This course explores the question “Where is God in Climate Change?” from a biblical perspective. In virtually every form of media Climate Change is seen as an ever-present explanation for many natural disasters and crises, as well as an illustration of human failure, the result of our abuse of the earth’s environment. At the same time, Climate Change also provides a mandate for change of personal and governmental ecological stewardship, for saving the planet and humankind. We will explore basic biblical themes, stories, and teachings pertinent to the way we view God, the earth and the whole created order, and our relationship to them. Hopefully the Bible and its theological teachings can provide helpful perspectives for understanding and living faithfully with the challenges witnessed to and contained in Climate Change.
Instructor: Donn Morgan is Professor of Old Testament Emeritus at Church Divinity School of the Pacific. Always a student and teacher of the Bible, he also held administrative positions at CDSP (academic dean, president). He has been deeply involved in theological education in The Episcopal Church and the Graduate Theological Union, as well as teaching in Asia and England. His books include Fighting with the Bible, Manifesto for Learning, Talking with the Bible and The Oxford Handbook of the Writings of the Hebrew Bible (editor).