Description: This course explores Christian theologies of place, which retrieve from our deepest traditions a spatially-attuned, earth-honoring, incarnational faith. The course is interdisciplinary, weaving together Christian theology and environmental sciences, experiential learning and spiritual practices. Students explore contemporary theological movements and ancient geological layers, seeking new understandings of God’s presence and activity in both the beauty of creation and its wounds. The course culminates in an immersion trip. Spring 2022: This year we travel to Ghost Ranch, a Presbyterian retreat center located in the high desert of New Mexico. It is a landscape of fierce beauty (Georgia O’Keeffe did some of her finest paintings there) and great ecological devastation (the first atomic bomb was detonated in the New Mexico desert in 1945). With opportunities for connection with creation in a retreat setting and proximity to hiking opportunities, the Los Alamos nuclear site, and native pueblo dwellings, Ghost Ranch provides a rich setting for theological reflection. On Site at Ghost Ranch, includes field trip to Geology and Paleontology museum

Seminary: University of Dubuque Theological School

Science areas: Geology, Earth sciences