Bonhoeffer and Climate Change: Theology and Ethics for the Anthropocene
Foreword by Larry Rasmussen
Where is the voice of theology in the public discourse around anthropogenic climate change? How do we understand the human relationship to Earth and the ecology of which we are a part? How can we account for the human attempt to dominate nature and the devastation we can caused to our own home?
Bonhoeffer and Climate Change: Theology and Ethics for the Anthropocene addresses these questions. It uses the creation theology of Dietrich Bonhoeffer to examine what it means to be human in the post-Holocene age. Employing a range of Bonhoeffer’s texts, I posit that Bonhoeffer’s christological theology and this-worldly ethical orientation provide the tools for an Earthly Christanity. I respond to Bonhoeffer’s question, ‘who actually is Jesus Christ, for us, today?’ and propose a Bonhoefferian ecoethic.
This is my first monograph and represents the research I undertook for my PhD thesis. What began as a question of ‘where is the church in the problem of climate change?’ led to my engagement with the life and work of Dietrich Bonhoeffer. What emerged was an ecotheology and ecoethic suitable for the Anthropocene: one that recognises the crisis of climate change, the role of humans, and our obligations and responsibilities to each other and the world. Bonhoeffer’s outward looking ‘worldly Christianity’ has been recast as Earthly Christianity, reflecting an ecological approach to spirituality and ethical engagement.
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Reviews
“Dianne Rayson’s constructive use of Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s theology to articulate an ecoethic and ecotheology is precisely what the world needs. She explains that catastrophic climate change, ushered in by humans, is looming and that changing course requires both individual and communal conviction and moral courage. Rayson’s careful and creative use of Bonhoeffer’s work allows her to make a compelling case for us – for humans – to take responsibility for earth, to embrace an “Earthly Christianity.” The call is urgent.”
— Lori Brandt Hale, Augsburg University
“An important and rich theological contribution to the pressing climate concerns in the epoch of the Anthropocene. Dianne Rayson explores Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s Christological ethic to develop a deep relational response to the unprecedented ecological challenges of the current age. The spiritual, moral, and theological richness of Rayson’s book gives the reader a new ground for raising the question, what it means to speak of an "Earthly Christianity" today.”
— Ulrik Nissen, Aarhus University
“For the past fifty years, eco-theologians have rightly maintained that a significant barrier to a Christian ecological ethic are theologies of domination, and they have provided what at times amounts to devastating critiques of the tradition. The brilliance of Rayson’s eco-theology and eco-ethic is that it offers an entry point for Christians into this conversation that is both familiar and challenging: the person and work of Jesus Christ. Rooted in Bonhoeffer’s expansive understanding of Christology, Rayson turns our attention to the One who in becoming a creature established divine immanence within creation; who, through the reconciliation of all things, beckons us to profoundly love the earth upon which God’s kingdom comes; and, out of that love, calls us to be the creatures we were created to be – to act responsibly, combat climate change, and, in doing so, live in right relationship with all of creation.”