Loving the World that God Loves

March 23, 2025

Norman Wirzba, Gilbert T Rowe Distinguished Professor of Theology & Director of Research in the Office of Climate and Sustainability at Duke University

Loving the World that God Loves

Program Abstract:​​

The widespread assumption that planet Earth will soon become uninhabitable, and that we will therefore have to move to other planets, signals profound despair about our world. Christians are not immune to this despair. In fact, many think the goal of their faith is for the soul to escape Earth and live with God somewhere far, far away. My presentation will develop several scriptural passages to show why this other-worldly spirituality is a mistake. God loves precisely this created world and wants us to love it too. What that means and what it spiritually and practically entails will be our primary focus.

Speaker Bio:

Raised on a farm in southern Alberta, Norman Wirzba went on to study history, theology, and philosophy before becoming a professor at the University of Saskatchewan, Georgetown College (KY), and Duke University. He is the author of several books, most recently Love's Braided Dance: Hope in a Time of Crisis, Agrarian Spirit: Cultivating Faith, Community, and the Land, and This Sacred Life: Humanity's Place in a Wounded World. He is married to Gretchen Ziegenhals and is the father of four adult children and the grandfather of one granddaughter. He loves to cook, bake, make things with wood, and play guitar. For more information visit normanwirzba.com.