Free Public Lecture: CSCA and the Concordia Institute for Christian Studies and Society present a lecture by John Wood (Professor Emeritus, The King’s University).
Find more events in Edmonton, ABWhy Have You Forsaken Me? An Ecological View of the Necessity of Death
The phenomenon of death is a practically and theoretically important question in the biological and social sciences. Suffering and death have also emerged in the twentieth century as challenging theological issues. But is the finitude of death necessary? When death is framed solely as the enemy our options appear limited. Today a convergence of economic and demographic pressures, together with ecological discovery and medical-technical developments present unprecedented challenges to traditional notions of death. We need new insights and fresh theological resources to meet the challenging questions of caring for people in extremis and caring for the earth.
Dr. John R. Wood is Professor Emeritus at The King’s University in Edmonton, Alberta. He is on the American Scientific Affiliation‘s Executive Council, and he is on the Board of Global Scholars – Canada. His research interests lie in urban ecology, campus sustainability and attitudes around edible insects. He has studied the behaviour of White-tailed Jackrabbits and their population fluctuations in Edmonton, and he has published on university campus land use and sustainability practices. For the last 15 years, together with Dr. Heather Looy, he has explored how new food adoption practices are changing one aspect of Western exceptionalism – our cultural blind spot toward food insects. His recent publications include An Ecological Perspective on the Role of Death in Creation, Imagination, Hospitality, and Affection: The Unique Legacy of Food Insects?; How Then Shall We Eat? Insect-Eating Attitudes and Sustainable Foodways; and Stewarding the Gift of Land: Christian Campuses as Land Management Models. (more)