Lane Nature Praising God

Towards a Theology of the Natural World
Erscheinungsjahr 2022
ISBN: 978-1-78812-574-1
Verlag: Messenger Publications
Format: EPUB
Kopierschutz: Adobe DRM (»Systemvoraussetzungen)

E-Book, Englisch, 120 Seiten

This book was written during the lockdown caused by the Covid crisis: streets were emptied, churches closed down, and all of a sudden we began to hear the sounds of nature. A new relationship with nature developed in which new questions arose: is God present in nature? Is communion with God in nature possible? Is there a relationship between the God of creation, the God of history and the God we worship in Sunday liturgies.

This book seeks to explore some of these questions by going back to the Bible. In the Old Testament it discovers texts that talk about Nature praising God. In the Christian tradition it shows that nature is understood as a living community, is graced by God, and has a sacramental character to it.

More particularly the Incarnation of the Word made flesh in Jesus is of profound significance for a new understanding of nature and the way we worship. The Incarnation reveals the integrity of nature, the sacred character of the natural world and the presence of some form of ‘interiority’ in the life of nature

An awareness of nature praising God stands out as a rebuke of humanity’s self-absorption at the expense of other creatures, a critique of a man-centred view of liturgy, and an invitation to join the cosmic choir in giving glory to God  .

The overall result of these explorations is the outline of a new theology of nature praising God, with lessons for the way we worship God in our churches today.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Lane, Dermot

Weitere Mitwirkende

Daly-Denton, Margaret

Fachgebiete

• Geowissenschaften Umweltwissenschaften Denkansätze und Ideologie der Umweltschützer
• Geisteswissenschaften Religionswissenschaft Religionswissenschaft Allgemein Theologie

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Acknowledgements. 7

Foreword: Margaret Daly-Denton. 9

Chapter 1

Retrieving a Lost Conversation.13

a. A Sample of Texts on Nature Praising God. 13

b. A Note on the Personification of Nature. 19

Chapter 2

Biblical Commentators on Nature Praising God. 21

a. Terrence E. Fretheim’s Pioneering Contribution. 22

b. Richard Bauckham’s Distinctive Vision. 23

c. David G. Horrell’s Constructive Critique. 25

d. Mark Harris’s Call for a New Theology of Nature. 29

Chapter 3

Theological Commentators on Nature Praising God.33

a. Thomas Berry. 34

b. Elizabeth A. Johnson. 36

c. Laudato Si’: On Care for Our Common Home. 38

d. A Retrospective on This Debate. 41

Chapter 4

Towards

a New Narrative about Nature. 44

a. Nature as a Living Community. 44

b. Nature as Grace-Filled. 47

c. Nature as a Book. 51

d. Nature as Sacramental. 53

Chapter 5

A Nature-Based Pneumatology.56

a. Neglect of the Spirit. 57

b. The Spirit in the Hebrew Bible. 62

c. Mark Wallace on the Spirit. 66

Chapter 6

A Nature-Based Christology.71

a. From the Quest for the Historical Jesus to the

Quest for the Cosmic Christ. 72

b. The Coming Reign of God and the Renewal of Creation. 74

c. Overview of the Incarnation. 77

d. From Incarnation to Deep Incarnation. 79

e. From Deep Incarnation to a New Theology of Nature

as Subject and Agent. 86

Chapter 7

Integrating a Theology of Creation in the Service

of Liturgy.92

a. Retrieving the Theology ‘Creation out of Nothing’. 94

b. Continuous Creation. 97

c. The Promise of a New Creation. 97

d. The Link between ‘Creation out of Nothing’ and Prayer. 100

Epilogue: Gathering Up the Fragments: Towards a

Theology of Creation Praising God.105

1. The Qualities of Nature as a Subject. 106

2. The Implications of Nature as a Subject Praising God. 107

Appendices

1. St Francis of Assisi (1181/82–1226) ‘The Canticle of

Creation’. 109

2. Pope Francis ‘A Christian Prayer in Union with

Creation’. 110

Select Bibliography.113

Index.117

Über Autor(innen)

Lane, Dermot
Dermot A Lane is a priest of the Archdiocese of Dublin and former President of Mater Dei Institute of Education, Dublin City University. His publications include The Experience of God, Keeping Hope Alive, and Stepping Stones to Other Religions.

Dermot A Lane is a former President of Mater Dei Institute of Education, Dublin City University. His publications include Theology and Ecology in Dialogue.