In die netwerk van nadenke oor die omgewing

Abstract

In the network of thinking about the environment. This contribution is based on a talk delivered at a conference for continuous education for pastors. The argument commences with reflections on ‘thinking with one’s hands’, more specifically with engaging in earthkeeping praxis, with getting one’s hands dirty. It is suggested that such thinking leads sooner rather than later to a widening network of fundamental questions – about the human condition, the meaning of history, the possibility of knowledge and the social construction of reality itself. A Christian engagement in earthkeeping is therefore not merely a matter of transformative praxis; it also provides churches with an opportunity for fundamental renewal. If so, this may be regarded as an example of thinking globally but acting locally. This underlying logic of inquiry implies that the scope of contemporary ecotheology cannot be restricted to environmental ethics or creation theology. It is this underlying logic of inquiry that this contribution seeks to describe.