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The earth is the Lord’s: Renewing Christian theology from the ground up in times of crisis

Global warming, caused by the Anthropocene, is an emergency that threatens 'the good life' for all earth's inhabitants: the risks extend to food security, human security, water supply, ecosystems, health, livelihoods, and so on (UN, IPCC report 2021). Humanity is at a crossroads. Is theology sufficiently up-to-date to answer our God-given responsibility to care for the earth? In this online course you can watch the recording of our panel on this during the international PThU conference 2022.

  • Course content

    Ecotheology does not easily find its way into the actual ground on which people live and work, and seems to resonate only with certain theological spiritualities. In our view, the crisis of planet earth is also a theological crisis: we believe in Jesus Christ, but do we have a clear idea of the life-changing consequences this should have for our dealings with the earth?

    This panel explores the foundation for a robust 'grounded theology' for the protestant church: one that offers theological answers that address the lived faith and responsibilities of Christians and the actual concerns of contemporary life on earth, while it recognizes the theological plurality of protestantism. We want to contribute to the changing identity of church, pastors, congregations and believers as well as to the renewal of Protestant theology in the 21st century.

    Panel members

    • Moderator: Mirella Klomp
    • Gert van Klinken, assistant professor Church history, PThU: ‘The plea for agricultural science as integral part of the theological curriculum in the work of J.A. Uilkens’
    • Mirella Klomp, assistant professor Practical Theology, PThU: ‘In, with and under the ground. Delving into the lived theology of Dutch farmers’
    • Eward Postma, Lecturer of Spirituality, PThU: ‘Spirituality from the ground’
    • Ciska Stark, assistant professor Practical Theology, PThU: ‘Rural Pastors Growing into the Green Tide’
    • Respondent: prof. dr. Thijs Tromp, professor Diaconal Studies, PThU
  • Target audience

    heologians, ministers, pastors, church workers.

  • Data and availability

    The panel lasts approximately 1.5 hours. The course material remains permanently available and can be viewed at any time.

  • Costs

    Costs for this online course are € 10.

  • Registering

    You can register by filling in the form on this page. You can pay immediately. After payment, you will receive the course material via the email address you entered on the form.

Registering

After registering and paying, the online recordings will be sent to the e-mail address you have provided.