Jottings on science, religion, technology, pop culture and faith from the Antipodes.

Environment, Faith & Religion

The Peace of Creation: Recovering a Theological Balance

Came across this essay in Crux today while searching for something else written by Steven Bouma-Prediger.

The Peace of Creation: Recovering a Theological Balance by Jonathan R. Wilson. (Crux September 2004/Vol. XL, No. 3).

It’s exactly the sort of essay I could give to my theology students when we’re talking about creation and how other aspects of theology (incarnation, atonement and eschatology) interact with it and how we live today. It’s not a radical piece for many of us but it would hopefully start some on a journey of looking at creation with new eyes. Wilson opens his essay,

In the midst of rising concern about care for creation, conservative Christians present various responses. Some are deeply involved in the environmental movement; others are profoundly opposed to policies that protect and preserve the environment. My own view is that Christian doctrine, properly understood, commits Christians to care for the environment. In this article I will identify the (mistaken) theological basis for conservative Christian opposition to the environment and propose some theological correctives that would lead to support for environmental concern. Of course, political, sociological and economic interests are interwoven with theology in this opposition. But theological analysis is important, because conservative Christianity is most deeply formed by a commitment to biblical faithfulness. If we are able to identify a more faithful theology, then we may be able to find ways of forging a theological consensus on care for creation that crosses other boundaries.

Also have a look at RCA: Resources on Caring for the Earth an “Annotated Resource List on Caring for the Earth” compiled by Steven Bouma-Prediger.