Human civilization has developed around agriculture, allowing human beings to multiply and fill the Earth. Now agriculture is running into natural limits. In this course, students will demonstrate an understanding of these limits and the need for sustainability, and develop an ecotheological understanding of both sustainable agricultural practice and the needs for limits to growth.
An understanding of sustainability issues requires students to become aware of not only scientific and technical issues, but develop biblical ideas of limits, biblical anthropology, the value of the non-human, and a biblical theology of the good life.
Human ignorance, hubris and sin means that our societies are unsustainable. Our mission needs to bring all these things to repentance and transformation.
This course develops a biblical perspective of what is required for a sustainablility including biblical views on standards of living and our relationship to creation.
Students will learn that mission involves both the redeeming of human relationships in society, but also our relationship to the creation.
This course will allow students to contextualise mission for particular sustainability issues.
Students will examine how different cultures do agriculture and how making this more sustainable forms part of mission.
Students will be able to integrate ideas of sustainable agriculture into missional practice.
Students will have to rethink their ideas of the ideal society and the good life.
