All Theology is Environmental Theology

I’ve been reading Alistair McGrath’s Christian Theology: An Introduction in preparation for starting at Sarum College this weekend and I spent some time over the weekend reading Celia Deane-Drummond’s A Primer in Ecotheology: Theology for a Fragile Earth (2017). In much the same way that I argue that all history is environmental history, a case could be made that all theology is environmental theology. Some theology, like some history, is explicitly environmental theology in that ‘environmental theology’ or ‘ecotheology’ is what it calls itself. But in dealing with the nature of God and the nature of human existence, all theology connects to the environment: the material reality of the world, how we understand that world, and how we act within it. There is a case to be made for expanding our understanding of the boundaries of environmental theology, much like Mark Fiege did for environmental history in Republic of Nature. I’m looking forward to exploring this further over the coming months as I get started with my course.

I wan’t super-impressed by A Primer in Ecotheology. It seemed quite rushed and lacked a clear structure. There was some interesting background material on the origins of ecotheology, but this wasn’t well developed or systematic. I’m still looking for a ‘state of the field’ essay that can serve as a thorough introduction.