Panel: PERSPECTIVES ON PENITENCE - HISTORICAL, LITURGICAL AND PRACTICAL APPROACHES



298.2 - CONFESSIONS OF ANTHROPOGENIC SIN IN NORDIC CREATION-CARE LITURGIES

AUTHORS:
Lund A.J. (Faculty of theology and social sciences, VID Specialized University ~ Stavanger ~ Norway)
Text:
Anthropogenic sin—the acknowledgment of human culpability in environmental degradation—has become a critical theological concept in the context of global ecological crises, especially within the field known as ecotheology. Scholars such as Ernst Conradie have argued that the Christian concept of sin has a unique possibility to get to the root of what has gone wrong in humanity's relationship with the Earth. In liturgical Christian worship, confession of sin is an integral element. Liturgical confessions of sin serve as acts of corporate self-reflection, acknowledging both personal failings and systemic injustices, and fostering communal commitment to change. Traditionally, liturgical confessions of sin focus on interpersonal and societal wrongs, but recent liturgical developments in many churches have expanded their scope to include ecological concerns. In this paper, I examine creation care liturgies from the churches of Norway, Sweden, and Denmark, investigating how these liturgies articulate anthropogenic sin. Using an ecocritical hermeneutic as an interpretative lens, the liturgical material reveals diverse perspectives on anthropogenic sin. I argue that liturgical confessions of anthropogenic sin have the potential to influence the ethical consciousness and behaviour of those participating in worship and can highlight both the individual and corporate culpability in perpetuating ecological crises.