Chapter 10
Standing in the Middle of the Ocean:
Time for a Public Theology
Clive Pearson
Abstract The present is a kairos moment for the islands of ‘the liquid continent’:
the prospects of mitigation, adaptation and resilience in response to the climate emergency must now wrestle with the implications of the Anthropocene. The most recent
communiqués coming out of the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat (2019) address
multiple ‘geostrategic’ issues: there is no reference to the biblical and theological
traditions which indwell the lived experience of island communities. For future
policies to be well-grounded in communal life there is a pressing need for scientific, political and sociological discourses to be matched with the best contemporary
theological thinking. The works of ecumenical bodies recognize that an appropriate
theology must be set alongside the building of social capital and disaster relief. It is
time to move beyond the ways in which biblical texts like the rainbow covenant with
Noah and the plight of the innocent victim to be found in Job are employed. The
reference to a kairos moment is an invitation to construct a public theology relevant
to island experience and future challenges.
‘What Are We to Preach?’
Some years ago I was asked to deliver a public lecture on theology, climate and the
Anthropocene in the public hall on the island of Funafuti (Tuvalu). It was a daunting
request: it is far from clear what the future holds for such islands in terms of mitigation
and adaptation. The invitation was an opportunity, nevertheless, to speak on behalf of
a public theology. That is a theology which is interdisciplinary and seeks to address
matters of public concern. It is designed to participate in conversations and deeds
that serve the nurture of a civil society and the common good. At the conclusion
of the lecture one of the senior ministers (faifeau) asked me: “What are we now to
preach?”.
That response should come as no surprise. In a way that is often under-appreciated
by climate and social scientists islands like those of Tuvalu and Kiribati are deeply
C. Pearson (B)
Charles Sturt University, Parramatta, NSW, Australia
e-mail: cpearson@csu.edu.au
© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021
J. M. Luetz and P. D. Nunn (eds.), Beyond Belief, Climate Change Management,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-67602-5_10
189
Standing in the Middle of the Ocean:
Time for a Public Theology
Clive Pearson
Abstract The present is a kairos moment for the islands of ‘the liquid continent’:
the prospects of mitigation, adaptation and resilience in response to the climate emergency must now wrestle with the implications of the Anthropocene. The most recent
communiqués coming out of the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat (2019) address
multiple ‘geostrategic’ issues: there is no reference to the biblical and theological
traditions which indwell the lived experience of island communities. For future
policies to be well-grounded in communal life there is a pressing need for scientific, political and sociological discourses to be matched with the best contemporary
theological thinking. The works of ecumenical bodies recognize that an appropriate
theology must be set alongside the building of social capital and disaster relief. It is
time to move beyond the ways in which biblical texts like the rainbow covenant with
Noah and the plight of the innocent victim to be found in Job are employed. The
reference to a kairos moment is an invitation to construct a public theology relevant
to island experience and future challenges.
‘What Are We to Preach?’
Some years ago I was asked to deliver a public lecture on theology, climate and the
Anthropocene in the public hall on the island of Funafuti (Tuvalu). It was a daunting
request: it is far from clear what the future holds for such islands in terms of mitigation
and adaptation. The invitation was an opportunity, nevertheless, to speak on behalf of
a public theology. That is a theology which is interdisciplinary and seeks to address
matters of public concern. It is designed to participate in conversations and deeds
that serve the nurture of a civil society and the common good. At the conclusion
of the lecture one of the senior ministers (faifeau) asked me: “What are we now to
preach?”.
That response should come as no surprise. In a way that is often under-appreciated
by climate and social scientists islands like those of Tuvalu and Kiribati are deeply
C. Pearson (B)
Charles Sturt University, Parramatta, NSW, Australia
e-mail: cpearson@csu.edu.au
© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021
J. M. Luetz and P. D. Nunn (eds.), Beyond Belief, Climate Change Management,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-67602-5_10
189