Evolution and Ecotheology

Date Cancelled
College Emmanuel College
Instructor(s)
Course Code EMT3651HS
Semester Second Semester
Section 0101
Online No
Credits One Credit
Location Toronto (St George Campus)
Description

This course considers the Darwinian theory of evolution as both source and challenge for the development of a Christian ecotheology. That is, if the Christian God is creator of all things but is also revealed in Christ to be costly love, then how can divine agency in creation be understood in light of scientific discoveries revealing that biological warfare undergirds the creative process of natural selection? The implications are significant for understanding Christian discipleship and ethics if indeed the human is made in God's image with the capacity for creative or destructive dominion over earthly life (Gen. 1:26). Of particular concern, can biological evolutionary processes revealed by scientific methodologies offer Christians material for constructive human action in light of environmental concerns, and if so, how?

The course will therefore consider such issues as human origins and the place of humanity in creation; divine immanence, agency, and goodness in light of creaturely processes and ecosystems; the consequent demand for ecological literacy; the argument from design; theodicy; kenosis; and the relation of science to theology, or, more specifically, the means by which observed data and experience are interpreted as evidence to infer conclusions. The reading will draw upon the work of Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, Thomas Berry, Brian Swimme, Elizabeth A. Johnson, Sallie McFague, Philip Hefner, Mary Evelyn Tucker, Jay McDaniel, Arthur Peacocke, Holmes Rolston III, Monica A. Coleman, and Charles Darwin, amongst others.

Pre-Requisites one intro course in Christian Theology AND one in the history of Christianity
Schedule Thu
Start Time 14:00
End Time 16:00
Hours Per Week 2
Minimum Enrolment 12
Maximum Enrolment 20
Teaching Method
Lectures
Practicum
Readings
Means of Evaluation
Class Participation
Reflection Paper
Research Paper
Short Paper
Other
Previously Offered Fall 2018
Currently Offered Winter 2020