To live faithfully in today’s world, we need to face today’s problems. At the Zygon Center for Religion and Science (ZCRS), we believe that community coalitions—between scientists and people of faith, between scholars of religion and leaders of faith communities—are necessary to forge a better world. “The Future of Creation: Foundations for a Just and Sustainable World” addresses one key element in making a better world: developing effective, equitable, and sustainable responses to environmental degradation. We invite you to: Learn from leading scientists as they explain ecological systems and environmental threats. Find out more about how human action contributes to environmental degradation. Reflect on your responsibilities to the care of creation with help from theologians and biblical scholars. Consider new interpretations of the ways that our religious traditions guide us to respond to environmental crises. Act to improve environmental stewardship in your community. Learn and apply strategies for community and parish-based action developed by experienced organizers.
Course Credit and Registration
The Future of Creation course is designed as a graduate-level seminary course and public lecture series. All lectures are free and open to the public. Course credit is available via registration through the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago (LSTC) or cross-registration through member schools of the Association of Chicago Theological Schools (ACTS); the course number is LSTC CC/RHTH 503. For more information about ZCRS, please visit www.zygoncenter.org, email [email protected], or call 773-256-0670.
Future of Creation Schedule - Spring 2016
| Date | Time | Topic | Speaker |
|---|---|---|---|
| February 1, 2016 | 6:30 pm | Course Introduction | Richard Perry, ethics, LSTC |
| February 1, 2016 | 8:00 pm | Course Introduction | Gayle Woloschak, molecular biology, Northwestern University |
| February 8, 2016 | 6:30 pm | Religious Environmental Ethics | Michael Hogue, theology, Meadville-Lombard Theological School |
| February 8, 2016 | 8:00 pm | Radiation and the Environment | Gayle Woloschak, molecular biology, Northwestern University |
| February 15, 2016 | 6:30 pm | God (Always) Creates out of Creation in Love | Thomas Oord, theology, Northwest Nazarene University |
| February 22, 2016 | 6:30 pm | TBA | |
| February 22, 2016 | 8:00 pm | Loss of Species Diversity | Antoinette Suitter |
| February 29, 2016 | 6:30 pm | Field Trip: “Radiation and the Environment,” Woloschak Lab, Northwestern University | |
| March 7, 2016 | No Lectures (Reading Week at LSTC) | ||
| March 14, 2016 | 6:30 pm | Reading the Bible with New Lenses | Ted Hiebert, McCormick Theological Seminary |
| March 14, 2016 | 8:00 pm | Bending the Carbon Curv: Energy, Renewables, and the role of the Faith Community | Clare Butterfield Faith In Place interfaith environmental ministry |
| March 21, 2016 | No Lectures (Holy Week Recess at LSTC) | ||
| March 28, 2016 | 6:30 pm | Transforming Policies on the Environment | Rev. Booker Vance |
| March 28, 2016 | 8:00 pm | To Be Announced | Paul Heltne, The Ethopoiesis Project |
| April 4, 2016 | 6:30 pm | Strategies for Building Community Resilience - Why Urban Nature (Really) Matters | Abigail Derby, Field Museum |
| April 4, 2016 | 8:00 pm | Laudata Si (Climate Change) | Dawn Nothwehr Catholic Theological Union |
| April 11, 2016 | 6:30 pm | Womanist Thought and Creation | Linda Thomas,LSTC |
| April 11, 2016 | 8:00 pm | Funeral Practices and Creation | Ben Stewart,LSTC |
| April 18, 2016 | 6:30 pm | Human Beings and Creation | Philip Hefner, systematic theology, LSTC and Zygon Center |
| April 18, 2016 | 8:00 pm | Environmental Justice | Richard Perry, ethics, LSTC |
| April 25, 2016 | 6:30pm | Earth Day Program - Interfaith Panel | |
| May 2, 2016 | 6:30 pm | Student Project Presentations |
