Mon, July 9, 2018 7:30 PM - 9:00 PM REGENT COLLEGE. Free of charge. In 2006, the Evangelical Climate Initiative purchased a full-page ad in the New York Times. Together, leaders of the National Association of Evangelicals, the editor-in-chief of Christianity Today, the president of Wheaton College, and pastors like Rick Warren announced, “Our commitment to Jesus Christ compels us to solve the global warming crisis.” Unfortunately, many readers found the manifesto surprising, as many still would today, when urgent, strategic responses to “global weirding” should be central to Christian stewardship. Indeed, such a shift would constitute good news to many, especially the world’s most vulnerable populations.
This talk presents climate data in accessible terms, charts widely varying responses from North American Christians, pits ecotheological insights against forces of endless delay, and offers some less commonly considered interventions. As a coda, it points to “cli-fi,” or climate change fiction, that tells the story slant and might provoke grittier, justice-hungry forms of whole creation care.
Everett Hamner (MCS ’03) is Associate Professor of English at Western Illinois University where his research focuses on technology, religion, science fiction, and the fantastic in literature and film. He studied literature, philosophy, and theology at Regent before completing a PhD (Iowa). His work includes Editing the Soul: Science and Fiction in the Genome Age (Penn State, 2017) and essays in Christianity and Literature, Literature and Theology, Religion and Literature, American Literature, and Science Fiction Studies.
This lecture is part of our 2018 Summer Evening Public Lecture Series.
Dr. Hamner is teaching the course "Global Religions in Contemporary Literature & Film" from July 9 - 13, 2018 and the course "Climate Change, Literature, & Theology" from July 16 - 20, 2018 as part of our 2018 Summer Programs. Learn more at rgnt.net/summer.
Venue: Regent College Chapel