Religion and Ecology in the Public Sphere

by Deane-Drummond, Celia; Bedford-Strohm, Heinrich

• ISBN13: 9780567035080
• ISBN10: 0567035085
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2011-06-30
• Publisher: Bloomsbury T&T Clark

Summary

This collection of essays brings to the surface vital dimensions in the in the engagement between religion and ecology. The authors are aware of both the political urgency, but also the need to delve into a variety of diverse traditions in order to resource such a task, namely, what might religious traditions contribute to ecological debates? A core issue addressed here is how contemporary theology might become public theology, one that is deeply relevant to the particular problems and issues of today. This then raises important theoretical questions about how theology might engage with politics. The diverse methodological approaches possible within Christian theology are represented in this collection, including those drawing on particular traditions such as Eastern Orthodox, Roman Catholic and Reformed theology, through to self consciously contextual approaches in liberation, African and Feminist discourse.

Author Biography

Celia Deane-Drummond is Professor in Theology and the Biosciences, and Director of the Centre for Religion and the Biosciences in the Department of Theology and Religious Studies at the University of Chester and is Vice Chair of the European Forum for the Study of Religion and the Environment (EFSRE). Heinrich Bedford-Strohm is Professor Systematic Theology and Director of the Dietrich Bonhoeffer Research Centre for Public Theology, University of Bamberg, Germany.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments	p. vii
List of Contributors	p. viii
Introduction	p. 1
The Baltic Sea as a Case Study: The Ecological and Political Challenges of the Baltic Sea	p. 15
Concepts of Religion in the Public Sphere	p. 19
Who Shall Speak for the Environment? Translating Religious, Scientific, Economic, and Political Regimes of Power and Knowledge in a Globalized Society	p. 21
Public Theology of Ecology and Civil Society	p. 39
Right Out of Time? Politics and Nature in a Postnatural Condition	p. 57
Climate Change and the (Economic) Value of Nature - The Role of Economic Thinking in the Public Sphere	p. 77
Contextual Approaches
Latin American Liberation Theologians' Turn to Eco(theo)logy Critical Remarks	p. 91
Geology vs. Theology? Uranium Prospecting and Theological Arguments in Northern Carelia 2006-2009	p. 111
Towards an African Inculturated Sophiology: The Case of African Wisdom Tradition from Myths for Ecological Concerns	p. 125
Towards Public Theologies of Nature
Environmental Amnesia or the Memory of Place? The Need for Local Ethics of Memory in a Philosophical Theology of Place	p. 141
public Theology as a Substantial Contribution to an Ecumenical and Ecological Culture	p. 161
Public Theology as Contested Ground: Arguments for Climate Justice	p. 189
Bibliography	p. 211
Index of Subjects	p. 233
Index of Names	p. 239
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