Abstract
This article engages through an interdisciplinary approach to re-envision Tangintebu Theological College’s (TTC) model of theological education in the context of climate change in Kiribati. It utilises the anthropological theory of symbolic interactionism within missiological, cultural and, theological studies of climate change. It argues for the coconut tree as an appropriate cultural conceptual metaphorical idiom for translating and understanding Christian faith and shaping a theological pedagogy within the Kiribati context of climate change. The coconut image is an indigenous, holistic way of knowing and learning informed by Kiribati cosmology embedded within people’s experiences and understanding of the coconut tree. Its life-centeredness has the potential to contextualise the theological curriculum and teaching methodology to assist in equipping theological students with climate change-sensitive approaches. The qualitative method was utilised to allow participants to reflect on their experiences of climate change in relation to the mission of the church. The data that informs this article was generated through unstructured interviews and focus group discussions with members of the Kiribati Uniting Church (KUC). The data was analysed using symbolic interactionism. The results suggest that the Kiribati people symbolically interact with God through their understanding of the coconut tree, which is conceived as the embodiment of God’s presence. It became clear that while this world view informs the faith of members of the KUC, the TTC curriculum has sidelined it, resulting in miseducation of pastors because this omission means they are not equipped to engage with the challenge of climate change. The participants argued that there is an urgent need to understand theological education and ministerial formation within the indigenous framework of Kiribati coconut imagination that is embedded in the promotion of justice and equitable society not only for human beings but for all of God’s creation through symbolic interaction with the presence of God in the coconut.
Highlights
The life-threatening phenomenon of climate change has triggered an urgent search for Pacific theological response among Pacific theologians (Havea 1987; Forman 2005; Palu 2012; Thaman 1990; Tielu 2016; Timon 2013)
The quest for an indigenous Pacific theological response started at the Consultation of Pacific Theologians in Papua New Guinea in 1986, where Sione Amanaki Havea (1987) of Tonga called for directing the theological enterprise toward the realities of Pacific contextual challenges
Emerging from this, we suggest the following contours of coconut theological praxis to inform Tangintebu Theological College (TTC) theological education and ministerial formation
Summary
The life-threatening phenomenon of climate change has triggered an urgent search for Pacific theological response among Pacific theologians (Havea 1987; Forman 2005; Palu 2012; Thaman 1990; Tielu 2016; Timon 2013). The coconut tree within the Kiribati world view has the potential to be a resource that could help in equipping theological students for the challenges of climate change.
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