Jamie Paige Washam, Regenerating the Garden of the World: Ecological Conversion as Liberation (PhD-thesis, Amsterdam, 2022)
The current ecological crisis merits an intentional Christian response. This research examines the possible contributions and applications of conversion where ecology and repentance intersect by asking: What kind of conversion is required for ecoliberation at the margins? Using the theology of Leonardo Boff, this thesis seeks to further develop the liberating ethic of ecological conversion. An integral ethic of liberation includes robust margins beyond marginalization. Using Baptist Miguel De La Torre’s methodology of liberation theology’s pastoral cycle: observing-reflecting-praying-acting-reassessing, this research critically examines ecological conversion. The aim is to provide a method for responding to the ecological crisis from a baptistic perspective using an interdisciplinary approach. Leonardo Boff’s liberation theology grounds this study; it branches into his ecotheology and use of Saint Francis as a practical example. An emphasis on the repentance aspect of conversion gives depth, while highlighting contemporary elements of the public practices of Truth and Reconciliation offers a communal application of conversion as repentance and repair. The 2015 papal encyclical, Laudato Si’ provides focus to Boff in regard to self-limitation. Eastern Orthodox Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew and theologian John Chryssavgis further expand the potential implications for ecological conversion. Kentucky farmer and theologian Wendell Berry makes the theology particular through his land ethic. Practical examples bear witness to the implications of this theology in practice from the margins. Ecological conversion at the margins and elsewhere requires humility, time, cooperation, and aims for ongoing returns. The work and practice of ecological conversion is cyclical and requires tending, like a garden. The intent is not a maximum one-time extraction, but instead an ongoing relationship of returns. A baptistic assessment of conversion provides a potentially novel contribution to the field of ecoliberation theology wherein the conversion is freewill, encompassing both personal and communal elements. In conclusion, this thesis suggests that ecological conversion is regenerative and ongoing, rather than a singular act, akin to seeking reconciliation. Ecological conversion as liberation is verified in practice and perpetuated through care.
Read the recently defended PhD-thesis here.