Conference Objectives
In the past 30 years, environmental stewardship has matured into a recognizable
sector of business, government, education and even of theology and religion.
Although there have been significant accomplishments from an institutional perspective,
western society has largely replaced the earlier public community oriented environmental
ethic with an individualistic consumer-based ethic. The faith-based perspective that
animated public discussions as recently as the 1990's has also been eclipsed in the
process. What can we expect in the next decade? Can the perceived decline in effective
public and institutional practices and ethics be reversed? Can we regain the lost
momentum for a faith-based stewardship of creation?
This Conference is the third Canadian gathering of Christian environmental
practitioners. Previous conferences were held in 1998 (King's University College,
Edmonton, AB) and in 2000 (Trinity Western University, Langley, BC). Building on the
experience of these previous events, the 2002 conference on Faith and Earthkeeping will
seek to address the place of faith in effective public and institutional environmental
practice and ethics. The central question of this conference is "How can Christian
environmental practitioners contribute towards restoring and enhancing a faith-based
environmental ethic and practice?"
Participants will be challenged to address these questions by:
- increasing their awareness of biblical principles and perspectives that offer
guidance for the stewardship of Creation.
- exploring how these principles help to shape effective environmental practice.
- applying these principles through workshops, field trips, and formal discussions
to specific issues such as water resource and land use management, and the effects of
increasing globalization.
- networking with and encouraging each other in our professional roles as environmental
practitioners, whether within government, industry or education, or in private land
management and personal activities.
- engaging in the ongoing dialogue among Christian environmental practitioners in
central and eastern Canada and across North America.
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