August 2016

 

The Forum on Religion and Ecology Newsletter
10.8 (August 2016)

 

Contents:

1. Overview, by Elizabeth McAnally

2. Yale University Online Classes: “Journey of the Universe: A Story for Our Times” (Open to the Public)

3. “Journey of the Universe in South Korea,” by Mary Evelyn Tucker and John Grim

4. “Care of the Earth and Climate Change” (September 9-10, 2016 in Jamaica, NY, USA)

5. “Yale Sustainability Leadership Forum” (September 21-23, 2016 in New Haven, CT, USA)

6. Journey of the Universe for Secondary School Curriculum (September 30, 2016 in Dobbs Ferry, NY, USA)

7. New Publications

8. Free Articles on Religion and the Environment by Oxford University Journals

9. China India Scholar-Leaders Fellowships

10. Job Openings

11. Call for Conference Proposals: Institute for Religion in an Age of Science (IRAS)

12. Calls for Papers

13. Events

14. “Time for Creation” (September 1 - October 4, 2016)

15. VOICES: Video Interviews on “The Cry of the Earth and the Cry of the Poor”

16. Jordan River Faith-based Tour

17. New Movie: Racing Extinction

18. New MA in Environmental Humanities at Bath Spa University (with Scholarship Opportunity)

19. Graduate Programs

20. Ecology and Justice Series on Integral Ecology (Orbis Books)

21. Worldviews: Global Religions, Culture, and Ecology



1. Overview, by Elizabeth McAnally

Hello!

Welcome to the August 2016 issue of the newsletter for the Forum on Religion and Ecology. We have much to share with you this month with regards to developments in the field of Religion and Ecology.

We are excited to let you know about four MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses) that Mary Evelyn Tucker and John Grim will teach in the fall of 2016 at Yale University through the online platform, Coursera. These will be featured as a specialization under the theme of “Journey of the Universe: A Story for Our Times” and will include two courses on Journey of the Universe, a course on the Worldview of Thomas Berry, and an integrating capstone on Living Cosmology. For the course descriptions, visit: http://fore.yale.edu/files/Yale-MOOCS.pdf These courses will be launched on September 21, 2016. A sign up will be available in early September with a JOIN button on a landing page for these courses on the Coursera website: https://www.coursera.org/yale

The Routledge Handbook of Religion and Ecology, edited by Willis Jenkins, Mary Evelyn Tucker, and John Grim, is now available. This volume not only provides a comprehensive overview of the state of the field of religion and ecology by leading scholars, it also relates this field for the first time to the growing area of environmental humanities. The full table of contents can be found at https://www.routledge.com/Routledge-Handbook-of-Religion-and-Ecology/Jenkins-Tucker-Grim/p/book/9781138789579. We hope you will encourage your institutions to order this book.

During June and July, Mary Evelyn Tucker and John Grim participated in two summer school programs in China and Korea. The Yale-Yunnan Minzu Interdisciplinary Summer School on the Himalayas was held June 26 - July 2 at Yunnan Minzu University in Kunming, China. The theme was “Environment, Livelihood and Culture in the Greater Himalayan region.” For more, visit: http://himalaya.yale.edu/home The Global Academy for Future Civilizations organized the Global Collaborative Summer Program at Kyung Hee University in South Korea on July 4-22, where Mary Evelyn and John co-taught a summer course on Journey of the Universe with two scientists. For more, visit: http://tinyurl.com/j23h4eo The Journey film was shown in both China and Korea in conjunction with the summer schools. The Journey book is translated into Chinese and Korean. On July 12, the Gwancheon National Science Museum near Seoul held a public film screening of Journey with Korean subtitles. You can read a report by Mary Evelyn and John about this event below.

We invite you to participate in a live webcast with Mary Evelyn Tucker on the topic of “Living Cosmology: Dwelling Within the Journey of the Universe.” This webcast will take place on August 25 at 12:30-2:00pm U.S. Mountain Daylight Time. Registration for the webcast includes access to the replay, which will be made available through September 25, starting shortly after the live broadcast. For more, visit: https://cac.org/living-cosmology/

From September 12-14, Mary Evelyn and John will be attending a conference at the Wissenschaftsetage in Potsdam, Germany entitled “A Letter From Rome: Laudato Si’ as a Catalyst for Societal Transformation?” It is convened under the auspices of the Institute for Advanced Sustainability Studies (IASS), the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK), the Catholic University at Eichstätt-Ingolstadt, and the Federation of German Scientists. For more, visit: http://fore.yale.edu/calendar/item/a-letter-from-rome-laudato-si-as-a-catalyst-for-societal-transformatio/ Also, Mary Evelyn and John have an article on “Laudato Si” this September in The Quarterly Review of Biology (Vol. 91, No. 3). This issue is dedicated to articles on the encyclical with an introduction by Peter Raven.

The Forum on Religion and Ecology has a Facebook page. Please show your support by “liking” us and sharing our page with your Facebook friends. Visit the page here: http://tinyurl.com/hduf35g

Journey of the Universe also has a Facebook page that we invite you to visit: http://tinyurl.com/jb8m9q4 The film is now live on Amazon.com for streaming and downloading, and via Prime as well: http://amzn.to/1PzwXuG For a list of more stores where the Journey project is available, visit: http://www.journeyoftheuniverse.org/buy/

We hope this newsletter supports your own work and helps you further your own engagements with the field of Religion and Ecology.

Take care,
Elizabeth McAnally
California Institute of Integral Studies
Forum on Religion and Ecology at Yale
Website Manager & Newsletter Editor
http://fore.yale.edu/
elizabeth.a.mcanally@gmail.com



2. Yale University Online Classes: “Journey of the Universe: A Story for Our Times” (Open to the Public)

In the fall of 2016 Mary Evelyn Tucker and John Grim, Senior Lecturers and Research Scholars at Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, will offer four six-week online courses. These will be featured as a specialization under the theme of “Journey of the Universe: A Story for Our Times.” This will include two courses on Journey of the Universe, a course on the Worldview of Thomas Berry, and an integrating capstone on Living Cosmology. Each of these courses can be taken independently.

These are MOOCS (Massive Open Online Courses) available on Coursera to anyone, anywhere on the planet. These will be the first MOOC specialization for Yale and the first MOOCs for the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies.

These courses will be launched on September 21, 2016. A sign up will be available in early September with a JOIN button on a landing page for these courses on the Coursera website: https://www.coursera.org/yale

Read the course descriptions here:
http://fore.yale.edu/files/Yale-MOOCS.pdf



3. “Journey of the Universe in South Korea,” by Mary Evelyn Tucker and John Grim

Mary Evelyn Tucker and John Grim spent ten days in South Korea this past July, co-teaching a summer course on Journey of the Universe with two professors at Kyung Hee University. On July 12, the Gwancheon National Science Museum near Seoul held a public film screening of Journey with Korean subtitles. Mary Evelyn and John led a discussion afterwards, and the following is their report about this event.

It is hard to describe how marvelous the Journey of the Universe screening was at the Gwancheon National Science Museum near Seoul, South Korea. The film was projected on the round dome ceiling of the planetarium, and it looked fantastic. It was a magical feeling leaning back in the chair and looking up at the dome and seeing the stars and gorgeous images from Journey being projected above. We were bathed in beauty—of image, music, language, and ideas.

Korean subtitles were shown with the film, and we were told later that they were very well done in terms of accuracy and poetic sensibility. An astrophysicist did the translation, and we met him before the film started. He and the two other scientists who taught the Journey of the Universe summer course were all at the planetarium showing. They loved the film and were very keen on teaching with this interdisciplinary approach of science and humanities. In fact, they had already started interdisciplinary teaching before they knew of Journey.

The theater at the planetarium was quite full (approximately 150 people attended). The audience include about 40 students and professors from Kyung Hee University (where we are teaching our summer course on Journey), as well as scientists, the general public, high school students, and even grammar school students. There were several questions from young people, including the following: What came before the Big Bang? What is the universe made up of? How is this different from Richard Dawkins? What about the multiverse? Of course, we announced the upcoming MOOCs on Journey and Thomas Berry, and people were quite interested. The Koreans we met are fascinated with cosmology and Big History.

The Journey of the Universe summer course at Kyung Hee University was taught the first and third weeks by scientists. We taught the middle week, and we loved the students (both Chinese and Korean) who were really excited about the film and the Conversations. They were eager to talk, and they often drew on the Chinese Classics and Chinese literature to illustrate their points drawing on both Confucian and Daoist stories. It was delightful and encouraging to see that the young people have not lost their traditional culture.

The president of Kyung Hee University is a big fan of Thomas Berry and the Journey film. The moderator at the planetarium, a film and culture critic from the university, is already exploring whether Korean TV might be interested in broadcasting it with the Korean subtitles. He loved the showing and the discussion with the audience afterwards. In fact, he showed it to his class as well two days later.

In short, the evening was a great success and we were thrilled with the whole event. Moreover, a few days later we were at Seoul National University where we looked through telescopes at the special alignment of Mars, Saturn, and Jupiter. The planets were indeed aligned for the Journey showing this week!

Best wishes,
Mary Evelyn and John



4. “Care of the Earth and Climate Change” (September 9-10, 2016 in Jamaica, NY, USA)

Conference on Pope Francis’ Encyclical Laudato Si and the Wisdom of Thomas Berry

Immaculate Conception Passionist Parish
86-45 Edgerton Blvd
Jamaica, NY, USA

September 9-10, 2016

Friday at 7:30pm: free screening of Journey of the Universe (Parish school auditorium)
Presented by Mary Evelyn Tucker and John Grim

Saturday 9am-4pm: Conference on “Care of the Earth”
Presenters: Mary Evelyn Tucker and John Grim
Reception and Award Presentation to Mary Evelyn and John by Provincial, V. Rev. Robert Joerger, cp

Registration for Saturday is required.
To register and find further information, contact: sgjdunn@gmail.com
Sponsored by the Passionist Community

Description of events: http://www.journeyoftheuniverse.org/storage/Care_of_the_Earth-description.pdf

Flyer: http://www.journeyoftheuniverse.org/storage/Care_of_the_Earth-flyer.pdf

Directions: http://passionists.creativestand.com/contact-us



5. “Yale Sustainability Leadership Forum” (September 21-23, 2016 in New Haven, CT, USA)

From Environment to Sustainability: Megatrends of the 21st Century

September 21-23, 2016

Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA

Are you and your company on top of the mega trends in sustainability? Join us to explore 21st century sustainability in an intimate setting with a diverse set of thought leaders, industry practitioners, policy experts, and scholars. The inaugural Yale Sustainability Leadership Forum (September 21-23, 2016) is a three-day program exploring sustainability as an overarching framework for life in the 21st century. An integrated policy concept, sustainability diverges from approaches to environmental protection and economic development that were pursued in the 20th century. The program focuses specifically on the mega-trends distinguishing sustainability from its 20th century precursors. Team-taught, the Forum will be organized around modules that each provide in-depth topical study, and will bring together a diverse set of thought leaders, industry practitioners, policy experts, and scholars working on the leading edge of sustainability.

Faculty Director: Daniel C. Esty

Faculty: Gary Brudvig, Marian Chertow, Todd Cort, E. Donald Elliott, Bradford Gentry, Richard Kauffman, Mary Evelyn Tucker

Application deadline: September 1, 2016

Program: http://sustainability-forum.yale.edu/program/

Schedule: http://sustainability-forum.yale.edu/schedule/



6. Journey of the Universe for Secondary School Curriculum (September 30, 2016 in Dobbs Ferry, NY, USA)

The Masters School
49 Clinton Ave
Dobbs Ferry, NY, USA

September 30, 2016 at 9am-3:30pm

Mary Evelyn Tucker and John Grim will introduce how Journey of the Universe can be incorporated into secondary school curriculum.

This event is complimentary for the Center for Spiritual and Ethical Education (CSEE) member schools, thanks to donations to the Jane Rechtman Memorial Fund. Registration for others is $100.

http://www.csee.org/event/Journey16



7. New Publications

Routledge Handbook on Religion and Ecology
Edited by Willis Jenkins, Mary Evelyn Tucker, and John Grim
Routledge Books, 2016
https://www.routledge.com/Routledge-Handbook-of-Religion-and-Ecology/Jenkins-Tucker-Grim/p/book/9781138789579

The moral values and interpretive systems of religions are crucially involved in how people imagine the challenges of sustainability and how societies mobilize to enhance ecosystem resilience and human well-being. This volume not only provides a comprehensive overview of the state of the field of religion and ecology by leading scholars, it also relates this field for the first time to the growing area of environmental humanities. It encourages both appreciative and critical angles regarding religious traditions, communities, attitude, and practices. It presents contrasting ways of thinking about “religion” and about “ecology” and about ways of connecting the two terms. Written by a team of leading international experts, the Handbook discusses dynamics of change within religious traditions as well as their roles in responding to global challenges such as climate change, water, conservation, food and population. It explores the interpretations of indigenous traditions regarding modern environmental problems drawing on such concepts as lifeway and indigenous knowledge. This volume uniquely intersects the field of religion and ecology with new directions within the humanities and the sciences.

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The Unfolding Story of the Universe: A Conversation with Mary Evelyn Tucker and Julianne Warren”
By Sam Mowe
Garrison Institute
July 20, 2016
https://www.garrisoninstitute.org/blog/unfolding-story-universe/

In their Journey of the Universe project—which includes a film, book, and website—philosopher Brian Thomas Swimme and historian of religions Mary Evelyn Tucker attempt to tell the biggest story ever told: the history of the universe. One person whose work has been deeply influenced by the Journey of the Universe project is writer and ecological thinker Julianne Warren. In her different projects exploring the Anthropocene, Warren has used Journey of the Universe as a touchstone while she asks questions about hope and human responsibility. I recently spoke with Tucker and Warren by phone to discuss some of the big ideas explored in Journey of the Universe, such as the transformative power of story, the relationship between science and the humanities, and how we can create meaning in the space between knowledge and mystery.

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Religion and Ecological Crisis: The “Lynn White Thesis” at Fifty
Edited by Todd LeVasseur and Anna Peterson
Routledge, 2016
https://www.routledge.com/Religion-and-Ecological-Crisis-The-Lynn-White-Thesis-at-Fifty/LeVasseur-Peterson/p/book/9781138644120

In 1967, Lynn White, Jr.’s seminal article “The Historical Roots of Our Ecologic Crisis” was published, essentially establishing the academic study of religion and nature. White argues that religions—particularly Western Christianity—are a major cause of worldwide ecological crises. He then asserts that if we are to halt, let alone revert, anthropogenic damages to the environment, we need to radically transform religious cosmologies. Religion and Ecological Crisis considers the impact of White’s arguments, offering constructive criticism as well as reflections on the ongoing, ever-changing scholarly debate about the way religion and culture contribute to both environmental crises and to their possible solutions. This collection of original essays addresses a wide range of topics related to White’s thesis, including its significance for environmental ethics and philosophy, the response from conservative Christians and evangelicals, its importance for Asian religious traditions, ecofeminist interpretations of the article, and which perspectives might have, ultimately, been left out of his analysis.

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Almighty: Courage, Resistance, and Existential Peril in the Nuclear Age
By Dan Zak
Blue Rider Press, 2016
http://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/317786/almighty-by-dan-zak/9780399173752/

On a tranquil summer night in July 2012, a trio of peace activists infiltrated the Y-12 National Security Complex in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. Nicknamed the “Fort Knox of Uranium,” Y-12 was supposedly one of the most secure sites in the world, a bastion of warhead parts and hundreds of tons of highly enriched uranium—enough to power thousands of nuclear bombs. The three activists—a house painter, a Vietnam War veteran, and an 82-year-old Catholic nun—penetrated the complex’s exterior with alarming ease; their strongest tools were two pairs of bolt cutters and three hammers. Once inside, these pacifists hung protest banners, spray-painted biblical messages, and streaked the walls with human blood. Then they waited to be arrested. In Almighty, Washington Post reporter Dan Zak reexamines America’s love-hate relationship to the bomb, from the race to achieve atomic power before the Nazis did to the solemn 70th anniversary of Hiroshima.

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Great Tide Rising: Toward Clarity and Moral Courage in a Time of Planetary Change
By Kathleen Dean Moore
Introduction by Mary Evelyn Tucker
Counterpoint Press, 2016
http://www.counterpointpress.com/dd-product/great-tide-rising/

Even as tides rise against the shores, another great tide is beginning to rise – a tide of outrage against the pillage of the planet, a tide of commitment to justice and human rights, a swelling affirmation of moral responsibility to the future of the lovely, reeling planet. Kathleen Dean Moore, philosopher and co-editor of Moral Ground, takes on the essential questions: Why is it wrong to wreck the world? What is our obligation to the future? What is the transformative power of moral resolve? Grounded in Moore’s lifetime of thoughtful and creative immersion in the two worlds of philosophy and nature writing, Great Tide Rising is at once heartbreaking and motivating, terrifying and empowering, analytical and lyrical, hopeful and strategic.

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The River of Life: Sustainable Practices of Native Americans and Indigenous Peoples
By Michael Marchand, Kristiina Vogt, Asep Suntana, Rodney Cawston, John Gordon, Mia Siscawati, Daniel Vogt, John Tovey, Ragnhildur Sigurdardottir, and Patricia Roads
Michigan State University Press, 2016
http://msupress.org/books/book/?id=50-1D0-34F1#.V5rTFqL6WCQ

Sustainability defines the need for any society to live within the constraints of the land’s capacity to deliver all natural resources it consumes. To be sustainable, nature and its endowment need to be linked to human behavior, similar to the practices of indigenous peoples. The River of Life compares the general differences between Native Americans’ and the Western world’s view of resources and provides the nuts and bolts of a sustainability portfolio designed by indigenous peoples. It also introduces ideas on how to link nature and society to make sustainable choices, aiming to facilitate thinking about how to change destructive behaviors and to integrate indigenous culture into thinking and decision processes.

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‘Social Love’ as a Vision for Environmental Law: Laudato Si’ and the Rule of Law”
By Lucia Ann Silecchia
10 Liberty University Law Review 371
July 23, 2016
Download article for free:
http://ssrn.com/abstract=2813256

This paper analyzes Laudato Si’s proposed Christian vision of the limits on and promise of law as an instrument to advance peace with Creator, creation and each other. Although the focus of the paper is immediately directed toward Laudato Si’, it is more broadly an inquiry into an age-old question for all: what is the promise and what is the peril of relying on law as a means to accomplishing a goal, and what are the limitations of law that must be respected.

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Laudato Si’ and Care for Our Common Home: What Does it Mean for the Legal Professional?”
By Lucia Ann Silecchia
6 Seattle J. of Envtl. L. 1 (2016); CUA Columbus School of Law Legal Studies Research Paper No. 2016-6.
July 8, 2016
Download article for free:
http://ssrn.com/abstract=2806258

In the text of this encyclical, there are also some important lessons to be gleaned for attorneys, and that is what these reflections explore: What does Laudato Si’ mean for the legal professional? What does Pope Francis’ reflection on “our common home” have to teach attorneys about their common profession? His encyclical is an invitation for attorneys to reflect anew on their obligations toward each other, to the clients who entrust them with so many things, to the ideals of justice that profession and promise bind them to uphold, and to the passion for what is right and good that drew them to a common vocation a few, or many, years ago.

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The Morality of Market Mechanisms”
By Lucia Ann Silecchia, Leslie Carothers, Bob Perciasepe, and Caroline Farrell
Environmental Law Reporter, Vol. 46, Pp. 10006 (I-2016); CUA Columbus School of Law Legal Studies Research Paper No. 2016-2.
January 29, 2016
Download article for free:
http://ssrn.com/abstract=2723996

In his Encyclical on the environment, the Pope critiqued consumerism and the modern economic system, and expressed deep skepticism about the motives and impacts of market mechanisms as emissions reduction tools. On October 1, 2015, the Environmental Law Institute (ELI) convened an expert panel to discuss the Pope’s position, its bearing on global efforts to curb greenhouse gas emissions, and how market-based methods of pollution control serve, or fail to serve, sustainability goals. This article is a transcript of the discussion.

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Rediscovery of Early Twentieth-Century Ecotheology”
By Panu Pihkala
Open Theology, Volume 2, Issue 1, Pages 268–285, ISSN (Online) 2300-6579
April 2016
Download article for free:
https://www.degruyter.com/view/j/opth.2016.2.issue-1/opth-2016-0023/opth-2016-0023.xml

This article examines the early history of Christian environmentalism (“ecotheology”) in the twentieth century. The author delineates four strands of early ecotheology: agrarian ecotheology; social Christianity; British contributions; and “post-liberal” foundations for later ecotheological movements.



8. Free Articles on Religion and the Environment by Oxford University Journals

Since the beginning of time, religion and the environment have been two subjects that have continually crossed paths. Each year, Christians wave palm leaves to commemorate Jesus’ arrival in Jerusalem. Still many turn to natural environments for a place of prayer and solace. Religious leaders have even taken varying stances on environmental policies. Enjoy the collection of articles below exploring the complex historical relationship of religion and the environment.

• “The Natural Environment as a Spiritual Resource: A Theory of Regional Variation in Religious Adherence” (Sociology of Religion)

• “Responding to Religious Oppositions to Environmentalism” (Journal of Church and State)

• “The Haunted Grid: Nature, Electricity, and Indian Spirits in the American Metaphysical Tradition” (Journal of the American Academy of Religion)

• “Science, Nature, and Christianity” (The Journal of Theological Studies)

• “Planting Eucalyptus Trees in the New Settlements in Nineteenth- to Twentieth-Century Palestine as Reflected in Rabbinic Documents” (Modern Judaism: A Journal of Jewish Ideas and Experience)

• “‘Natural Supernaturalism?’ The Tagore–Gandhi Debate on the Bihar Earthquake” (Journal of Hindu Studies)

These articles are freely available until December 31, 2016.

http://oxfordjournals.org/en/our-journals/arts-and-humanities/religion-and-environment.html



9. China India Scholar-Leaders Fellowships

We are pleased to announce the China India Scholar-Leaders Initiative, a new 18-month Fellowship opportunity through the India China Institute. The Fellowship seeks to support and enhance emerging scholars working in the area of India-China Studies and related fields, with special attention to scholars from underrepresented backgrounds and areas of study. The Fellowship will focus on the theme of Prosperity and Inequality in China and India and will provide participants a chance to conduct fieldwork in India and China and enhance their research methods at The New School, a leading international university in New York City. Scholars will also have the opportunity to work with established scholars from India, China and the US on prosperity and inequality research. The Fellowship runs from April 15, 2017 through October 15, 2018.

Applications are now being accepted, and the deadline to apply is September 30, 2016.

For more information about this Fellowship, or to apply online, visit the India China Institute website: http://www.indiachinainstitute.org/initiatives/scholar-leaders/



10. Job Openings

Assistant Professor in Religion and Environment
Environmental Studies Program and Department of Religious Studies
University of California (UCSB), Santa Barbara, CA, USA
Application deadline: October 31, 2016
https://recruit.ap.ucsb.edu/apply/JPF00780

Assistant Professor in Religious Studies
Department of Religious Studies
Santa Clara University, Santa Clara, CA, USA
Specialty: Religion and Ecology/Sustainability
Application deadline: October 15, 2016
https://jobs.scu.edu/postings/4833

Assistant Professor in Religion and Environmental Studies
The Department of Religion and the Department of Environmental Studies
St. Olaf College, Northfield, MN, USA
Application deadline: October 1, 2016
https://stolaf.hiretouch.com/job-details?jobID=1192&job=religion-and-environmental-studiestenure-track-2017

Assistant Professor of Religion
Department of Religion
Carleton College, Northfield, MN, USA
Specialty: religion and science, religion and the body, or religion and the environment
Application deadline: October 14, 2016
https://jobs.carleton.edu/postings/2875



11. Call for Conference Proposals: Institute for Religion in an Age of Science (IRAS)

Do you have an idea at the intersection of “religion and science” that you would like to explore in a week long setting with others interested in “religion and science” in the beautiful setting of Star Island, NH, USA? You may want to work with a member of the Institute on Religion in an Age of Science (a 60-plus year old organization devoted to such topics) in developing a conference proposal to submit to the organization. We are currently looking for conference proposals for the Summer of 2018 and beyond. If you need more information about the organization and a history of the types of questions we ask, see: www.iras.org, and look through our “past conferences” section. Historically, conference co-chairs and all invited plenary speakers get free room and board on the island (including immediate family), and travel to/from the island (for individual speakers/co-chairs only) compensated.

This is a great way to explore an idea in a sustained way for an entire week with a group of other people who have been thinking about these topics for years.

https://gallery.mailchimp.com/a109ea54c81301f132c114483/files/IRAS_Call_for_Summer_Conference_Proposals.pdf



12. Calls for Papers

Mountains and Sacred Landscapes”
The New School, New York City, NY, USA
April 20-23, 2017
Submission deadline: September 5, 2016 by 5pm EST
http://www.indiachinainstitute.org/2017conference/

Ecological Spirituality and Laudato Si’”
Iona College, Burke Lounge in Spellman Hall, New Rochelle, NY, USA
October 29, 2016
Submission deadline: September 29, 2016
http://us7.campaign-archive2.com/?u=7dfebad9f521329c5f304bcbe&id=f96817d8c1&e=8ef2cb6901

Creativity and Diversity: 11th International Conference on Daoist Studies”
Nanterre, Paris, France
May 17-20, 2017
Deadline for abstracts: April 1, 2017
Deadline for scholarship applications: March 1, 2017
http://www.daoiststudies.org/node/16410



13. Events

Sonic Sea Film Screening”
Litchfield Community Center, 421 Bantam Road, Litchfield, CT, USA
Panelists: Paul Anderson, Peter Auster, Sam Mackiewicz, Lisa Piastuch, and Paul Winter
August 10, 2016 at 7-9 pm
http://fore.yale.edu/calendar/item/sonic-sea-film-screening/

Greetings Earthling: Our Relationship with the World”
Workshop with Susan Ernst
Whitneyville Cultural Commons, Hamden, CT, USA
This one-day workshop will be held on two different dates:
August 13, 2016 and August 22, 2016
http://susan-ernst.com/workshops/soulcollage-workshops/

Creating Sacred Space in the Garden, Planting Prayers”
Workshop with Linda Wiggen Kraft
Hendersonville, NC, USA
August 21-26, 2016
http://fore.yale.edu/calendar/item/creating-sacred-space-in-the-garden-planting-prayers/

Living Cosmology: Dwelling Within the Journey of the Universe”
Live webcast with Mary Evelyn Tucker
August 25, 2016 at 12:30-2:00pm U.S. Mountain Daylight Time
Registration for the webcast includes access to the replay, which will be made available through September 25, starting shortly after the live broadcast.
https://cac.org/living-cosmology/

The Spiritual Dimension of Climate Change at Prairiewoods: An Interfaith Experience”
Prairiewoods Franciscan Spirituality Center, Hiawatha, IA, USA
August 28, 2016
https://www.facebook.com/events/1027395527339434/

Why Values Matter: The Power of Purpose and Values: The Path to a Better World”
13th Globalization for the Common Good (GCGI) International Conference and the 3rd Joint GCGI and School of Economic Science (SES) Forum
Waterperry House, Nr. Oxford
August 31 - September 4, 2016
http://www.gcgi.info/index.php/gcgi-ses-joint-2016-conference

A Letter From Rome: Laudato Si’ as a Catalyst for Societal Transformation?”
Wissenschaftsetage, Potsdam, Germany
September 12-14, 2016
Mary Evelyn Tucker and John Grim will be attending this event.
http://fore.yale.edu/calendar/item/a-letter-from-rome-laudato-si-as-a-catalyst-for-societal-transformatio/

Re-Polishing the Silver Covenant Chain: Building Relationships for the Good of the Earth”
This is the seventh in the series of Ancient Voices - Contemporary Contexts Forums.
Six Nations Polytechnic, Ontario, Canada
September 13-15, 2016
http://fore.yale.edu/calendar/item/re-polishing-the-silver-covenant-chain-building-relationships-for-the-/

Protecting our Common Home: Scientific Contributions & Religious Perspectives”
Presidential Conference on the Integrity of Creation
Duquesne University, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
September 28-30, 2016
http://duq.edu/research/integrity-of-creation

Creation Care and the Gospel”
European Regional Creation Care Conference
Torremolinos, Spain
November 7-10, 2016
http://lwccn.com/europe/



14. “Time for Creation” (September 1 - October 4, 2016)

The beginning and the end date of Time for Creation are linked with the concern for creation in the Eastern and the Western traditions of Christianity, respectively. September 1st was proclaimed as a day of prayer for the environment by the late Ecumenical Patriarch Dimitrios I in 1989. The Orthodox church year starts that day with a commemoration of how God created the world. On October 4th, Roman Catholics and other churches from the Western traditions commemorate Francis of Assisi, known to many as the author of the Canticle of the Creatures.

The proposal to celebrate a Time for Creation during these five weeks was made by the Third European Ecumenical Assembly in Sibiu in 2007. The following year, the World Council of Churches Central Committee invited churches to observe Time for Creation through prayers and actions.

Read liturgical resources and articles:
http://www.oikoumene.org/en/what-we-do/climate-change/time-for-creation



15. VOICES: Video Interviews on “The Cry of the Earth and the Cry of the Poor”

VOICES is a set of video resources created for the Mercy International Reflection Process (MIRP). VOICES is made up of video interviews with 14 scholars and other experts from USA, Ireland and Australia, including John Haught, Margaret Farley, Elizabeth Johnson, Sean McDonagh, Denis Edwards, and others. These interviews address the theme adopted by Sisters of Mercy internationally, ‘The Cry of the Earth and the Cry of the Poor.’ Videos are public online and will be of interest to all who are concerned about the challenges we face in caring for our common home.

www.mirpvoices.org



16. Jordan River Faith-based Tour

In May 2016, the staff of EcoPeace Middle East (formerly Friends of the Earth Middle East) led a site tour to the Jordan River to show church staff and volunteers the challenges facing the River. In the context of EcoPeace’s Faith-based Advocacy Program, the importance of discussing the demise of the River and bringing the reality of the Jordan River to the forefront of community discussion cannot be overstated. Participants signed the Jordan River Covenant to express their support for rehabilitation efforts.

Learn more about the Jordan River Faith-based Advocacy Program:
http://foeme.org/www/?module=projects&record_id=223

Read the Jordan River Covenant:
http://foeme.org/uploads/13832213651~%5E$%5E~JR_Covenant.pdf

You can subscribe to EcoPeace’s Environmental Peacemaking Newsletter here:
http://foeme.org/www/?module=home



17. New Movie: Racing Extinction

Across the world no less than 200 and up to 2,000 species go extinct every year. What do human activities and global warming have to do with this? Faith communities across the nation are gathering together to learn and discuss what they can do. If you have the space and interest in finding the answer, Interfaith Power & Light (IPL) can give you the opportunity to host a screening the film Racing Extinction. Faith communities across the nation that are affiliated with IPL will be able to screen this movie at a massive discount. We have only 300 copies available so order early to get your copy of the movie along with the rights to screen it to the public. While species loss is a tragedy, this film has beautiful cinematography and shows exciting ways people are fighting species loss. Racing Extinction also won an Academy Award® for best original song.

Order your movie kit here:
http://interfaith-power-light.myshopify.com/collections/racing-extinction-screening

Along with the screening of the whole movie, the makers of Racing Extinction partnered with IPL to create a poignant 3-minute piece on the moral and spiritual dimensions of climate change and the faith community’s role in combating global warming.

View the short film here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tPOQxW5mwnM



18. New MA in Environmental Humanities at Bath Spa University (with Scholarship Opportunity)

Building on its long-standing strength in literature and environment, Bath Spa University in England is launching a new interdisciplinary taught MA in Environmental Humanities. Among the key teaching staff are Kate Rigby (course director), Owain Jones (natural-cultural/post-human geography), Sian Sullivan (environmental anthropology), Mike Hannis (environmental philosophy and ethics), Richard Kerridge (ecocriticism and nature writing) and Paul Reid-Bowen (environmental philosophy and religious studies).

Bath Spa University is currently offering two fee-waiver scholarships for outstanding applicants who apply before August 15 through the normal application process.

http://www.bathspa.ac.uk/schools/society-enterprise-and-environment/courses/postgraduate/environmental-humanities



19. Graduate Programs

Joint MA in Religion and Ecology

Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies (FES) and Yale Divinity School (YDS), New Haven, CT, USA

This graduate program is aimed at students who wish to integrate the study of environmental issues and religious communities in their professional careers and for those who wish to study the cultural and ethical dimensions of environmental problems.

Faculty members: Mary Evelyn Tucker, John Grim, and Matthew Riley

http://fore.yale.edu/yale-ma/

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MA and PhD in Philosophy and Religion, concentration in Philosophy, Cosmology, and Consciousness

California Institute of Integral Studies, San Francisco, CA, USA

This graduate program is dedicated to re-imagining the human species as a mutually enhancing member of the Earth community.

Faculty members: Brian Thomas Swimme, Elizabeth Allison, Sean Kelly, Richard Tarnas, and Robert McDermott

http://www.ciis.edu/Academics/Graduate_Programs/Philosophy_Cosmology_and_Consciousness.html

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For more educational programs related to religion and ecology, visit:
http://fore.yale.edu/education/resources/links/



20. Ecology and Justice Series on Integral Ecology (Orbis Books)

Published by Orbis Books, the Ecology and Justice Series on Integral Ecology seeks to integrate an understanding of Earth’s interconnected life systems with sustainable social, political, and economic systems that enhance the Earth community. To see the flyer for this Orbis series, visit: http://thomasberry.org/assets/uploads/Orbis_Ecology_and_Justice_3-24-16.pdf

This month we are featuring the following book from this series:

Defending Mother Earth: Native American Perspectives on Environmental Justice
Edited by Jace Weaver
Orbis Books, 1996
http://www.orbisbooks.com/defending-mother-earth.html

This anthology of 11 essays is the result of an unusual conference of Native North American environmental activists held at the Iliff School of Theology in Denver in March 1995. It stands in stark contrast to other such collections, because it includes among its writers none of the more well-known non-Native American environmentalists. As such, it provides an enormously fascinating examination of the present environmental crisis from both academic and administrative perspectives from within the Native American community. Introduced by Russell Means, co-founder of the American Indian Movement, and edited by attorney Jace Weaver, this collection includes contributions from Margaret Sam-Cromarty, who fought the disastrous James Bay project in Canada; Phyllis Young, who fought the ESTI Coal Slurry Pipeline; and, Justine Smith, who opposes Exxon’s massive Mole Lake project in Wisconsin. These authors write not only with passion but also with scholarly acumen and logic. This is an important and eloquent work that few books on ecology can match. (Review by Publishers Weekly)



21. Worldviews: Global Religions, Culture, and Ecology

Worldviews: Global Religions, Culture, and Ecology has as its focus the relationships between religion, culture and ecology world-wide. Articles discuss major world religious traditions, such as Islam, Buddhism or Christianity; the traditions of indigenous peoples; new religious movements; and philosophical belief systems, such as pantheism, nature spiritualities, and other religious and cultural worldviews in relation to the cultural and ecological systems. Focusing on a range of disciplinary areas including Anthropology, Environmental Studies, Geography, Philosophy, Religious Studies, Sociology and Theology, the journal also presents special issues that center around one theme.

For more information, visit: brill.com/wo

For the online edition, visit:
http://booksandjournals.brillonline.com/content/journals/15685357/20/2

Table of Contents for Volume 20, Issue 2 (2016)

• In Search of an Authentic Pax Gaia (Simon Appolloni and Christopher Hrynkow)
• Catholics and Climate Change Skepticism (Lynn Vincentnathan, S. Georg Vincentnathan, and Nicholas Smith)
• Eco-theological Responses to Climate Change in Oceania (Cecilie Rubow and Cliff Bird)
• Reading Nature Religiously (Nancy Menning)
• Engaged Buddhist Practice and Ecological Ethics (Charles Strain)
• Book Review: Naturethik und biblische Schöpfungserzählung: Ein diskurstheoretischer und narrativ-hermeneutischer Brückenschlag, written by Christof Hardmeier and Konrad Ott (Review by Sigurd Bergmann)



For the archive of previous Forum newsletters, visit:
http://fore.yale.edu/publications/newsletters/

To download this newsletter as a PDF, visit:
http://fore.research.yale.edu/files/August_2016_Newsletter.pdf



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