‘Where Were You When I Laid the Foundation of the Earth?’ Climate Change and a Theology of Development

Abstract

Stringent criticisms of the environmental movement’s failure to respond adequately to the climate change crisis highlight the importance of an appropriate theological response. This article argues that the security and developmental consequences of climate change call for a theology that is based on God’s power and justice, his relationship with his people through Jesus Christ and, in consequence, people’s relationship with one another. Unjust relationships between rich and poor are central to a theology of development, and it is the healing of those relationships that is key to tackling global warming and other issues that work to the detriment of the world’s poorest people.