The Natural Philosopher

Recently I observed Show your Stripes day with Christian advocacy group Common Grace, by gifting scarves to politicians that tell the story of a warming climate. In this episode, I reflect upon that experience.

Ross Landmead was a Baptist ecotheologian who wrote about the need for evangelical theology to grapple seriously with non-human creation as part of its mission.

In this episode, I engage with Charles Foster's fascinating Being A Beast: Adventures Across the Species Divide. Time to abandon a little human self-importance and get to know our nonhuman neighbours for World Environment Day.

Christianity and science have often been pictured as opposed. In a time of climate change and COVID, we need to move beyond this conflict to fight the threat these issues present.

Is history cyclical or linear, or both? Is it closed to our actions or can we shape the future? In this episode I argue the future is open to our actions, and the scientific and theological imperative is that we act to avert the worst of possible futures under climate change.

Is theological study a waste of time in the face of the climate emergency? Or does it prepare Christian scholars to motivate the church to stronger action and see it as part of their Christian duty?

Can Christians call the Earth Mother? Is this just adopting ideas from elsewhere, or does it acknowledge the biblical picture of the Earth as a source of nurture, albeit not divine, partnering with God?

In this episode, I rave excitedly about the idea that Genesis 2-3 portrays humans as both fundamentally made from and for the soil, and that we do so as king and queen priests in creation.

In this episode I continue my chat with Matt Stone about forest church, alternative forms of Christianity, and being with and learning from pagans.

In this episode I talk with Matt Stone about issues with the traditional ways in which we do church. We then go on to discuss what Forest Church is in his experience.