George Zachariah in Geneva Consultation on Climate Change

An important international Consultation  on Climate change was  organized by the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) Department for Theology and Studies (DTS) during  2-4 October,2008,  in Geneva. Eminent   biblical scholars, theologians and ethicists like  Dr Sigurd Bergmann who teaches at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology in Trondheim, Norway, Dr Colette Bouka Coula, DWS program officer for Central and Francophone Africa,  Dr Chiropafadzo Moyo from the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Zimbabwe, Dr Christof Hardmeier,  professor of Old Testament from Germany, Rev. Dr Barbara Rossing, who teaches New Testament at the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago, USA, Dr Christoph Stückelberger of the Geneva-based global network on applied ethics, Globethics, and  Dr James Martin-Schramm of Luther College, Decorah, Iowa, USA,  and Dr. George Zacharia from Gurukul   presented papers. 


Giving an account of what his students heard when they went out to local communities using the LWF survey, Dr George Zachariah, who teaches at the Gurukul Lutheran Theological College and Research Institute in Chennai, India, focused on the spirituality of those displaced from their land and livelihood because of climate change. He argued that many prevailing climate change discourses were an attempt to “absolve the sins of neo-liberal capitalist plunder,” and called for attention to the spiritual resources of subaltern communities that can “decolonize our minds, our faiths, our communities, and our planet.”


Papers presented at the consultation and other related resources are being developed for a book to be published in the Theology in the Life of the Church series in early 2009, as well as a discussion resource for use in local communities. 


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