Rethinking Theology in the Anthropocene
(Open Access (PDF))
- wbg Academic in der Verlag Herder GmbH
- 1. Auflage 2024
- Open Access
- 212 Seiten
- ISBN: 978-3-534-64170-3
- Bestellnummer: P3641701
The Anthropocene as Challenge to Theology
The term “anthropocene” transgresses the demarcation between “nature” and “culture.” Having its origins in the “natural” sciences and increasingly becoming part of “cultural” discourses spreading in philosophy, literature, and the arts, it describes a (geo-)historical situation in which there is no place left on our planet that has not been radically reshaped, affected or destroyed by humans. The whole earth has been “cultivated,” for bad or worse. At the “climax of culture,” however, we realise how much we have always remained a part of “nature.” All things and beings on earth are deeply entangled with each other. The excessive exploitation of more-than-human worlds is also ruining the very foundation of human life.
The extent of this crisis is stimulating new models and perceptions in both the “natural sciences” and the “humanities.” The former have substantially contributed to the delusion that “nature” was independent of humans and that we had complete control over it. However, “natural” sciences are now revealing a world that is based not on separation, but rather on intra-relationality, inter-connectedness, and self-organisation. A complementary trend in the „humanities“ is discovering the role of non-human agents in the evolution of human thoughts and practises.
What does all this imply for theology? Traditional Christianity has certainly played a crucial role in establishing a strict anthropocentrism that has encouraged and driven the devastation of our planet. But do Christian narratives and ideas really have no other potential? Is theology capable of a similar paradigm shift as the contemporary “natural” sciences and “humanities”? And what would such a transformation of theology amount to? The contributions of this volume challenge the boundaries of conventional Christian theology and develop new, creative ideas that meet the predicaments of our time. Moreover, Jewish and Islamic perspectives expand the horizon of the anthology beyond Christianity.
Herausgeber
Andreas Krebs, geb. 1976, Dr. phil., Inhaber des Lehrstuhls für Alt-Katholische und Ökumenische Theologie sowie Direktor des Alt-Katholischen Seminars der Rheinischen Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn.