Gaia and Climate Change A Theology of Gift Events [Paperback]

James Lovelocks Gaia theory revolutionized the understanding of our place and role in the global environment. It is now accepted that our activities over the past two hundred years have contributed to and accelerated the extreme weather events associated with climate change. The fact that those activities materialized, for the most part, from within Western Christian communities makes it imperative to assess and to change their theological climate: one characterized by routine use of violent, imperialist images of God.

The basis for change explored here is that of gift events, particularly as evidenced in Jesuss life and sayings. Its legacy of love of enemies and forgiveness offers a basis for nonviolent theological and practical approaches to our situatedness within the community of life. These are also Gaian responses, as they include foregoing a perception of ourselves as belonging to an elect group given power by God over earths life-support systems and over all those dependent on them, whether human or more-than-human. The degree to which we change this self-perception will determine how we affect, for good or ill, not only the givenness of the climate in future but the givenness of all future life on earth.

1. The Context of Climate Change  2. The Seminal Event  3. The First Historic Event  4. The Second Historic Event  5. The Third Historic Event  6. The Givenness of Events  7. The Economy of Gift Events  8. Changing God's Image  9. The Gift Event of Jesus  10. The God of Jesus- or of Caesar?  11. What Jesus Said  12. Beginning Something New