Issues in Science and Theology: Global Sustainability: Science and Religion in Dialogue (Issues in Science and Religion: Publications of the European Society for the Study of Science and Theology, 7)

This volume brings together contributions from the 2022 conference of the European Society for the Study of Science and Theology, held in Ålesund, Norway, to address the many urgent questions raised by the concept of global sustainability. Scholars from the fields of philosophy, theology and the sciences offer a variety of perspectives on global sustainability, and on how the need for it can best be effected and sustained. The material assembled here – covering the roots of the present ecological crisis, as well as means for addressing it from ecological, societal, and both Christian and Islamic theological perspectives – inform discussions of these questions both within the academy and in wider public fora. This text appeals to students and researchers in the field. Preface Introduction Contents Contributors Chapter 1: Is Sustainability Utopian? Complex Challenges and Concrete Action Principles Introduction Sustainability – An ‘Exhausted’ Concept? Abandon the Concept of Sustainability? Abandon Liberal Democracy? Call for More Radical Action Can We Really Know What Is Sustainable Long-Term? Barriers to Sustainability Cognitive Limitations – As an Example of a Barrier Within the Human Condition Social Inequality – As an Example of a Social Barrier Institutional Barriers – Related to Market, Politics, Legal Systems Market Failure Insufficient Global Governance for Global Issues Insufficient Legal Systems to Account for Future Issues Principles for Sustainable Action Natural Principle: Prefer Local, Seasonal, Plant-Based and Labor-Intensive Food Contemplation as a Personal Principle John Rawls’ Difference Principle as a Society Related Principle Maintain or Increase Option Diversity as a System Related Principle Conclusion Bibliography Chapter 2: Justifying Sustainability: Scientific Necessity, Sacred Duty, or Political Process? Introduction A Scientific Necessity? A Moral Obligation? Sacred Duties? A Global Religious-Naturalist Narrative? Political Processes and Practical Philosophy Conclusion Bibliography Chapter 3: What, Exactly, Needs to Be Sustained Amidst a Changing Climate? A Word About Words The Bucharest Conference (1974) Secular Discourse on Sustainability Continued Ecumenical Discourse on Sustainability Some Concluding Reflections Bibliography Chapter 4: How Can Theology Contribute to Our Sustainability Goals? Introductory Remarks Reviewing Available Sources The Historical Dimension Theology and the Future of Humanity The Role of Religion Regarding Beliefs and Believing Concluding Remarks Bibliography Chapter 5: Environmentalism, Sustainability, and the Meaning of Technology Introduction Creation and Human Creativity The Concupiscence of Reason Disappearing Nature Environmentalism in an Unfinished Universe Bibliography Chapter 6: Desacralizing Nature Through a Deflationary Concept of Causation, and the Search for Alternatives White’s Thesis The Deflationary Model of Causation The metaphysics of Powers Bibliography Chapter 7: Entrusted with Creation: God’s Therapeutic Trust in Humanity for Creation Care Introduction Divine Trust in the Creation Narratives of Genesis Therapeutic Trust & Moral Reform Gratitude Mechanisms, Trust, and the Social Functions of Gratitude The Practical Applications and Benefits of This Theological Framework Upshot 1 – Addressing the Motivation Problem Upshot 2 – The Modularity of Divine Therapeutic Trust Bibliography Chapter 8: The Theological Preconditions of a Sustainable World View Introduction The Nominalist Revolution Hamann’s Aesthetica in Nuce Hamann’s Critique of Kant Theology of Creation as Philosophy of Science Bibliography Chapter 9: The Dignity of the Human Person Through the Theology of Continuous Creation Introduction The Challenge of Time The Criterion of Novelty Theological Questions Several Human Natures? Human Nature and God’s Image in Creation Human Nature and Divine Incarnation Conclusion Bibliography Chapter 10: Flourishing – Now and for the Ages to Come: Discerning Ethical Wisdom in the Book of Nature Introduction Ecological Sin: Missing the Mark of Flourishing Viewing Nature as Revelatory Nature as Normative: A Canon of Natural Laws Conclusion Bibliography Chapter 11: Humanizing the Biosphere’s Internal Logic Introduction Thinking in Terms of Networks Embedding Creativity into a Cycle From Interiority to Sustainability Conclusion Bibliography Chapter 12: The Sacred in Nature Conservation: A European Perspective Introduction Science and Religion in the Conservation Literature: From Conflict to Dialogue to Partnership Methods and Data Extraction The Dynamics of the Sacred in the Conservation Literature on SNSs in Europe Re-Creating the Sacred in New SNSs Reenacting the Sacred in Ancient SNSs Mutating Meanings of the Sacred in Former SNSs Final Remarks Bibliography Chapter 13: Appraising Nature: A Pan-Experiential Approach to Nature’s Agency Introduction Nature’s Agency Actor, Agent & Author Human Agency Makes Nature an Actor Human Authoring Makes Nearby Nature an Agent Pan-Experiential Effects on Nature as a Whole Human Responsibility Conclusion Bibliography Chapter 14: Ecological Accompaniment: From Connectivity to Closeness in an Age of Loneliness Introduction Ecological Accompaniment: Bodily Vulnerability and Participation in Rendering God Visible The Struggle of Loneliness and the Absence of Relational Connectivity Loneliness a New Frontier of Pastoral Care Loneliness as an Opportunity for Interdisciplinary Research and Care A New Relational Manner: Ecological Accompaniment and Sustainability Bibliography Chapter 15: The Paradox of Sustainable Prisons: How Liberation Theology Might Contribute to the Question of Environmentally-Friendly Prisons Introduction The Paradox of Sustainable Prisons Why Theology? A Theology for the Abolition of Prisons Defining Liberation Conclusion Bibliography Chapter 16: Birds, Lilies, and the Gorilla: An Eco-theological Reading of Jesus’ Teachings in Conversation with Daniel Quinn Introduction Matthew 6:25-34 – Implications for an Ethic of Christian Discipleship Daniel Quinn: Takers, Leavers, and Anxiety over the Future Concluding Thoughts and Implications Bibliography Chapter 17: New Opportunities for Church Action Towards Sustainability in the Light of Alternative Theological Narratives for Science Introduction Towards a Theology of Science Lessons from the History of Science A Participative Geometry of Relationship in the Imago Dei From Theology to Sustainable Practice Bibliography Chapter 18: Human Sustainability in the Age of Technology: A Theological Proposal on Technomoral Human Futures TS’s Ontology Ectypal Ontology The Sustainability of the Ectype Conclusion Bibliography Chapter 19: Eastern Orthodoxy and Glocal Sustainability: Towards Shaping a Modern Church Organizational Culture Introduction Orthodox Theology and SDGs Eastern Orthodox Church Organizational Culture and SDGs Orthodox Praxes and SDGs Conclusion Bibliography Chapter 20: Ecolibrium: The Quranic Paradigm for Global Sustainability Introduction Defining the Formula for Global Sustainability: Ecognitions The Equigenic Use of Technology A New Economics: Equigenical Economics – Equi-nomics Rise of the Ecological Age Bibilography Index