The Theology Mill Luminaries / H. Paul Santmire / (Protestant) Eco-theology
The Luminaries series is a collection of interviews with premier thinkers working in the theological academy and the church.
In this Luminaries interview, I talk with Dr. H. Paul Santmire, a historian and pastoral scholar in the disciplines of ecological theology, environmental ethics, and Christian liturgy and spirituality.
On this episode, Dr. Santmire and I discuss eco-theology, Martin Luther, modern Lutheran theology, Barth and Bonhoeffer, and doing theology from the margins.
COUPON CODE:
*Use code “SANTMIRE23” for 40% off* Dr. Santmire’s Wipf and Stock books, Behold the Lilies (2017), Celebrating Nature by Faith (2020), and EcoActivist Testament (2022): https://wipfandstock.com/search-results/?contributor=h-paul-santmire
PODCAST LINKS:
Blog post: [coming soon]
Dr. Santmire’s website: https://hpaulsantmire.net/
Dr. Santmire’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/HPaulSantmire
Dr. Santmire’s Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheRevDrHPaulSantmire
Dr. Santmire’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hpaulsantmire/
CONNECT:
Website: https://wipfandstock.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/wipfandstock
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wipfandstock
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wipfandstock/
SOURCES MENTIONED:
Bonhoeffer, Dietrich. The Cost of Discipleship.
———. Letters and Papers from Prison.
Santmire, H. Paul. Behold the Lilies: Jesus and the Contemplation of Nature—A Primer.
———. Celebrating Nature by Faith: Studies in Reformation Theology in an Era of Global Emergency.
———. EcoActivist Testament: Explorations of Faith and Nature for Fellow Travelers.
———. South African Testament: From Personal Encounter to Theological Challenge.
———. The Travail of Nature: The Ambiguous Ecological Promise of Christian Theology.
OUTLINE:
(01:52) – Orange juice, virgin mary
(03:02) – Lutherans (and Luther), Nazis, the Holocaust, Bonhoeffer
(10:42) – Studying with Paul Tillich, Heiko Oberman, and Martin Heinecken
(14:04) – The influence of Christian liturgy
(17:04) – “Behold the lilies” vs. “Consider the lilies”
(22:28) – Nature and civilization
(26:34) – American Lutheran (eco)theology
(31:53) – Jürgen Moltmann
(34:12) – Tradition-specific approaches to global issues
(38:25) – Karl Barth and theology of nature
(46:36) – God and humanity (and nature?)
(48:23) – Advice to eco-activists: do nothing for a spell
(52:28) – Eco-justice organizations
(56:02) – Interracial work in apartheid South Africa
(01:00:47) – Theology that starts from the margins