184
K. Bangert
But given the Kairos moment
5 of climate change today, there is a need for repentance and conversion that involves also a shift in the way man understands himself.
That shift ought to involve a shift from human independence to human interdependence with the rest of creation; from creation understood only as the backdrop for
human worship, to creation pulsating with life, pathos and worship of God; from
an exclusive focus on God active in human history, to God being active in, with
and through the spatial realities of the whole creation, in which humans participate;
from an understanding of man’s sin only as a broken relationship between humans
and God, to sin being understood as a broken relationship with all creation; from an
obsession with progress and development as measured in economic terms, to what
will result in more sustainable life for all of creation; from a focus on technological
or market-based fixes, to the healing of creation (p. 23 f.).
The Lutheran scholars summarized their thoughts by suggesting that we “must
move beyond narrow anthropocentric views of life, and embrace more interconnected
views in which God, human beings and the rest of creation are intimately related”
(p. 26).
Conclusion
Global Warming and other environmental hazards have conjured up among Bible
readers an impending end-time apocalypse. Based on a previous paper offering three
biblical eschatological scenarios (the Rainbow Model, the Nineveh Model and the
Apocalypse Model), this paper expanded on the three scenarios, giving more theological and historical background and drawing some hermeneutical conclusions. While
the Rainbow Model (Noah’s flood story) assumed that another worldwide destruction
would never again take place, and the Apocalypse Model (Jesus’ end-time expectation) assumed the ultimate annihilation of the world, the Nineveh Model (Jonah’s
doomsday message) assumed that the prospect of an envisaged end-time annihilation
can be still avoided through repentance and a change of behavior.
For each of the three scenarios, this paper looked at possible historical roots and the
theological intent, but also discussed the contingency aspects. The result of the study
suggests that each of the three narratives (Noah, Jonah, Jesus) is characterized by an
inherent component of contingency, be it explicit or not, and that none of them are
unequivocally unconditional. Each narrative (and, in principle, any biblical prophecy)
assumes the basic tenet of God’s compassion and mercy in light of man’s willingness
to change heart. Explicit or not, all biblical predictions entail contingencies that make
it virtually impossible for man to exactly predict the future. Even with God at the
helm of history, history remains open-ended as God has subjected Himself to the
way humans will relate to God. While the biblical covenants place man into a special
5 A „Kairos-Moment“ (from Greek καιρ´ oς implying a moment in time, in contrast to chronos/
χρ´ oνoς which stands for a period of time) connotes a crucial time requiring decisions of vital
consequences.
K. Bangert
But given the Kairos moment
5 of climate change today, there is a need for repentance and conversion that involves also a shift in the way man understands himself.
That shift ought to involve a shift from human independence to human interdependence with the rest of creation; from creation understood only as the backdrop for
human worship, to creation pulsating with life, pathos and worship of God; from
an exclusive focus on God active in human history, to God being active in, with
and through the spatial realities of the whole creation, in which humans participate;
from an understanding of man’s sin only as a broken relationship between humans
and God, to sin being understood as a broken relationship with all creation; from an
obsession with progress and development as measured in economic terms, to what
will result in more sustainable life for all of creation; from a focus on technological
or market-based fixes, to the healing of creation (p. 23 f.).
The Lutheran scholars summarized their thoughts by suggesting that we “must
move beyond narrow anthropocentric views of life, and embrace more interconnected
views in which God, human beings and the rest of creation are intimately related”
(p. 26).
Conclusion
Global Warming and other environmental hazards have conjured up among Bible
readers an impending end-time apocalypse. Based on a previous paper offering three
biblical eschatological scenarios (the Rainbow Model, the Nineveh Model and the
Apocalypse Model), this paper expanded on the three scenarios, giving more theological and historical background and drawing some hermeneutical conclusions. While
the Rainbow Model (Noah’s flood story) assumed that another worldwide destruction
would never again take place, and the Apocalypse Model (Jesus’ end-time expectation) assumed the ultimate annihilation of the world, the Nineveh Model (Jonah’s
doomsday message) assumed that the prospect of an envisaged end-time annihilation
can be still avoided through repentance and a change of behavior.
For each of the three scenarios, this paper looked at possible historical roots and the
theological intent, but also discussed the contingency aspects. The result of the study
suggests that each of the three narratives (Noah, Jonah, Jesus) is characterized by an
inherent component of contingency, be it explicit or not, and that none of them are
unequivocally unconditional. Each narrative (and, in principle, any biblical prophecy)
assumes the basic tenet of God’s compassion and mercy in light of man’s willingness
to change heart. Explicit or not, all biblical predictions entail contingencies that make
it virtually impossible for man to exactly predict the future. Even with God at the
helm of history, history remains open-ended as God has subjected Himself to the
way humans will relate to God. While the biblical covenants place man into a special
5 A „Kairos-Moment“ (from Greek καιρ´ oς implying a moment in time, in contrast to chronos/
χρ´ oνoς which stands for a period of time) connotes a crucial time requiring decisions of vital
consequences.