current environmental crisis, Christians are responsible to act for the benefit of the biodiversity in our world to display God’s care for His creation. This eco-theological reflection will examine how research on kindness can inform contemporary Christian efforts to embody God’s kindness in expressions of care for creation.
Matthijs Kronemeijer, “The Death of the Fig Tree (Mk 11 / Mt 21) and Climate, Injustice, and Hope for Renewal”
Few New Testament images are as unsettling as that of Jesus cursing the fig tree, which subsequently withers and dies (Mk 11.12–14 and 20–25). Both Mark and Matthew place this event in close connection to Jesus’ cleansing of the Temple. In this paper I will draw on the anthropological study of literary forms (Mary Douglas) and various streams of political theory (Leo Strauss) to explore how questions of justice and injustice are likely addressed by Mark or can be fruitfully connected to his message.
As a first step, I present evidence that two literary structuring patterns in Mark intersect in Mark 11. These patterns are the “week” pattern, structuring chapters 11–15, and a hitherto mostly overlooked repeat pattern that occurs throughout chapters 1–11, showing Jesus’ beneficent action. For this descriptive work I rely on Douglas’ 2007 pioneering study Writing in Circles, as well as an earlier study by myself of Mark 1–3. As a next step, I present a reading of Mark 11 arguing that Mark deliberately addressed philosophical questions of justice, injustice and restoration in his account of Jesus’ life and actions, and that Mark 11 carries a powerful message of hope for renewal in this regard. In conclusion I draw on Leo Strauss to argue that inherited Christian biblical sources and philosophical strategies are better equipped to address the authoritarian and exploitative excesses of our time than hegemonic liberal theory is, but that the intersection of truly “evangelical” Christianity with secular liberalism needs to be handled carefully. An unlikely experiment involving an LGBTQ political party from pre-pandemic Tel Aviv will apply these findings to the present day.
Chris Landon, “The End of the Beginning and the Beginning of the End: The Role of the Unnamed Prophet (Judg 6:8–10) in the Decline of Israel in Judges”
Judges, as a narrative, is notable for its structure and repetition, particularly the widely recognized “cycle” of the individual stories in Judg 3–16. As a result, the instances where the narrative deviates from the typical draw the attention of the reader and suggest alterations to the trajectory of the narrative. One such example occurs in Judges 6:8–10 with the appearance of an unnamed prophet at the start of the Gideon cycle. This character disrupts the cycle of the narrative in his title/role (i.e. a prophet), his presence in the moment of the cycle usually reserved for the introduction of the judge, and his oracle that lacks any reference to deliverance. This paper is a narrative analysis of the role of the unnamed prophet and his role in signaling an overall downturn in the book of Judges. First, I examine the prophetic figures in the book of Judges and argue that there are only two human prophets (i.e. Deborah and the unnamed prophet) and are within close proximity to one another in the narrative. Second, I examine the relationship between the unnamed prophet and the angel of YHWH in 6:11. I argue that they are separate characters with the former being a human prophet while the latter is a divine messenger whose identity is more ambiguous. Third, I examine the unnamed prophet’s oracle within the context of the story of Gideon and beyond. I argue that the tone of the oracle (i.e. lacking in deliverance language) becomes reflected in the narratives that follow. Based on this analysis I conclude that the unnamed prophet and his oracle serve as a contrast to the deliverance of Deborah and are a signal to the reader of the decline in the narrative of the book as a whole.
Adrian Langdon, “The Future of Ecotheology: Some Post-Barthian Suggestions"
This paper will suggest that ecotheology needs to incorporate four complimentary themes: the critical integration of the sciences; a doctrine of creation that recognizes differences and diversity; human perception and respect for the livingness of the world (animism); and a recovery of land, place, and space. To demonstrate the importance of these themes, the first part of the paper will examine how they are an anecdote to what Paul Tyson calls Progressive Dominion Theology, the primary cultural driver for modern forms of domination that led to climate change. We will examine how various theological and philosophical errors coalesced to justify the displacement of people and misuse of land. After this, we will illustrate how these themes help in a constructive reinterpretation of Barth’s doctrines of God, creation, anthropology, and reconciliation. It will be demonstrated, moreover, that Barth’s theology is well suited for a dialogue with ecotheology given his trinitarianism, doctrine of election, and the attempt to recover the livingness of God found in scripture.
David Larrabee, “Environmental Justice: Letting the victims guide our eco-theology”
Eco-theology is contextual. The United States cumulative carbon dioxide emissions (1850-2022) is the largest national contribution (24%) in the world. The effects of our misuse of God’s creation fall disproportionately on the poor, especially the poor in other countries. To put this in plain English, we are the perpetrators and others are the victims. One of the often ignored tasks of Eco theology in a US context is to guide our attempt at reconciliation with those whom we have injured. Unless the victims and their stories drive the process there cannot be real substantial reconciliation. I will present three of the many voices that can help guide us.
Nina Burridge’s typology of differing ideas of what constitutes reconciliation with the indigenous Australian people gives us insight into our misunderstandings of “reconciliation”. What does a reconciliation process look like? I will draw on the work of Ernst Conradie, who writes from a South African perspective. His key idea is that a justice “deficit” always remains in any attempt at reconciliation.
Reconciliation is not always the most important goal. Maina Talia is a Christian theologian from Tuvalu. Sea level rise is making the habitable area of Tuvalu, a Pacific island nation, smaller each year. Where will the Tuvalu people live when they have to leave the island? Will their culture survive? I will present his Biblical starting point.
Finally, I will summarize by looking at what this means for western eco-theology; especially for the young eco-theologian from the United States.
Joel Tejedo, “Pentecostals, Civic Education, and Eco-Integrated Farming: The Case of Four Eco- Farming Institutions in Northern Luzon, Philippine”
Farmers are now the "dying breed" in the Philippine populace due to the negative impact of the ecological crisis that aggravated the life and livelihood of farmers. Philippine farmers are discouraged from continuing farming due to inflations and price hikes of farm inputs caused by the war between Ukraine and Russia. But what do Pentecostals do as a religion to base their attitudes and behaviors toward responsible ecological farming? How do Pentecostal believers respond to issues of environmental degradation and ecological disasters, and species extinctions? How are Pentecostals empowering local farmers to integrate and increase crops, livestock, fisheries, and fruit-bearing trees using civic education to respond to the critical issues of the farming industry? How do they create sustainable on/off-farm and agricultural entrepreneurship job opportunities that generate income for small local farmers?
Using biblical data, this study investigates the theological themes of eco-farming as a basis of Spirit-empowered religion. It provides models of Pentecostal pro-eco-farming institutions in Northern Luzon to look at their approaches and best practices of eco-farming. While this study predicts that fewer farmers engaging in agriculture in the future will aggravate food insecurity, leading to a food crisis, the task of religious and civic education in refueling integrative farming in the Philippines is worth pursuing and a civic call to the global agricultural industry.
Joseph Vybihal, “Will Nature Survive Compute?”
ChatGPT has brought to the fore an important term from computer science known as ‘compute’.
Compute refers to the volume of calculations a computer must perform to complete an activity. Compute requires energy to run the machines that perform these calculations, which is proportional to the amount of CO2 required to generate that energy, which is proportional to the impact said CO2 has on the climate. An idling computer does not use the same amount of energy as a computer engaged in an activity. AI, as an activity, needs a lot of compute. This paper attempts to describe and quantify the impact of compute from computationally intensive activities and put it into a Biblical context by exploring Leviticus 26 (sabbath rest for the land), and judgement as described in Jeremiah 25 and 36 (exile in Babylon). We end with a look towards hope, both in terms of the things we can do through technology to make things better, but also in terms of humility and a Theocentric approach to creation care. An approach that may help heal the divide between political Left and Right.
Shu-Hsiang Wu, “Creation Care and Justice in the Ancient Chinese Context”
Creation Care and Justice may initially seem like a theme primarily associated with Western discourse. However, the ancient Chinese philosopher Mozi, writing in 500 B.C., also articulated and well-engaged with this topic in a unique cultural and linguistic context. This proposal aims to introduce Mohist thought on creation care and justice through the framework of comparative theology, highlighting the relationship between God and creation, as well as the realization of divine justice within the Chinese tradition. The topic, Creation Care and Justice, concern all of humanity, making it essential to incorporate voices from different civilizations, traditions, and cultures across the world. By fostering a dialogue between Chinese philosophy and Western Christianity, the commonalities and differences in their conceptions of justice and creation will be explored.
In Mozi’s Will of God, he argues that God (Chinses: 天, Tian), the personal Supreme Ruler, loves all human beings universally, a truth disclosed through God’s creation. Consequently, humanity is called to value and care for the natural environment that God has created. Moreover, Mozi posits that the absence of justice stems from a lack of universal love, which should mirror the love of God. In Identification with the Superior, Mozi asserts that justice is only realized when all human beings align their respective standards of righteousness with the standard of the Son of God (Chinese: 天子, Tianzi).
In contrast to Western theological traditions—such as the Calvinist view of divine providence and human responsibility—Mozi offers a more mobilizing force that challenges existing conditions. His thought presents a proactive posture within the ancient Chinese context, encouraging all of humanity to reexamine our relationship with God’s creation in the pursuit of justice. This comparative study between Mozi’s philosophy and Western Christian theology provides a valuable framework for reconsidering how we understand creation care and justice across different traditions.
