ECO-THEOLOGY: A CLARION CALL FOR GOSPEL

HERALDS IN NIGERIA

A paper presented by
Ayorinde Ezekiel Saint
PGS/MA/240001
March, 2024
 Acknowledgement
This Paper presentation is inspired by J. J. Johnson Leese’s
article on Ecofaith: reading the Scripture in an Era of
Ecological Crisis published in a Journal of Religions:
Current Trends in New Testament Study in 2019. A
journal that was edited by Van Voorst. The article was
published on 4 March 2019.
Since then I have read Prof. Kent Hodge book “what does
Paul mean by Faith?” addressed the issue of faithful
individuals transformation creations and community.
Fortunately, Prof Hodge is doing an awesome work in
this aspect.
 FOCUS OF THE
PRESENTATION
• However, this presentation is
tilted to Nigeria as a form of
contextualization on Nigeria eco-
crisis and the function of Nigeria
theologians to become a voice
regarding the ecosystem.
 The Problem
• The activities of human are
causing damages to the ecosystem
which requires an urgent
response. These activities are
causing loss of life of all living
organisms including humans.
 Facts and figures
• Dopheide stated that
according to statistics, air•
pollution killed 150 people
per 100,000 in 2016, and
that Nigeria's air quality is
among the most dangerous
in the world, according to
the Health Effects
Institute's (HEI) State of
the Global Air Report(C.A.
et al., 7)
Salami said Plastic garbage
is not adequately disposed
of or recycled in the
country. Salami went on to
explain that Lagos alone
generates 9000 metric tons
of garbage each day, with
plastic bottles and bags
accounting for 86% of the
garbage(C.A. et al., 8)
 Facts and figure cont.
• And More than 70% Nigerians destroy rural environmental
of states in Nigeria about 600,000 quality, which is
are at risk of hectares of her forest characterized by
flooding. Nigeria is every year through water shortages and
subjected to natural careless exploitation floods that play a
and man-made flood and major role in the
disasters on an husbandry(Theresa transmission of
annual basis(C.A. et Chima Isife, 29) communicable
al., 8). diseases”(Theresa
• “Environmental Chima Isife, 22).
• The Food and degradation has
Agricultural resulted in the
Organization (FAO) deterioration of
estimated that Nigeria’s urban and
 DEFINITION OF TERMS
• Eco-theology comes the discipline of
from two words: • Theology in its humanities.
Ecology which is the simplest definition is
study of all living the study of God or • Ecotheology is the
organisms and their gods using the theological
relationship with available inquiry(J. J.
their environments. instruments or tools. Johnson Leese, 25)
This organism Available of the effects of
includes humans. instruments or tools human activities
Ecology belongs to such as revelation, and their impacts
the discipline of scriptures, nature, on other organisms
Natural Science. experience, et al and the
Theology belongs to environment.
 HERMENEUTICS PROBLEM
• The gospel heralds who are on the
pulpit have neglected to read and
interpret the scripture to reflect
ecological concern.

• I cannot remember hearing a

sermon that reflects care for the
mother earth.
 TWO HEMENEUTIC
PROBLEMS
• 1. Anthropocentrism: Man as the focus and crown of
God’s creation.
• “…to have dominion over” all the earth (Gen. 1:26–
28), a reading he claims exacerbated and accelerated
the exploitation of nature. White's underlying thesis is
that for most of the history of Christian interpretation,
Christians have read Scripture in such a way that “not
only established a dualism of man and nature but also
insisted that it is God’s will that man exploits nature
for his proper ends” (White 1967, p. 1205).
 2. Dualism of nature
• Hierarchical dualism delivers a two-tiered vision of reality that
privileges the elite half of a pair and subordinates the other,
which is thought to have little or no intrinsic value of its own but
exists only to be of use to the higher. (Johnson 1993, pp. 10–11)
• Historical readings of texts such as Genesis 1:26–28 and Psalm 8
assume a hierarchy of relationships, with God as the
transcendent Creator of all things, humanity as the subject/ruler
of all things, and the earth as an object of conquest or, more
recently, as a commodity for consumption. Such approaches
contribute to a sense of alienation between human beings and the
rest of creation and in some contexts have justified unfettered
human domination over the creation. (J. J. Johnson Leese, 27)
 Three Doctrinal Approaches
These doctrinal approaches are three Christians
doctrines that are very cardinal in a Christian
life.
1. Salvation: transcends beyond human only but
it is intended to bring restoration to cosmos. If
the Church emphasis the effect of human
salvation on the ecosystem, Christians will
begin to take serious the care of the earth.
 Three Doctrinal Approaches
2. Eschatology: the doctrine of end time. The
idea will have about the end time is the total
destruction of the world and this has created
a form of careless stewardship toward the
care of the earth.
The eco – theologians have proposed a reading
of eschatology texts with a lens of ecological
tendencies. I will elaborate on this later on.
 Three Doctrinal Approaches
3. Pneumatology: the doctrine of the Holy Spirit
is gear towards Christian to see that the
manifestation of the work of the Holy Spirit
transform lives in other that transformed
humans will transform their environments.
 Three Hermeneutic Approaches
1. Literal meaning of the text:
Sozo or s¯ot¯eria means to “heal, bring peace,
rescue, reconcile, and restore” (Snyder and
Scandrett 2011)”.
Looking at the meanings of soteria which is the
word used in the Greek, one will understand
that to be saved mean to be healed, to bring
peace to the earth, to be reconciled and to
restored.
 2. Intra-textual method
• Ecotheological readings of Genesis 1:26–28 have
significantly challenged such readings by clarifying the
meaning of Hebrew terms typically translated as “to
rule” and “to have dominion” (e.g., radah, kabash)
identifying features of the text formerly missed, and
reading Genesis 2 as a complementary creation
narrative. For example, the seven repetitions of the
phrase “And God saw that it was good (tob)” (Gen.
1:4, 10, 12, 18, 21, 25, 31) affirm the integrity, value,
and beauty of creation completely apart from humanity.
 3. Inter-textual method
2Peter 3:10 “But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and
then the heavens will pass away with a loud noise, and the
element will be dissolved with fire, and the earth and the works
that are upon it will be burned up", an eschatologist will
interpret the destruction of the entire universe however, when
one considered the entire counsel of God using inter-textual
techniques, one will discover that “God’s refining as a means
for transformation runs throughout Scripture (e.g., Mal. 3:2;
Zech. 13:9), and fire symbolizes God’s holiness and power
(e.g., Deut. 4:24, 9:3; Heb. 12:29)”. (J. J. Johnson Leese, 31)
The text does not necessarily mean the entire destruction of the
world but a refining of the universe to purify every ungodliness.
 IN CONCLUSION
• Eco – Theology: A clarion call for Gospel
heralds indicates that there is an urgent
appeal for action by Christians teachers to
educate their community on the dangers of
eco-crisis and its impacts on humanity,
other living things and the environment.
• If the preachers allow the text to speak, they
will address every issues that confronts
humanity and the cosmos.