10/07/2025 08:30
- 10:45
HALL: Lecture Hall 29
Proponent:
Asproulis N.
Chair:
Kalaitzidis P.
Speaker:
Asproulis N.,
Durante C.,
Kostarelos F.
This interdisciplinary panel of Orthodox Christian theologians examine Orthodox Christian theology and symbolic meanings encoded in Orthodox
theological discourses, liturgical life and material culture as they relate to promoting social cohesion and human solidarity in the face of global warming and climate change manifested in wildfires, floods, droughts, heatwaves, and polluted natural resources giving way to the loss of human life and the destruction of human settlements and ecosystems throughout the globe. Panelists examine themes articulated in contemporary Orthodox theological discourses and practices that speak to the environmental crisis applicable to Christians, faith communities, and secular groups seeking sources to guide personal and collective thinking, reflection, and action to mitigate global warming resulting from human production and consumption patterns that rely on excessive use and dependence on fossil fuels. The panel aims to generate discussion on the role of the Orthodox theology and Christians to meet this historical moment in which people throughout the world face human-induced climate catastrophes threatening the future of the planet. Questions the panel explores include: How can Orthodox eco-theological sources inspire personal and social transformations needed to rethink and reimagine self-destructive cultural, social, and economic systems upending the natural order on which life on earth depend? How can the Orthodox Church use theological sources to cultivate the capacity to work collaboratively with faith-based and secular groups to develop just and sustainable social, economic, and ecological systems? How can Orthodox theologians integrate the environmental sciences, social sciences, and humanities to develop their theological perspectives and responses to the ecological crisis? What prevents the Orthodox Church from environmental justice action?