Theology and ecology WT-SSTA-TEE
A classroom lectures with an use of the information technology and distance learning (possible online lectures and exercises, assessment tests on MS Teams and Moodle platforms).
The following topics will be addressed in the course:
1. The biblical concept of creation (triad: God - man - world)
a) God as Creator of the world
b) Man and nature in Genesis 1-3
c) Nature as the background of biblical history
d) Jesus and nature
e) Eschatological dimension of the world
2. Ancient Millenarianism as an answer to the question of the meaning of creation in the context of Platonic thought and Gnostic mythology
3. Franciscan vision of nature
4. Foundations of modern theology of creation
5. The origins of concern for Ecology in the world
6. Development of ecological thought in the Church
a. The Second Vatican Council and Paul VI
b. John Paul II
c. Benedict XVI
7. The Encyclical Laudato si' by Pope Francis
8. The "ecological conversion" in the light of the Synod of Bishops for the Amazon
9. The demands of contemporary ecological movements and an attempt to evaluate them
10. The policy of "sustainable development” - opportunities and threats
11. Preserving the earth, human solidarity and interreligious cooperation
(in Polish) E-Learning
(in Polish) Grupa przedmiotów ogólnouczenianych
Subject level
Learning outcome code/codes
Type of subject
Preliminary Requirements
Course coordinators
Learning outcomes
Students is able to:
- make a theological analysis of the Creation accounts (Genesis 1-2)
- explain the biblical understanding of the relationship between man and the created world
- explain the meaning of creation and its eschatological destiny in the light of the New Testament
- describe the history of the Ecological movements
- explain and analyze "Human Ecology" in the thought of John Paul II
- explain and analyze the Ecotheology of Benedict XVI
- describe and explain the innovative theological elements of Pope Francis' encyclical Laudato si'
- identify and describe the anthropological threats of contemporary ecological movements
Assessment criteria
1. Active participation of Student in lectures (possible 2 absences), participation in discussions during lectures and exercises - 10%
2. Personally prepared and presented paper on a given topic (during the course) - 40%
3. Final oral exam or written paper on an approved topic (15000 characters) - 50%
Bibliography
Barnhill David Landis, Gottlieb Roger S., Deep Ecology and World Religions: New Essays on Sacred Ground, Suny Press 2001.
Baudin Frederic, Ecology and the Bible, Tyndale House Publishers 2020.
Benedict XVI, The Garden of God: Toward a Human Ecology, The Catholic University of America Press 2014.
Cavanaugh William T., Fragile World: Ecology and the Church, Cascade Books 2018.
Chryssavgis John, Creation as Sacrament: Reflections on Ecology and Spirituality, T&T Clark 2019.
Deane-Drummond Celia, Bedford-Strohm Heinrich Religion and Ecology in the Public Sphere, Bloomsbury Publishing 2011.
Francis (Pope), Laudato Si': On the care of the common home, Vatican 2015.
Gottlieb Roger S., The Oxford Handbook of Religion and Ecology, Oxford 2006.
Hampton Alexander, Pandemic, Ecology and Theology: Perspectives on COVID-19, Oxon 2021.
Hayes Zachary, The Gift of Being: A Theology of Creation, New Theology Studies, Ed. Michael Glazier 2001.
Kelly Anthony J., Integral Ecology and the Fullness of Life: Theological and Philosophical Perspectives , New York: Paulist Press 2018.
Kelly Anthony J., Laudato Si: An Integral Ecology and the Catholic Vision, ATF Press 2016.
Kureethadam Joshtrom, The Ten Green Commandments of Laudato Si', Minnesota: Liturgical Press 2019.
Kurisuthara Varghese, Ecology in the Documents of the World Council of Churches and the Catholic Church, 1960-1990: A Study of Their Contribution to an Ecological Ethics, Pontificia Universitas Lateranensis, Accademia Alfonsiana, 1994.
LaChance Albert J., Carroll John Edward, Embracing Earth: Catholic Approaches to Ecology, Orbis Books 1994
Löning Karl, Zenger Erich, To Begin With, God Created: Biblical Theologies of Creation, Ed. Michael Glazier 2000.
Lorbiecki Marybeth, Following St. Francis: John Paul II's Call for Ecological Action, Rizzoli Ex Libris 2014.
Magill Gerard, Potter Jordan Integral Ecology: Protecting Our Common Home, Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2021.
Moo Douglas, Moo Jonathan A., Creation Care: A Biblical Theology of the Natural World
Biblical Theology for Life, Zondervan Academic, 2018.
Schaefer Jame, Winright Tobias, Environmental Justice and Climate Change: Assessing Pope Benedict XVI's Ecological Vision for the Catholic Church in the United States, Lexington Books 2013.
Additional information
Additional information (registration calendar, class conductors, localization and schedules of classes), might be available in the USOSweb system: