Events

The Earth Our Home? Ecology, Christianity, and Global Limits

View the talk online.

Traditional environmentalism is based on an assumption, rooted in ecological science, that humans are part of the interconnected living systems of nature and that these systems are constrained by certain limits. For the sake of our own flourishing and the flourishing of other life, we must learn to live within these natural limits.

This assumption has been criticized in recent years by self-styled ‘ecomodernists’ who claim that human civilization is not dependent upon, and need be constrained by, natural limits. In this view, the solution to ecological degradation and climate change lies in continued growth, intensification, and the development of technology that will enable us to disentangle ourselves from the constraints of the natural world.

In this talk, I will explore how different conceptions of whether and how we belong to a place, to a community, and indeed to the earth itself, are bound up with deeper questions of purpose and identity. This affects our willingness (or not) to embrace limits on behalf of others. I will bring into the conversation a distinctively Christian perspective on belonging and limits and suggest what such a vision might contribute to the wider discussion.

About the speaker

Jonathan Moo did his PhD in the Divinity Faculty at the University of Cambridge and holds previous degrees in biology and English (BA, Lake Forest College), wildlife ecology (MS, Utah State University), and biblical studies (MA Old Testament, MA New Testament, Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary). He is currently an Associate Professor of Theology at Whitworth University.

He has written several books on theology and Nature including Creation Care: A Biblical theology of the natural world (with Douglas Moo, Zondervan Academic, 2018), Let Creation Rejoice: Biblical hope and ecological crisis (With Bob White, IVP Academic, 2014), and Hope in an Age of Despair: The gospel and the future of life on Earth (with Bob White, IVP, 2013).

Related events

Seminar and discussion on 4th October:
Climate Change and the End of the World.