Some Theological Reflections on Multi-disciplinary Discourse on the “Anthropocene” – Webinar

Despite the difficulties due to the Covid pandemic, we are thankful that the cooperation
between Stellenbosch University, University of Western Cape and the Protestant Theological
University has continued and will continue.
Between 27 and 29 October (please, save the date!) we will have our annual consultation,
which will take place digitally. The topic for this year’s consultation is:
Planetary Entanglement: Theology and the Anthropocene
We feel privileged that Ernst Conradie, senior professor systematic
theology and ethics at the University of Western Cape accepted the
invitation to get us started with this complex topic.
In his contribution he will first note some salient insights emerging from
multi-disciplinary discourse on the so-called Anthropocene. These will
touch briefly on stratigraphical markers, on disturbances in the Earth
system, on dating the “Anthropocene”, on identifying its root causes, on
naming the “Anthropocene” as such, on assessing the “Anthropocene”
(as good, bad or ugly) and concomitant responses to the
“Anthropocene”.
On this basis he will identify and outline four clusters of challenges posed by such discourse
on the “Anthropocene” to Christian theology in particular, namely 1) the critique of
Christianity as complicit in the root causes of the “Anthropocene”, 2) Christian critiques of the
“Anthropocene” and of naming it as such; 3) prospects for constructive responses to the
“Anthropocene” for the sake of Christian authenticity; and 4) prospects for constructive
Christian responses to the “Anthropocene” for the sake of the common good (stability in the
Earth system).
Ernst Conradie is the author of several publications on Theology and the Anthropocene, like
The Earth in God’s Economy: Creation, Salvation and Consummation in Ecological Perspective
(2015), Redeeming Sin? Social Diagnostics amid Ecological Destruction (2017) and Secular
Discourse on Sin in the Anthropocene: What’s Wrong with the World? (2020). He is currently
engaged in an ambitious, long-term collaborative project entitled “An Earthed Faith: Telling
the Story amid the 'Anthropocene'”. We could not think of a better speaker to introduce us to
the very urgent issues around this theme.
Feel most welcome to join this webinar!
The hosts: John Klaasen, Sipho Mahokoto, Dion Forster, Dorottya Nagy, and Erica Meijers

ZOOM LINK: https://pthu-NL.zoom.us/j/97489128583
Meeting ID: 974 8912 8583
Passcode: 764241