Panel: INTERRELIGIOUS APPROACHES TO ECO-JUSTICE AND "WCC" PROPHETIC CALL: SHARED RESPONSES TO ENVIRONMENTAL CHALLENGES AND INEQUALITIES.



214.3 - SÁMI TRADITIONAL ECOLOGICAL KNOWLEDGE AS AN IMPULSE FOR CHRISTIAN FAITH EDUCATION: A NORWE-GIAN CASE STUDY WITH GLOBAL RELEVANCE

AUTHORS:
Bredal-Tomren T.S. (VID Specialized University ~ Stavanger ~ Norway)
Text:
This paper explores how Sámi Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) can enrich Christian faith education within the Church of Norway. The study builds on interviews with three Sámi re-spondents from reindeer-herding families, previously analyzed in an ecocritical case study on sustainability education in Norwegian schools (Intercultural Education, 2025). Findings reveal that Sámi TEK embodies values and practices such as frugality, "taking only what you need," gratitude, and respect for the sacredness of nature—impulses that can strengthen Christian creation theology and ethics of sustainability. Drawing on earlier research on Sámi ecotheology (Studia Theologica, 2023) and an analysis of statements from the Sámi Church Council (Studia Theologica, 2025), we discuss how these per-spectives can be integrated into faith education. We propose three strategies: (1) Theological language renewal, introducing relational and holistic concepts of creation; (2) Experiential learning, through field-based encounters and dialogue with Sámi resource persons; (3) Decolonizing pedagogy, emphasizing collaboration rather than teaching about Indigenous peoples. This Norwegian case study has clear transferability to other Scandinavian contexts, where churches face similar challenges in integrating Indigenous perspectives into education and lit-urgy. Moreover, it speaks to a global conversation: How can churches worldwide learn from Indigenous cosmologies to develop faith education that promotes ecological justice and rev-erence for creation? We argue that Sámi TEK—understood as practice, values, and cosmolo-gy—can inspire churches to move beyond predominantly anthropocentric frameworks toward a more relational and ecocentric approach to faith formation.