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Why Public Theology Needs a Theology of Nature

Why Public Theology Needs a Theology of Nature

Last updated on: September 14, 2026 at 7:04 pm by Ted Peters

Why Public Theology Needs a Theology of Nature 2026-09-14T19:04:00-07:00 Ted Peters

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Here in Patheos and elsewhere, I have argued that a theology of nature belongs within the portfolio of the public theologian. I am pleased to learn that I am not the only public theologian who makes this a priority. So is Paul S. Chung, President of the International Public Theology in Forum-Center. “Public theology,” Chung writes, “necessarily engages in the science-religion dialogue about ecological awareness and the scientific understanding of the Earth and creaturely life” (P. Chung 2016, 199).

Patheos SR 1035

Theology of Nature within Public Theology. Seoul International Conference.

Chung is the planner behind an upcoming event of some note: the “Global Ecumenical Public Theology Conference.” This will be the Seoul International Conference**,** September 28 – October 1, 2026, at Hanshin University Graduate School of Theology in South Korea. The conference theme will be “Public Theology, Civil Society, and Sociobiology (in Honor of Jürgen Moltmann).” One featured speaker will be Heinrich Bedford-Strohm, Moderator of the World Council of Churches.

Theology of Nature within Public Theology

I plan to make a presentation on this topic, “Natural Science and Theology of Nature within Public Theology,” summarized in “Substack SR 1034 Global Ecumenical Public Theology Conference. Theology of Nature in Public Theology” Here is my central point: the public theologian should invest in a scientifically informed theology of nature with sufficiently rich assets to contribute generously to the global community chest of sound knowledge. Let me elaborate briefly both here and in Substack.

From Natural Theology to Theology of Nature

Is “Theology of Nature” merely an equivalent term to “Natural Theology”? No. We are not asking about natural revelation or proving the existence of God.

Rather, we are talking about a theology of nature that fits the confessional stance of the theologian. Even if informed by science, a theology of nature is grounded in special revelation. But it does not remain in its ground. It grows.

For conference information, click

Public theology, recall, may begin within the church, but it then spreads outward toward the world beyond the church. “The Church is her true self only when she exists for humanity,” wrote Dietrich Bonhoeffer from his prison cell (Bonhoeffer 1953, 1959, 166). A generation later, Jürgen Moltmann would add that “Theology must abandon its confinement to church, belief and the inwardness of the heart, so that with all others it may search for the truth of the whole, and the salvation of a torn and disrupted world” (Moltmann, 2003, 7).

In the train of Bonhoeffer and Moltmann*,* Rudolf von Sinner and Ronaldo de Paula Cavalcante remind us that “the Christian religion is a public religion, in the sense of transmitting its message to a wider public, taking interest in the well-being not only of its members, but of those that are not part of a church or community” (Sinner and Cavalcante 2012, 2).

With this in mind, I frequently describe public theology as conceived in the church, critically developed in the academy, and offered to the wider culture for the sake of the common good (Peters, 2023). By common good, I mean what can be commonly understood as the shared good. In short, the value of a theology of nature is found in its illuminative power for the culture beyond the cathedral’s front steps.

Theology of Nature is Informed by Science

Here I follow Ian G. Barbour, putatively the father of the contemporary field of Science and Religion. According to Barbour, writing in 1966, theology “must take the findings of science into account when it considers the relation of God and [humanity] to nature, even though it derives its fundamental ideas elsewhere” (Barbour 1966, 415). Where? Special revelation, of course.

Theology of Nature within Public Theology

Oxford’s Celia Deane-Drummond reinforces Barbour. “A theology of nature is appropriate as long as it is suitably qualified by proper attention to revealed theology” (Deane-Drummond 2009, xvi). A theology of nature begins with special revelation and then interprets what we learn about nature through science in light of that revelation.

Science reveals to the human mind what can be known empirically about nature. Methodologically, we do not expect the scientist to tell us about God, the creator of nature. But knowing about God the creator provides the theologian with insights and hypotheses and speculations that take us beyond the limits of empirical findings.

In my own work, I seek consonance between what we know about creation from Scripture and what we learn about nature from science. I do not expect total consonance, but some level of consonance suffices to make me confident that both the scientist and the theologian are talking about the same reality.

What about the controversy over Science-Engaged-Theology?

In the current debate regarding what constitutes the fields of S&R and SET, Dillon J.P. Austin at Oxford makes it clear that theology of nature is a distinctively theological task informed by science. | Image via Synaptic Image / For Patheos

In 2021, Modern Theology published a series of articles on Science-Engaged-Theology (SET) edited by St. Andrews scholars John Perry and Joanna Leidenberg (Perry & Leidenberg, 2021). They argued that SET should supersede the field of Science and Religion (S&R).

“The field of science-and-religion and science-engaged theology seek to answer quite different questions. Science-and-religion asks about the relationship between separate disciplines or beliefs. Science-engaged theology asks how scientific research can be a source for Christian thought and practice. In so doing, science-engaged theology destabilizes the concepts ‘science’, ‘religion’ and ‘theology’ upon which both these approaches depend….The development of science-engaged theology may spell the end of science-and-religion.” (Leidenhag, 2024, 401-402).

The “end of science-and-religion”? Really? Why?

Perry and Leidenberg seem to essentialize the concepts of science and religion as they appear in the name of the field we inherited from Ian Barbour, Science and Religion. On this basis, Perry and Leidenberg feel justified in dismissing the field of S&R. They feel a need to replace S&R with something that looks a lot like Theology of Nature, namely, SET.

I find this curious. Why replace S&R with SET? Why not both?

What they seem to overlook is that within the field encompassing field of S&R, we find multiple subfields such as Theology and Science and Theology of Nature. In these subfields, the subject matter is not science and religion per se. Rather, the subject matter is nature and God. The disciplines are simply pathways leading to creation and Creator.

“While science-informed theology and theology-engaged science fall under the banner of SET, the vast majority of current works of SET still operate within what might broadly be described as theology of nature under Barbour’s integration model. Here, theology draws upon contemporary scientific insight to illuminate, refine, or test its doctrinal claims, while maintaining theology’s own methodological integrity” (Austin 2026, 9).

Theology’s “own integrity” becomes the launch pad for flights of worldview construction offered to the world outside the church on behalf of the common good.

Is Creation in Consonance with Science?

September is creation month for many liturgical churches such as mine. Here are some of my attempts to render the doctrine of creation consonant with evolution, big bang cosmology, and quantum physics.

God’s Creation: You, Me, and Everything (Science for the Church)

Substack SR 1056. Retroactive Ontology and Creation Consonance. Part One. From Archonic to Epigenetic Thinking

Substack SR 1057. Retroactive Ontology and Creation Consonance. Part Two. Evolutionary Emergence

Substack SR 1058. Retroactive Ontology and Creation Consonance. Part Three. Big Bang Cosmology.

Substack SR 1059. Retroactive Ontology and Creation Consonance. Part Four. Quantum Physics

Conclusion: Theology of Nature within Public Theology

The mission of the public theologian is to engage the wider culture beyond the church’s front steps in discourse clarification and worldview construction. This engagement draws upon the wealth of wisdom deposited in our faith tradition that could be valuable to the wider society when deliberating on public policy. Its value will be measured by its contribution to the planetary common good. A well-developed theology of nature could offer valuable insights into public discussion about our vocation to care for the health and flourishing of our planet’s ecosphere.

Meet Ted Peters: For Patheos, Ted Peters posts articles and notices in the field of Public Theology. He is a pastor in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and an emeritus professor at Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary and the Graduate Theological Union. His single-volume systematic theology, God—The World’s Future, is now in the 3rd edition. He has also authored God as Trinity plus Sin: Radical Evil in Soul and Society, as well as Sin Boldly: Justifying Faith for Fragile and Broken Souls. In 2023, he published The Voice of Public Theology with ATF Press. More recently, he has published an edited volume, Promise and Peril of AI and IA: New Technology Meets Religion, Theology, and Ethics (ATF 2025), and, along with Arvin Gouw, an edited collection, The CRISPR Revolution in Science, Religion, and Ethics (Bloomsbury 2025). Soon to be released is a volume of essays, A Handbook on Astrobiology, Astrotheology, and Astroanthropology, co-edited with Carolina Azucena Sanz de la Fuente and Arvin Gouw, with Amsterdam University Press.

See his website: TedsTimelyTake.com.

References

Austin, Dillon JP. “What kind of thing in Science-Engaged-Theology?” Theology and Science 24:3, 2026: 1-16.

Barbour, Ian. Issues in Science and Religion. New York: Prentice Hall and Harper, 1966.

Bedford-Strohm, Heinrich. “Prophetic Witness and Public Discourse in European Societies — A German Perspective.” HTS Theological Studies 66:1, 2010: 1-6.

Bonhoeffer, Dietrich. Letters and Papers from Prison. London: SCM and Fontana, 1953, 1959.

Chung, Paul. Postcolonial Public Theology: Faith, Scientific Rationality, and Prophetic Dialogue. Eugene OR: Cascade Books, 2016.

Deane-Drummond, Celia. Christ and Evolution: Wonder and Wisdom. Minneapolis MN: Fortress Press, 2009.

Leidenhag, Joanna. “From science-and-religion to science-engaged-theology.” Theology 127:6, 2024: 401-410.

Moltmann, Jürgen. Science and Wisdom. Minneapolis MN: Fortress, 2003.

Perry, John, and Joanna Leidenberg. “What is Science-Engaged Theology?” Modern Theology 37:2 (2021) 245-253. DOI:10.1111/moth.12681.

Peters, Ted. The Voice of Public Theology. Adelaide: ATF, 2023.

Sinner, Rudolf von, and Ronaldo de Paula Cavalcante. “Editorial.” International Journal of Public Theology 6, 2012: 1-6. DOI: 10.1163/156973212X617145.

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About Ted Peters

For Patheos, Ted Peters posts articles and notices in the field of Public Theology. He is a pastor in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and an emeritus professor at Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary and the Graduate Theological Union. His single-volume systematic theology, God—The World’s Future, is now in the 3rd edition. He has also authored God as Trinity plus Sin: Radical Evil in Soul and Society, as well as Sin Boldly: Justifying Faith for Fragile and Broken Souls. In 2023, he published The Voice of Public Theology with ATF Press. More recently, he has published an edited volume, Promise and Peril of AI and IA: New Technology Meets Religion, Theology, and Ethics (ATF 2025), and, along with Arvin Gouw, an edited collection, The CRISPR Revolution in Science, Religion, and Ethics (Bloomsbury 2025). Soon to be released is a volume of essays, A Handbook on Astrobiology, Astrotheology, and Astroanthropology, co-edited with Carolina Azucena Sanz de la Fuente and Arvin Gouw, with Amsterdam University Press. You can read more about the author here.

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