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We live in an ecological age. Science in the last few hundred years has given us a picture of nature as blind to the future and mechanical in its workings, even while ecology and physics have made us aware of our interconnectedness and dependency upon the web of life. As we witness a possible sixth great mass-extinction, there is increasing awareness too of the fragility of life on this planet. In such a context, what is the nature of Christian hope? St Paul declares that all of creation "will be set free from its bondage to decay and will obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God." How are we to imagine this "freedom" when death and decay are essential to biological life as we currently experience it, and when the scientific predictions for life are bleak at best? This book explores these questions, reflecting on how our traditions shape our imagination of the future, and considering how a theology of hope may sustain Christians engaged in conservation initiatives. The essays in this volume are partly in dialogue with the ground-breaking work of Celia Deane-Drummond, and are set in the context of global and local (Aotearoa New Zealand) ecological challenges.
About the author
Andrew Shepherd is the National Co-Director for A Rocha Aotearoa New Zealand. He is the author of
The Gift of the Other: Levinas, Derrida, and a Theology of Hospitality (2014).
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Nicola Hoggard Creegan is a theologian, and co-Director of New Zealand Christians in Science. She is the author of
Animal Suffering and the Problem of Evil (2013), and is a board member of A Rocha Aotearoa New Zealand.
