“Christian Faith and the Earth” Progress reports
After the initial invitation widely distributed after 31 January 2007 three progress reports have been made available:
Progress report 1: 11 April 2007
Progress report 2: 1 August 2007
Progress report 3: 10 March 2008
Progress report 1: 11 April 2007
11 April 2007
Dear Colleague
“Christian Faith and the Earth”: First progress report
On the 31st of January this year I extended an open invitation to any interested person to participate in this envisaged project on Christian Faith and the earth”. Since then, this invitation has been forwarded to colleagues all over the world. Many people have responded to the invitation and have offered comments and constructive criticism on the nature, focus and structure of this project.
The purpose of this letter is to provide a first progress report on this project to all persons to whom the invitation has been forwarded thus far.
Since the working groups have been revised somewhat, please see this as a renewed invitation, extended to everyone on the original address list, to participate in one of the working groups. This will be a five-year project and since many of us have prior commitments for this year, please also note that the actual work done within the groups will probably only get underway as from 2008.
1. The formation of a steering committee
The project will from now on be managed by a steering committee. The following persons are included on the steering committee at the moment: Sigurd Bergmann (Norwegian University of Science and Technology), Ernst Conradie (University of the Western Cape), Celia Deane-Drummond (University of Chester), Denis Edwards (Flinders University), Elizabeth Theokritoff, Mark Wallace (Swarthmore College) and Kim Yong-Bock (Asia Pacific Graduate School for Integral Study of Life). It is envisaged that this committee will be enlarged with another person from the Latin American context. I will continue to act as the convener of the steering committee.
2. The scope of the project and the focus on Christian Faith
The focus of the project on the content and significance of the Christian faith elicited a lively correspondence. Some welcomed the focus of the project while others would want to see more attention given to a Christian ethos, earthkeeping praxis and Christian worship.
In response to such correspondence, the steering committee suggests the following:
· The project should be regarded as only one dimension of a wider theological response to environmental challenges. It should complement similar projects on the Bible, the history of Christianity, ethical issues (e.g. on animals, climate change, biodiversity, etc) and ecclesial praxis.
· Although the focus of this project will be on Christian doctrine, theological reflection in this regard is often stimulated by and is enriched by ethical concerns, by engagement in earthkeeping and by Christian worship.
· The project will become decentralised through the formation of a number of working groups (see below), each charting its own course. While most of these groups will work on aspects of Christian doctrine (the specific focus of this project), there will be, pending sufficient interest, also room for the formation of groups on a Christian ethos, Christian liturgy and so forth.
· Each group will be encouraged to reflect on the interplay between ethics, praxis, doctrine and constructive theology.
3. The identification of themes
The identification of 20 possible themes in the original invitation also elicited a lively correspondence on the terminology used and the ways in which doctrinal themes can be demarcated from one another. It should be stressed that the mapping of such themes is just a methodological tool, not a goal in itself. In the Addendum below the steering committee suggests a way forward in this regard.
It seems clear that a balance will have to be maintained between the need for demarcation (which will allow for an in-depth investigation) and the danger of theological fragmentation. Discourse in ecological theology has often emphasised the destructive impact of separating God’s transcendence from God’s presence, Christ from Spirit, creation from redemption, protology from eschatology, etc. Although each of the working groups will be requested to focus on its own topic, the cohesiveness of these themes will hopefully be ensured by colleagues participating in more than one group and by the culminating conference planned for August 2012.
4. The formation of working groups
The steering committee suggests that it may not be necessary to get the whole project (all working groups) up and running all together. Instead, it may be helpful to identify a few of the working groups that could get going already. That would allow for progress and the building up of momentum but also for fluidity in terms of further responses. Further groups can be established once there is sufficient interest. As you will gather from the attachment, the formation of several of these groups has not been finalized as yet. Your response to this first progress report will hopefully help us to do that.
It is proposed that the working groups as described in the Addendum below be established with immediate effect. Please note the following:
· It remains the responsibility of the steering committee to identify an appropriate person to act as the moderator and the editor in each working group. The moderators and editors where indicated have been approached and have agreed to accept responsibility in this regard. In some cases suitable persons have not yet been identified.
· The composition of each of the working groups would remain open for the duration of the project. Any interested person would be welcome to participate. The names indicated in this regard are provisional and subject to confirmation.
· If you are interested in joining a particular group, please use this opportunity to forward your details to me and to the moderator concerned.
The larger project will become decentralised on the basis of the formation of such working groups. Each working group will establish its own course of action. This may include the following:
· The collection of contributions (books, published articles, work in progress, etc) on the particular theme within discourse on ecotheology.
· Discussion and correspondence on areas where ecological concerns have stimulated renewed reflection on the particular theme.
· Planning towards occasional conferences, conference sessions, seminars, etc where this theme can be explored.
· A description and assessment of the state of the debate in ecotheology on the problems identified: Identifying the different positions and approaches that have been adopted in this regard.
· Reflection on the ethical implications of such discourse and suggestions regarding an appropriate way to take the debate forward.
Thanks again for your constructive responses. I undertake to provide participants with fairly regular reports on progress with the project.
Sincerely
Ernst Conradie
Convener of the steering committee
Progress report 2: 1 August 2007
1 August 2007
Dear Colleague
“Christian Faith and the Earth”: Second progress report
In an open letter dated 31 January 2007 I extended an invitation to any interested person to participate in a collaborative project on “Christian Faith and the earth”. Since then, this invitation has been forwarded to colleagues all over the world. In April 2007 a first progress report on this project was also widely distributed.
The purpose of the project is to reflect on the content and the significance of the Christian faith in the light of ecological concerns. The project should be regarded as one dimension of a wider theological response to environmental challenges. It should complement similar projects on the Bible, the history of Christianity, ethical issues (e.g. on animals, climate change, biodiversity, etc) and ecclesial praxis. Although the focus of this project will be on Christian doctrine, theological reflection in this regard is often stimulated by and is enriched by ethical concerns, by engagement in earthkeeping and by Christian worship.
The purpose of this letter is to provide a second progress report on this project to all persons who have responded to the invitation in some or other way. Moreover, it signals the start of the activities within the working groups that have already been established. The invitation to participate in the project and, more specifically, to contribute to any of the working groups will remain open for the duration of the project.
1. The steering committee
The following persons currently serve on the steering committee for the project: Sigurd Bergmann (Norwegian University of Science and Technology), Ernst Conradie (University of the Western Cape), Celia Deane-Drummond (University of Chester), Denis Edwards (Flinders University), Fulata Moyo (Chancellor’s College, Malawi), Elizabeth Theokritoff (related to the Institute of Orthodox Christian Studies, Cambridge), Mark Wallace (Swarthmore College) and Kim Yong-Bock (Asia Pacific Graduate School for Integral Study of Life). We are still looking for a suitable person from within the Latin American context to serve on the steering committee.
2. The formation of the working groups
In the attached Addendum you will find a revised list of the working groups that will constitute this project. Please note the following in this regard:
· You will notice that 8 working groups may now be regarded as “established”. This implies that there is consensus on the need for and specific focus of such a group and that the names of a person who will act as the moderator and the editor of the group have been confirmed. At this stage there are 5 additional groups that still have to be finalised. This allows for fluidity in terms of further responses. Further groups can be established once there is sufficient interest.
· The task of the moderator is to initiate discussion and to ensure that a diversity of perspectives is encouraged within the group. The task of the editor will be to draft, forward for comment and edit the report from the particular working group. It remains the task of the steering committee to identify suitable persons to act as the moderator and the editor of each group. In doing so we have tried to ensure diversity in terms of confessional tradition, geographical context, gender, race and age amongst the groups.
· The members of each group are indicated on the basis of the responses that were received following the invitations distributed in January and April 2007. Please note that membership of the groups will remain open for the duration of the project and that any person can make contributions to as many groups as she or he may wish to. There are many persons who still may not have received the invitation to participate in the project. Please note as well that a person can only serve as moderator or editor of one group. If you are interested in joining a particular group, please use this opportunity to forward your details to me. You are also welcome to forward this progress report to others and to suggest names of people who may be contacted in this regard.
· In addition, we have also indicated names of possible resource persons from whom we have not received specific feedback, but whose names have been specifically mentioned by other persons. These names should certainly not be regarded as comprehensive.
3. Suggested procedures for each group
The larger project will from now on become decentralised on the basis of the formation of the various working groups. Each working group will have considerable freedom to establish its own course of action and to investigate opportunities for discussion. Nevertheless, the following steps may be suggested to get the various groups going:
a) The moderator of each group is requested to establish contact with each person in the group, to ensure that everyone is at home within the group and to establish channels of communication (mostly via email in the group).
b) The moderator may invite people to inform other group members of existing research contributions (books, chapters, published articles, conference papers, work in progress, etc) on the particular theme. Such contributions would typically include previous reflections on the ecological significance of the particular theme. The editor may help to keep track of a collection of such material (with bibliographic references). It would of course also be helpful if such material can be distributed electronically amongst group members for discussion.
c) The moderator would need to stimulate discussion within the group on areas where ecological concerns have stimulated renewed reflection on the particular theme. In other words: What are the issues and problems that would require an ecological reformation of our understanding of the Christian faith? What ecological concerns would prompt such reflection? For example, it is often suggested that there is a need to move away from both a dualist and a reductionist view of humanity. Likewise, many have suggested the need to avoid a deist vision of God, an anthropocentric notion of redemption and an escapist eschatology. One may also argue that climate change and the implied imbalances in carbon emissions would require a revisiting of Christian views on guilt / debt. There may well be differences of opinion within each group on these concerns. Please note that there is no necessary need within ecotheology to revisit every single aspect of the Christian faith. Again, the task of the editor would be to record such discussion.
d) Each group would want to encourage its members to offer constructive contributions that will invite further reflection and discussion within the group. Such constructive contributions may of course require considerable further research. Here groups may want to exercise some creativity, depending on the location of group members and opportunities that may emerge over the next four years. The following possibilities may simply be mentioned here: 1) Distributing position papers via email, 2) Planning towards occasional conferences, conference sessions, seminars, team work, etc where this theme can be explored (see also section 4 below), 3) Stimulating postgraduate research projects (also joint supervision, external examination), 4) The possibility of editions of a journal, edited volumes and monographs devoted to the particular theme. Clearly, such possibilities would largely depend on the opportunities, energy and creativity available in each group.
e) Each group would be welcome to inform other participants of such planning in order to invite wider participation. This can be disseminated through occasional progress reports over the next 4 years (July 2007 – July 2011).
f) The task of the editor will be to facilitate a description and assessment of the state of the debate in ecotheology on the problems identified. The task is therefore not merely to offer constructive proposals for an ecological reformation of the Christian faith but to identify, acknowledge and describe divergent approaches to and positions on each theme. Here the task of the moderator would be to ensure that different positions are taken into account and properly assessed. Such a description of the state of the debate in ecotheology should constitute the core of the eventual report of each group.
g) In addition, the editor of each group would also need to keep track of reflection on the ethical implications of such discussions. What would be the significance of such reflection for ecclesial praxis within Christian communities and in the broader society?
h) Towards the latter stages of the project the moderator would also need to stimulate reflection on appropriate ways to take the debate forward. How can this project stimulate further critical reflection on “Christian Faith and the Earth”? Can we offer a sense of direction for churches and Christian theology in this regard?
i) The larger project is based on the assumption that, subsequent to the gathering of material, position papers and discussion within the group, the editor would draft a provisional report, distribute this to group members for comment and edit the report on the basis of such feedback. This report should be made available for wider discussion more or less one year before the conference planned at this stage for the week of 6-10 August 2012 in Cape Town.
4. Conference opportunities that may be utilised to make progress with the project
The following conferences, amongst many others, may be used as a platform for working groups to plan conference sessions and position papers:
· An international conference on “Ecological theology and environmental ethics”, hosted by the Institute of Theology and Ecology of the Orthodox Academy of Crete, the Canadian Forum on Religion and Ecology and the European Forum for the Study of Religion and the Environment near Chania, Crete, 2-6 June 2008. Papers are invited on Christian responses to the following ecological issues: 1) Climate change and global ecological risk, 2) Biodiversity and land degradation, 3) Waters, oceans and energy, and 4) insights from cosmology and evolutionary sciences. For more details on the conference and the call for papers, see http://www.oac.edu.gr/artman/uploads/ecothee08call.pdf.
· A call for papers for the Religion and Ecology section at the American Academy of Religion, to be held in Chicago, 25-28 October 2008 will be issued in February 2008. This may be used as an opportunity to submit proposals on the theme of Christian Faith and the Earth.
· The second international conference of the European Forum for the Study of Religion and the Environment will be held in Åbo/Turku in Finland, probably in May 2009.
· The Theological Society of South Africa will have a joint meeting together with other academic societies in the field of religion and theology in Southern Africa in Stellenbosch from 22-26 June 2009.
If you know of other suitable conferences which may be used as a platform for contributions to this project, please forward such information to me.
5. Financial considerations
At this stage the project is not dependant on significant funding. Correspondence and communication will have to take place mainly through email. Participants in working groups may also make use of various opportunities to attend local, regional and international conferences in order to present position papers and to explore the various themes. The publication of such position papers may also proceed through existing channels. The conference envisaged for 2012 will, of course, require more significant funding, especially in order to enable participants without access to such funding to attend the conference. This matter will be on the agenda of the steering committee.
I look forward to see how this project will unfold over the next few years. Your creative contributions will be vital in order to ensure that the project will indeed enhance Christian witness in an age of rapid environmental degradation.
Sincerely
Ernst Conradie
Convener of the steering committee
Progress report 3: 10 March 2008
10 March 2008
“Christian Faith and the Earth”: Third progress report – February 2008
The purpose of this report is to gather together the initiatives that have been taking place within the context of the project, to assess where we stand and to add momentum to the project and especially what has been taking place within the various working groups. This report is made available to participants and resources persons within the various working groups but also to any other person who may wish to be kept informed.
A brief history
In an open letter dated 31 January 2007 I extended an invitation to any interested person to participate in a collaborative project on “Christian Faith and the earth”. This followed on extended earlier discussions and the establishment of an international steering committee for the project. Since then, this invitation has been forwarded to colleagues all over the world.
The purpose of the project is to reflect on the content and the significance of the Christian faith in the light of ecological concerns. The project should be regarded as one dimension of a wider theological response to environmental challenges. Although its focus is on Christian doctrine, theological reflection in this regard is often stimulated by and is enriched by ethical concerns, by engagement in earthkeeping and by Christian worship.
In April 2007 a first progress report on this project was widely distributed. This helped to crystallise a number of themes that would be addressed within the context of the project.
This was followed by a second progress report in August 2007. This helped to establish a number of working groups, each with a demarcated theme, a group moderator and an editor, as well as various members and other resource persons.
There are at the moment around 100 scholars from 6 continents working in the 12 established groups. It is envisaged that the project will culminate in a conference to be held in Cape Town, 6-10 August 2012.
The current phase of the project
The project has now been decentralised in the sense that the work done within the various groups actually constitute the project. This includes at least the following components:
a) Establishing channels of communication: The project seeks to establish a network between scholars all over the world who are working within this field. The task of the moderator in each group is to facilitate this, to invite people to introduce themselves, their context and their take on the particular topic and to make everyone feel at home.
b) Identifying challenges: The task of this project cannot be to rewrite every aspect of Christian doctrine. Instead, it is important to identify those aspects of the Christian faith that have been questioned as a result of emerging ecological sensitivities. Each group therefore has to identify where such challenges have emerged with respect to the group’s theme.
c) Collection of previous work in the area: Over the last 30 years or so a wealth of literature has been produced on aspects of the Christian faith in the light of ecological concerns. In order to establish the state of the debate it is therefore important to collect such bibliographic material, including work done by members of the group.
d) Analysis and classification: On the basis of such bibliographical collection the task of assessing the current state of the debate can begin. On what issues can one identify some consensus? Can different approaches to the topic be identified? What forms the basis for differentiating such approaches – confessional, contextual, worldviews? What are the unresolved issues that require further reflection? Here the task is not so much to opt for one approach that may be dominant but to acknowledge conflicting positions and approaches where they exist.
e) Inviting position papers: Email discussions on these topics will soon dissipate without the hard work of contributing more substantial position papers on the topic. The project is built on the assumption that there will be numerous local, regional and international conferences where group members can offer such position papers on specific aspects of the topic. Such position papers can be distributed to other members of a working group via email.
f) Offering a sense of direction for further reflection: The aim of the project is not only to explore the state of the debate in current ecotheology but also to offer a sense of direction for further work and for earthkeeping praxis within Christian communities.
g) Consolidation: The task of the editors of the various working groups will be to produce a consolidated report on the proceedings of the group in which the theme is explored, where the current state of the debate is captured and where such a sense of direction for further reflection is offered.
Some observations and new developments
a) Perhaps the most significant development since August 2007 is the possibility of cooperation between this project and the so-called Edinburgh 2010 process – to reflect on the legacy of the mission conference held in Edinburgh in 1910. I have been contacted by Daryl Balia and Martin Robra (WCC) who are involved in the process. They asked whether there could be some collaboration between our project and their process of reflecting on the mission of the church. For them earthkeeping should be seen as one crucial dimension of the church’s mission. This was welcomed by the steering committee. At least Group 5 on “Where on earth is the church? Christian discourse on the nature, governance and mission of the church” will be involved in both these processes. Other groups may also wish to become involved. It is not yet clear how such synergy may emerge but our project may make use of opportunities that they will structure while our work may also feed into their processes.
b) A website will soon be established for the project under the umbrella of the Religion and Ecology website at Harvard University. This will enable groups to place discussion documents and position papers on a website where it will be available for other group members and a wider audience. It will be placed under a list of links under “General Christianity” Visit http://environment.harvard.edu/religion/religion/christianity/links.html
c) While some working groups have been quite energetic to start with their proceedings, other groups have been slower to get going. Details on the proceedings on each group are provided below. My assessment is that a number of factors curtailing progress have to be recognised: Some people find internet-based contact with people all over the world whom they have not met before quite natural whereas others find this more difficult. Some enjoy email correspondence while others cannot cope with the overload of messages which they receive. All participants in the project have many other pressing commitments and it is typically more urgent to attend to something that have to be completed next week than to work on a project that will be concluded only in 5 years time.
My sense is that extensive correspondence between the members of a working group is helpful but not essential. What will be crucial is some work on collecting the available material but especially people who would be willing to offer position papers (e.g. at some or other conference) on which others may want to respond. This will help all of us to clarify the state of the debate on the various themes. We need to grapple with the substantive issues: the ways in which the Christian faith is challenged through an ecological awareness and the controversies as to how one should best respond to such challenges.
Upcoming conference opportunities
There are a number of international regional and local conferences which may used to offer position papers on the topics addressed within the various working groups:
· An international conference on “Ecological theology and environmental ethics”, hosted by the Institute of Theology and Ecology of the Orthodox Academy of Crete, the Canadian Forum on Religion and Ecology and the European Forum for the Study of Religion and the Environment near Chania, Crete, 2-6 June 2008. For more details on the conference and the call for papers, see http://www.oac.edu.gr/artman/uploads/ecothee08call.pdf.
· There will be several opportunities for further discussion within the context of the annual meeting of the American Academy of Religion, to be held in Chicago, 1-3 November 2008
· The second international conference of the European Forum for the Study of Religion and the Environment will be held in Åbo/Turku in Finland, probably in May 2009.
· The Theological Society of South Africa will have a joint meeting together with other academic societies in the field of religion and theology in Southern Africa in Stellenbosch from 22-26 June 2009.
If you know of other suitable conferences which may be used as a platform for contributions to this project, please forward such information to me.
I look forward to see how this project will unfold over the next few years. Your creative contributions will be vital in order to ensure that the project will indeed enhance Christian witness in an age of rapid environmental degradation.
Sincerely
Ernst Conradie
Convener of the steering committee
Progress reports for the various working groups
Working Group 1
Where on earth may God be found? Christian notions of God amidst other religious traditions and various forms of spirituality
An invitation has been extended to group members. This follows some regional initiatives in the East-Asian context.
Working Group 2
“At home on earth”? Christian discourse on the place and vocation of human beings within the world
No report received.
Working Group 3
How does God respond to the suffering in creation? Christian views on God’s providence amidst sin and evil
No report received.
Working Group 4
How is the earth itself to be “saved”? Christian discourse on creation, redemption and eschatological fulfilment
The moderator invited group members to share their research interests with one another and to work on position papers. Ernst Conradie contributed two position papers on “The earth in God’s economy” and on the theme of the group itself. These were circulated to group members for comment.
Working Group 5
Where on earth is the church? Christian discourse on the nature, governance and mission of the church
David Field, the group’s editor, circulated to members of the working group a copy of the first set of background papers, containing all our collective biographies, an announcement concerning the Centenary of the Edinburgh 1910 World Missionary Conference, Towards 2010, and the Letter from the ecumenical consultation Witnessing in the Midst of a Suffering Creation – a Challenge for the Mission of the Church (Geneva, 2007). Group members have been requested to read the papers, especially the Letter, as it contains some important themes that may well be revisited during the development of materials associated with this working group.
Tim Cadman, the group’s moderator, intends to draft a brief discussion paper (with a series of questions) relating to the group’s theme as the next stage in its work. This would be aimed at providing at least a starting point for a more substantive document, created jointly, according to individuals’ respective skills and areas of expertise. This more formal document would form the basis of a more open, wider consultation. This first brief discussion paper is intended merely to initiate dialogue and deliberation.
This is all the news the group has at present, other than to advise that the editor is working on a background initiative regarding the possible future development of an environmental management standard for use across the global Church community. If anybody is interested in this “side project” (which may possibly emerge as one concept relevant to the Working Group), feel free to contact tmcadman@utas.edu.au. Members of the group have been encouraged to begin communicating one with another, with any similar ideas/projects they may have.
The group is currently lacking input from the Catholic tradition, which is encouraged to participate, and share its expertise on the nature, governance and mission of the church in the light of the current ecological crisis.
Working Group 6
Where can we find an appropriate ethos for our time? Christian discourse on categories such as justice, frugality, rights, respect, simplicity, sustainability and wisdom
The group’s moderator, Heinrich Bedford-Strohm has contacted all members and is presently compiling a list of interests and publications. Celia Deane-Drummond is preparing a paper for the Crete conference in June 2008 that will contribute to the group’s focus on environmental justice, namely on “Towards an Incarnational Theology of Eco-Justice: Building an Ethos in the Context of Climate Change”
Working Group 7
How can trinitarian theology deepen the development of an ecological doctrine of creation?
No report received.
Working Group 8
Whither does the Wind blow? Theological reflection on the person and work of the Holy Spirit
The moderator invited group members to share their research interests with one another and to start compiling a list of relevant publications.
Working Group 9
What can Christian discourse on the doctrine of creation contribute to an ecological understanding of the story of the universe? Reflections on cosmology, creation and evolution
No report received.
Working Group 10
Who is Jesus Christ, for all of us on earth, today? Theological reflection on the person and work of Jesus Christ
This group has not been established as yet.
Working Group 11
Liturgy and life: What can Christian worship and the celebration of the sacraments teach us about our relationship with the earth?
No report received.
Working Group 14
What methods would be appropriate for ecological theology? Hermeneutical reflection on the role of God’s revelation, Scripture, natural theology, , tradition, experience, reason (science) and cultural context
This group is functioning very well and has had regular email correspondence through its energetic moderator Whitney Bauman. Some of the group members met at the AAR annual meeting in San Diego in November 2007 and again at a conference sponsored by the Society for the Study of Religion, Nature, and Culture in early January 2008.
The editor of the group Forrest Clingerman has collected entries from many of the group members and put them together in a common bibliography. This will also form the basis for some common reading of texts within the group. The idea is that the members of the group will continue to work on their specific interests and share these with others in the process.
The group will shortly submit a proposal for a panel discussion in response to the 2008 Call for Papers for the AAR that will focus on the issue of “methodology in eco-theology”.
The group seeks to co-opt more female participants in this area. It hopes to have a more formal meeting at the AAR in 2008 where other interested persons may also be involved.