Biography
Jamie Myrose is a doctoral student in Systematic Theology at Boston College. She earned a Bachelor's in Arts from Boston College in theology and philosophy in 2018 and a Master's of Theological Studies from the University of Notre Dame in 2020. Her research interests include feminist theology, theological anthropology, and mystical theology, with particular focus on Teresa of Avila's conception of the spiritual life as the formation of a friendship with God.
Paper Abstract
The gravity of our current ecological crisis requires a new approach for understanding humanity's relationship with the rest of the created world. Daniel Horan, O.F.M. in All God's Creatures (2018) offers such a model, entitling it the "community of creation," which offers a theocentric rather than anthropocentric modeling of the created world. Though implementing a strong Franciscan justification for the model, Horan's analysis does not sufficiently articulate the biblical relevance of specifically inanimate creatures to this model (such as the planet Earth), leaving their dignity subject to human value judgments regarding usefulness. This presentation will address this gap by discussing the relevance of the Earth as an equal partner in the community of creation through an examination of pericopes from the Hebrew Bible. Focusing on Gen 2:4-3:24, Gen 4:1-16, and Ps 104, I argue that the solidarity of this community is based both in our common creation by God and our common materiality as creatures made from the dust of the Earth. This dust-based solidarity offers a shared language within the community of creation so that all may share in God's joy and witness against injustice. The materiality of the Earth, then, serves as a literal common ground from which local communities can advocate for their themselves and for all creatures who dwell within that space. An awareness of this wider concept of solidarity and its obligations will help to orient humanity properly so as to make ethical decisions regarding climate change.