Author: Rod Benson

Theologian, researcher, teacher, writer, foodie, husband, dad. Works at Moore College.
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Reading Scripture in a Climate Emergency (Part 3)

Ecological hermeneutics in congregational life Biblical interpretation shapes Christian imagination long before it forges explicit ethical stances on public issues. How Christians understand what Scripture teaches about creation, human identity, salvation, possession, hope and responsibility influences how they inhabit the world. Ecological hermeneutics—the interpretation of texts with attention to the intrinsic value of Earth, the …

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Reading Scripture in a Climate Emergency (Part 2)

Scripture, science, and the risk of eisegesis One difficult task facing ecological hermeneutics is constructing an intellectually responsible relationship between ancient Scripture and contemporary science. Climate modelling, atmospheric chemistry, ecology, hydrology and biodiversity research operate within bodies of knowledge that did not exist when biblical texts were written. Scripture, meanwhile, speaks through narrative, poetry, prophecy, …

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Reading Scripture in a Climate Emergency (Part 1)

On the ecological reading of Scripture Ecological hermeneutics has become an increasingly important field of biblical interpretation. The chief reason for this is that Christians now read Scripture in ecological circumstances substantially different from those known to its original authors. Climate change, biodiversity loss, industrial agriculture, pollution, changing land use and the disruption of ecological …

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If Jesus is Lord….

We have all been shocked by the tragedy unfolding on the Nepal–Tibet border: the brute force of nature, the destruction of communities and infrastructure, and the terrible loss of life. According to news reports I read this morning, there are at least 633 confirmed dead, about 3,000 missing, including 41 Australians, and more than 93,000 directly …

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Lordship salvation or salvation by allegiance?

The term “salvation by allegiance” is a recent attempt to recover what its advocates regard as the fuller New Testament meaning of the notion of faith. Associated especially with American theologian Matthew Bates, it argues that saving faith (pistis) should not be reduced to intellectual assent or inward trust. In the context of salvation, Bates proposes allegiance …

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