B676 Apocalyptic Ecology

B676 Apocalyptic Ecology

Columbia Theological Seminary

Stan Saunders, Instructor

Spring Semester 2012

This course explores the “ecology”—nature, structures, vocations, and practices—of the church as an eschatological body in the New Testament, especially in light of contemporary ecological issues. What notions of time and space shaped the church’s self-understanding and practices? How did the church engage the imperial social models of its world? The class will examine early Christian ideals such as unity with diversity, forgiveness, hospitality, humility, and reconciliation as marks of the church and as ecological/ecclesiological principles.

Core Questions

What are the cultural, historical, and theological roots of the environmental and social issues we face?

What are the most important biblical (New Testament) resources (and obstacles) for shaping faithful approaches to these issues?

What shape might faithful ecological hermeneutics take?

What is the human calling with regard to the creation? (Are we necessary? For what purpose?)

In what ways are the foundational practices of the church ecological? (or are Christian practices incidental to the Creation?)

Is the church sustainable? (Is “eco-“ an essential part of ecclesiology?)

What are the practices of sustainable Christian community?

Requirements

·  Preparation for and participation in course readings and discussions

·  Informed, critical engagement with two pertinent secondary resources (see the book list) of your choosing. These brief written responses (ca. 2-3 pp. each) should be focused on telling peers in ministry about the strengths, weaknesses, and most important contributions of the book.

·  Leadership, or co-leadership, in shaping exegetical discussion of two NT texts during the semester (see schedule)

·  A final presentation and paper on a subject of the student’s choosing, shaped in consultation with the professor, due by the last week of the course.

Required Texts

·  David Horrell, The Bible and the Environment: Towards a Critical Ecological Biblical Theology. London: Equinox, 2010.

·  Bill McKibben, Eaarth: Making a Life on a Tough New Planet. New York: St. Martin’s Griffin, 2010, 2011.

·  Noah J. Toly & Daniel I. Block, eds., Keeping God’s Earth: the Global Environment in Biblical Perspective. Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2010.

Proposed Schedule (subject to revision!) [*readings on CAMS]

Tu, Jan 31 Course Introduction: Where in the World are We?

Th, Feb 2 Where in the World Are We?

Readings: *Millenium Ecosystem Assessment

*Future Scenarios

Sir John Houghton, “The Changing Global Climate,” in Toly and Block,

Keeping God’s Earth, 187-215.

Tu, Feb 7 Theological and Cultural Roots of Our Ecological Crises

Readings: McKibben, Eaarth, 1-101.

*Lynn White, “The Historical Roots of Our Ecological Crisis”

Th, Feb 9 Apocalyptic and Eschatology: Problems and Promise

Readings: Horrell, The Bible and the Environment, chapters 1-4

Tu, Feb 14 Empire, Ecology, and Eschatology: The Biblical Traditions of Resistance to

Empire

Readings: Moo, “Eschatology and Environmental Ethics,” in Toly & Block, Keeping

God’s Earth, 23-43

*Richard Horsley, “Jesus and Empire,” in In the Shadow of Empire,

75-96.

Th, Feb 16 Ecology and Economy: Caesar, the Cosmic Lord, and the Household

Focus Texts: Ephesians and Colossians

Reading: Horrell, The Bible and the Environment, ch. 5.

Tu, Feb 21 Embodying Christ: Early Christian Confession and Practice

Focus Texts: Philippians 2:5-11, Colossians 1:1-15, 1 Timothy 3:16

Th, Feb 23 Saints Raptured, The Earth Aflame?

Part 1: Matthew 24:29-41, 1 Thessalonians 4:13-5:11

Tu, Feb 28 The Earth Aflame, Saints Raptured?

Part 2: 2 Peter 3:1-13, Revelation: A New Heaven and a New Earth

Readings: “Part Two: Cities and the World” in Toly and Block, Keeping God’s Earth

Horrell, The Bible and the Environment, ch. 8-9

*Edward Adams, “Retrieving the Earth from the Conflagration: 2 Peter

3:5-13 and the Environment,” in Horrell, et. al, eds., Ecological Hermeneutics, 108-120.

Th, Mar 1 Creation Groaning: Romans 8

Readings: Horrell, The Bible and the Environment, ch. 7

*“The Groaning and Liberation of Creation,” in Horrell, et.al. Greening Paul, pp. 63-85

Tu, Mar 6 The Crucified and Resurrected Body; Baptism and Eucharist; Readings: 1 Corinthians 15, Romans 12-15; Gospel Resurrection accounts

Th, Mar 8 The New Creation: Images of the Church in Paul

Readings: Wright, “The Earth is the Lord’s,” and Gushee, “Environmental Ethics,” in

Toly and Block, Keeping God’s Earth, pp. 216-265.

Mar 12-16 Assessment and Midterm Week

Tu, Mar 20 The Deep Ecology of the Sermon on the Mountain I: Matthew 6:9-13

Readings: Horrell, The Bible and the Environment, ch. 6

*Saunders, “Salt for the Earth”

Th, Mar 22 The Deep Ecology of the Sermon on the Mountain II: Matthew 5:5, 3-16

Tu, Mar 27 The Deep Ecology of the Sermon on the Mountain III: Matthew 6:19-34

Th, Mar 29 At Home in the World?: Reassessing the Apocalyptic Tradition in the NT

April 2-6 Spring Break

Tu, Apr 10 Sustainable Church: Hospitality and forgiveness

Reading: McKibben, Eaarth, 102-219

Th, Apr 12 Sustainable Church: Renunciation of self-interest

Tu, Apr 17 Sustainable Church: Sabbath

Th, Apr 19 Sustainable Church: The Death of the Church

Tu, Apr 24 Student Projects and Discussions

Th, Apr 26 Student Projects and Discussions

Tu, May 1 Student Projects and Discussions

Th, May 3 Student Projects and Discussions

May 7-11 Exam Week

Supplementary Bibliography

*on CAMS **on Reserve

1. Biblical/New Testament Resources

·  Edward Adams, The Stars Will Fall From Heaven. Cosmic Catastrophe in the New Testament and the World. T & T Clark, 2007.

·  **Richard Bauckham, The Bible and Ecology: Rediscovering the Community of Creation. Waco: Baylor University Press, 2010.

·  **Richard Bauckham, Living with other Creatures: Green Exegesis and Theology. Waco: Baylor University Press, 2011.

·  William P. Brown, The Seven Pillars of Creation: The Bible, Science, and the Ecology of Wonder. Oxford University Press, 2010.

·  Ellen F. Davis, Scripture, Culture, and Agriculture: An Agrarian Reading of the Bible. Cambridge University Press, 2009.

·  Carol J. Dempsey & Mary Margaret Pazdan, eds., Earth, Wind, and Fire: Biblical and Theological Perspectives on the Creation. Liturgical Press/Michael Glazier, 2004.

·  Norman Habel, An Inconvenient Text. Adelaide: ATF Press, 2009.

·  **Norman C. Habel, ed., The Earth Bible, Volume 1: Readings from the Perspective of Earth. Pilgrim Press, 2000.

·  **Norman C. Habel & Vicky Balabanski, eds., The Earth Bible, Volume 5: The Earth Story in the New Testament. Pilgrim Press, 2002.

·  Norman C. Habel and Peter Trudinger, eds., Exploring Ecological Hermeneutics. Atlanta: Society of Biblical Literature, 2008.

·  **David Horrell, Cherryl Hunt, Christopher Southgate, and Francesca Stavrakopoulou, eds., Ecological Hermeneutics: Biblical, Historical and Theological Perspectives. London: T & T Clark, 2010.

·  **David Horrell, Cherryl Hunt, and Christopher Southgate, Greening Paul: Rereading the Apostle in a Time of Ecological Crisis. Waco, Baylor University Press, 2010.

·  Interpretation: A Journal of Bible and Theology 65:4 (October 2011): “Creation Groaning.”

·  Paul S. Minear, Images of the Church in the New Testament. Westminster Press, 1960.

·  Matthew Sleeth, The Gospel According to the Earth. Harper One, 2010.

2. On Empire and Apocalyptic

·  David Ray Griffin, et.al., The American Empire and the Commonwealth of God. Westminster John Knox, 2006.

·  Richard A. Horsley, ed., In the Shadow of Empire: Reclaiming the Bible as a History of Faithful Resistance. Westminster John Knox Press, 2008.

·  Richard A. Horsley, Jesus and Empire: The Kingdom of God and the New World Disorder. Fortress, 2003.

·  Richard A. Horsley, ed., Paul and Empire: Religion and Power in Roman Imperial Society. Trinity Press International, 1997.

·  Richard A. Horsley, ed., Paul and Politics. Trinity Press International, 2000.

·  Anathea E. Portier-Young, Apocalypse Against Empire: Theologies of Resistance in Early Judaism. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2011.

3. Christian Ethics and Ecology

·  Stephen M Gardiner, A Perfect Moral Storm: The Ethical Tragedy of Climate Change. Oxford University Press, 2011.

·  Willis Jenkins, Ecologies of Grace: Environmental Ethics and Christian Theology. Oxford, 2008.

·  James Martin-Schramm and Robert L. Stivers, Christian Environmental Ethics: A Case Method Approach. Orbis, 2003.

·  James Martin-Schramm, Climate Justice: Ethics, Energy, and Public Policy. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2010

·  Michael Northcott, A Moral Climate: The Ethics of Global Warming. Orbis, 2007.

·  David Orr, Down to the Wire: Confronting Climate Collapse. Oxford, 2009.

·  Larry L. Rasmussen, Earth Community, Earth Ethics. Orbis Press, 1996.

·  Carol S. Robb, Wind, Sun, Soil, Spirit: Biblical Ethics and Climate Change. Fortress, 2010.

·  Holmes Rolston III, A New Environmental Ethics: The Next Millenium for Life on Earth. New York: Routledge, 2012.

·  Michael Schut, ed., Food and Faith: Justice, Joy, and Daily Bread. Living the Good News, 2002.

·  Michael Schut, Ed., Simpler Living, Compassionate Life: A Christian Perspective. Living the Good News, 1999.

·  Christopher Southgate, The Groaning of Creation: God, Evolution, and the Problem of Evil. WJK, 2008.

·  John Howard Yoder, Body Politics: Five Practices of the Christian Community Before the Watching World. Discipleship Resources, 1992.

·  Laura Ruth Yordy, Green Witness: Ecology, Ethics, and the Kingdom of God. Cascade Books, 2008.

4. Christian Theology, Spirituality,and Ecology

·  Charles Birch, William Eakin, Jay B. McDaniel, eds., Liberating Life: Contemporary Approaches to Ecological Theology. Maryknoll: Orbis Press, 1990.

·  Steven Bouma-Prediger, For the Beauty of the Earth: A Christian Vision for Creation Care. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2010.

·  Steven Bouma-Prediger, The Greening of Theology: The Ecological Models of Rosemary Radford-Ruether, Joseph Sittler, and Jürgen Moltmann. Atlanta: Scholars Press, 1995.

·  Steven Chase, Nature as Spiritual Practice. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2011.

·  Steven Chase, A Field Guide to Nature as Spiritual Practice. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2011.

·  Paul Collins, Judgment Day: The Struggle for Life on Earth. Maryknoll: Orbis Press, 2010.

·  Carol J. Dempsey & Russell A. Butkus, All Creation is Growning: An Interdisciplinary Vision for Life in a Sacred Universe. Liturgical Press/Michael Glazier, 1989.

·  Denis Edwards, Ecology at the Heart of Faith. Orbis, 2006.

·  Robert R. Gottfried, Economics, Ecology, and the Roots of Christian Faith. Rowman & Littlefield, 1995.

·  Roger S. Gottlieb, A Greener Faith: Religious Environmentalism and Our Planet’s Future. Oxford, 2006.

·  Roger S. Gottlieb, A Spirituality of Resistance. Crossroad, 1999.

·  Mary C. Grey, Sacred Longings: The Ecological Spirit and Global Culture. Fortress, 2004.

·  Mark Hathaway and Leonardo Boff, The Tao of Liberation: Exploring the Ecology of Transformation. Orbis Press, 2009.

·  Dieter Hessel & Rosemary Radford Reuther, eds., Christianity and Ecology. Harvard, 2000.

·  Sallie McFague, A New Climate for Theology: God, the World, and Global Warming. Fortress, 2008.

·  Sallie McFague, The Body of God: An Ecological Theology. Fortress, 1993.

·  Sallie McFague, Life Abundant: Rethinking Theology and Economy for a Planet in Peril. Fortress, 2000.

·  Sallie McFague, Super, Natural Christians. Fortress, 2000.

·  Jürgen Moltmann, God in Creation: A New Theology of Creation and the Spirit of God. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1993.

·  Jürgen Moltmann, Sun of Righteousness, Arise! God’s Future for Humanity and the Earth. Fortress, 2010.

·  H. Paul Santmire, Ritualizing Nature: Reviving Christian Liturgy in a Time of Crisis. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2008.

·  H. Paul Santmire, The Travail of Nature: The Ambiguous Ecological Promise of Christian Theology. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1985.

·  Margaret Swedish, Living Beyond the ”End of the World”: A Spirituality of Hope. Orbis, 2008.

·  Barbara Brown Taylor, The Luminous Web: Essays on Science and Religion. Cambridge/Cowley, 2000.

·  David Toolan, At Home in the Cosmos. Orbis, 2003.

·  Mark I. Wallace, Green Christianity: Five Ways to a Sustainable Future. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2010

5.Ecological,Cultural, Political, and Economic Perspectives

·  Frederic L. Bender, A Culture of Extinction: Toward a Philosophy of Deep Ecology.

Humanity/Prometheus Books, 2003.

·  Wendell Berry, Life Is a Miracle. Counterpoint, 2001

·  Wendell Berry, The Unsettling of America: Culture and Agriculture. Avon, 1977.

·  Lester Brown, Plan B 3.0: Mobilizing to Save Civilization. WW Norton, 2008.

·  Tim Flannery, The Weather Makers: How Man is Changing the Climate and What it Means for Life on Earth. Atlantic Monthly Press, 2005.

·  John Michael Greer, The Long Descent: A User’s Guide to the End of the Industrial Age. New Society Publishers, 2008.

·  Stephan Harding, Animate Earth: Science, Intuition and Gaia. White River Junction, Vermont: Chelsea Green Publishing Co., 2006.

·  Richard Heinberg, Peak Everything: Waking Up to the Century of Declines. New Society Publishers, 2007.

·  John Houghton, Global Warming: the Complete Briefing, 3rd ed. Cambridge, 2004.

·  *Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change synthesis reports: AR4 (2007): “Summary for Policymakers”

·  Barbara Kingsolver, Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life. Harper Perennial, 2007.

·  Elizabth Kolbert, Field Notes from a Catastrophe: Man, Nature, and Change. Bloomsbury, 2006.

·  Bill McKibben, The End of Nature. Random House, 1994.

·  *Millenium Ecosystem Assessment 2005: “Ecosystems and Human Well-Being: Synthesis” and “Living Beyond Our Means” (World Resources Institute).

·  Emilio Moran, People and Nature: An Introduction to Human Ecological Relations. Blackwell, 2006.

·  Michael Pollan, The Omnivore’s Dilemma. Penguin Press, 2006.

·  William F. Ruddiman, Plows, Plagues & Petroleum: How Humans Took Control of the Climate. Princeton University Press, 2005.

·  Kristin Shrader-Frechette, Environmental Justice: Creating Equality, Reclaiming Democracy. Oxford University Press, 2002

·  James Gustav Speth, The Bridge at the Edge of the World: Capitalism, The Environment, and Crossing from Crisis to Sustainability. Yale, 2008.

·  Edward O. Wilson, The Creation: An Appeal to Save Life on Earth. Norton, 2006.

6. Sustainability

·  Andres R. Edwards, Thriving Beyond Sustainability: Pathways to a Resilient Society. New Society Publishers, 2010.

·  Stephan Harding, ed., Grow Small, Think Beautiful: Ideas for a Sustainable World from Schumacher College. Floris Books, 2011.

·  Paul Hawken, Blessed Unrest. Viking Press, 2007.

·  Paul Hawken, The Ecology of Commerce: A Declaration of Sustainability. HarperBusiness, 1993.

·  Richard Heinberg and Daniel Lench, eds., The Post Carbon Reader: Managing the 21st Century’s Sustainability Crises. Watershed Media, 2010.