Beyond Hope: Evaluating Ecotheological Models with Respect to the Anthropocene and Eschatology

Abstract

Christianity’s traditional eschatology and its belief in a new heaven and earth stand in sharp contrast with escalating concern over the devastating effects of the Anthropocene and our knowledge of the cosmos’ origins and future direction. While traditional eschatology maintains unassailable hope in a new creation, environmentally focused organisations provide grim scientific predictions regarding the extent, duration, and ferocity of climate change. The theological reflections of numerous scholars on these matters are yielding alternative ecotheologies that seek to better align the church’s response to the needs of the climate crisis. In this paper, I categorise four models of ecotheology from these alternatives and assess their fitness to respond to both the witness of scripture and to the climate crisis. This evaluation reveals stark distinctions in the approaches each model engenders, with meaningful consequences for the church’s impact on ecological crisis. I suggest the adoption of a revised eschatological hope that calls for the church’s active engagement to build the Kingdom of God in our midst and to yield a more positive future for creation.