A New Climate for Theology

Published in the Catalyst, Vol. 32, No. 2 - Spring 2009

A New Climate for Theology: God, the World and Global Warming
By Sallie McFague
Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2008

Reviewed by Sheila McKinley osu

A New Climate for Theology: God, the World and Global Warming offers a challenging alternative to business as usual in the midst of the devasting ecological and economic crises of our time. The author, Sallie McFague, is Distinguished Theologian in residence at the Vancouver School of Theology in British Columbia and the Carpenter Professor of Theology Emeritus at Vanderbilt Divinity School, where she taught for thirty years. She writes not only as a theologian but as a grandmother, dedicating the book to her granddaughters who “must live in the world we leave them.”

The first section of the book deals with the science of global warming and its theological implications. Rooted firmly in the Hebrew and Christian Scriptures, McFague extends the metaphor of the great banquet to include all creation. God’s household, she points out, is the whole planet which “is composed of human beings living in interdependent relations with all other life-forms and earth processes.” The Greek word for house, oikos, is the source of our words ecological, ecumenical and economic. In her reflections these concepts are inextricably bound and become the framework for making life-giving choices for ourselves and all creation.

In the second section, McFague explores who we think we are as human beings and who we think God is. She offers several models to answer each question, outlining how our thinking has changed over history. She reminds us that if we are to live happily in God’s household, there are “house rules”: (1) Take only your share; (2) Clean up after yourself; and (3) Keep the house in good repair for others.

McFague then invites us to stretch our minds and hearts to explore a theology where the focus is praise of God and compassion for creation. She suggests ways of dealing with our wants and needs as city dwellers in a time of threatening ecological devastion. She calls us to find new ways of being and acting as we deepen our awareness of the interconnectedness of all life.

The final section is perhaps the most important one because the focus is hope for us and for all creation. McFague’s final thoughts are grounded in the reflections, prayers and imagery of poets and mystics. She leads us to places of delight, of humility and of empowerment. She draws us from narrow isolation and individualism into community and communion. By discussing theology in the context of climate change, Sallie McFague offers an alternative vision of the good life which includes both justice and sustainability, a vision that is grounded in God and leads to abundant life for all creation.

Sheila McKinley osu is a CPJ board member living in Chatham, Ontario.