Stewardship requires love and affection

Stewardship requires skill and understanding. But what it needs above all is love and affection. We will not adequately care for each other and for creation until we learn to see our care as the grateful response to God’s primordial and sustaining love and hospitality. Creation is God’s love made concrete, made beautiful and tasty.

--Norman Wirzba, gardener and Professor of Theology, Ecology and Rural Life at Duke Divinity School

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“The Ministry of Reconciliation in a Divided World”
May 31 – June 5, 2010
Duke Divinity School Summer Institute
presented by the Duke Center for Reconciliation
 
As a Christian who is concerned about creation, we want to invite you to come spend a week in deep conversation, shared worship and focused learning with a vibrant community of ministry practitioners, theologians, and lay Christians.  The Institute will focus on the theme “The Ministry of Reconciliation in a Divided World” and will be held from May 31 – June 5, 2010 on the campus of Duke Divinity School.
 
In addition to worship, shared meals, and plenary sessions led by world-class theologians and practitioners of reconciliation ministry, you are invited to participate each afternoon in an intensive seminar designed specifically for Christians who are interested in the relationship between faith and creation.
 
To learn more go to:
Land, Covenant, and the Gospel of Reconciliation
Taught by Ellen Davis and Norman Wirzba
 
From a biblical perspective, the fertile earth is not just a repository of “natural resources.” Like ourselves, it is a creature of God, or a community of creatures, whose survival and thriving are matters at the heart of our own covenantal relationship with God. Whether we feel grieved, perplexed, and overwhelmed, or determined and hopeful, the seminar is designed to help Christians develop a clearer understanding of the possibilities for a ministry of reconciliation aimed at preserving the health of the land, water, farmers and food production workers (including migrant workers) on whom our own lives depend.  We will work with texts from both Testaments, along with sermons, meditations, poetry, and film clips.
 
Ellen Davis is Professor of Bible and Practical Theology at the Duke Divinity School.  She is interested in theological interpretation of the Old Testament, with particular concern for Christian preaching. Her current work focuses also on developing an exegetically based response to the ecological crisis. A lay Episcopalian, she has been involved in Jewish-Christian dialogue for more than 30 years. Her previous teaching appointments were at Union Theological Seminary (New York City), Yale Divinity School, and the Virginia Theological Seminary. She also works closely with Renk Bible College in Sudan.
 
Norman Wirzba is the Research Professor of Theology, Ecology and Rural Life at Duke Divinity School.  He pursues research and teaching interests at the intersections of theology, philosophy, ecology, and agrarian and environmental studies. In particular, he focuses on understanding and promoting practices that will equip both rural and urban church communities to be more faithful and responsible members of creation. Current projects focus on eating as a spiritual discipline, theological reflection as informed by place, and agrarianism as a viable and comprehensive cultural force. Norman has published “The Paradise of God: Renewing Religion in an Ecological Age” and “Living the Sabbath: Discovering the Rhythms of Rest and Delight.”
 
Apply online.  Some scholarship funding is available.