New Christian Attitudes toward the Earth

In June 1993,1 had a very unusual experience.Invited to an inter-reli gious panel at the Third Canadian Conference on Foundations and Appli cations of General Science, I found that the scientists were actually eager to pursue the ethical dimensions of science.Their concern was expressed this way: "Today's ecological, social and technological challenges...have outgrown the narrow bounds of disciplines and of nations."They wanted to move beyond the "narrow bounds" of their scientific disciplines (sys tems sciences and engineering and applied science) to engage the disci pline of ethics.Unfortunately, the overall design of the panel was not wellsuited to deepening their insights into religious ethics.After a brief but well-conceived talk on religion and the science of spirituality by Suwanda Sugunasiri of the University of Toronto, and another short yet excellent talk by Peter Timmerman of the Institute of Environmental Studies at the University of Toronto (on Buddhist spirituality as a reclaiming of ritual to attune ourselves to the Earth), the audience listened to a Native religious leader, a Buddhist, a Jewish scientist, an Islamic scientist and a Roman Catholic theologian.At the end of the conference I was left with a ques tion: "What is the new agenda for Christian theology in light of these eco logical and technological developments?"I say "new" agenda because Christian theology is rather tardy in addressing these challenges.Claiming that we in the modern, industrialized world of the Northern hemisphere are experiencing a turbulent transition to "postmodernity,"

Astrobiology · Astronomy · Physics · Philosophy · Psychology · Religion, Ecology, and Ethics · Geology

• Subject-Centered and Creation-Centered Paradigms in Recent Catholic Thought

  William C French•The Journal of Religion•1990

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