You crown the year with your goodness;
your carts overflow with plenty.
The wilderness pastures overflow,
and the hills are robed with joy.
The pastures are clothed with flocks
and the valleys covered with grain.
They shout in triumph; indeed, they sing. – Psalm 65:11-13 (CSB)
I was recently in Boston for the American Academy of Religion annual meetings. It is an academic conference for all approaches to studying religion, and so it has a dizzying array of topics, approaches, and religious traditions gathered together for a few days. I go each year as a way to keep up the latest movements in Christian theology and other religious research. As it is part of my continuing education time each year, I aim to share something from the conference with the congregation each year.
One of the most memorable sessions I have ever attended was the first one of the conference I attended this year. It was part of the Martin Luther and Global Lutheranism subgroup of the conference. This session was a panel honoring the work of H. Paul Santmire. Santmire is a theological hero and inspiration for me. My master’s thesis was inspired by one of his books, so I was excited to be at this panel. The official reason for the session was to recognize the 40th anniversary of his most important work, the book The Travail of Nature. The book traces how Christianity has viewed nature through the centuries, pointing out how limited the view has often been but also the elements within the tradition that have viewed nature positively and help us to engage the ecological crisis of our time. Beyond that anniversary, he was honored this year because he is nearly 90 and never attended academic conferences regularly, but he lives in Maine and was willing to make the trip to Boston.
The panel gave emotional testimony to just how important Paul Santmire has been to the church, Lutheran and ecumenically. In the 1960s he was the first theologian to push the church to think about a theology of nature and not just see it as a backdrop for humanity. He pioneered the field of eco-theology in the early 1970s. He has worked tirelessly since then to make sure that ecological issues are part of church thinking, and in particular to ensure that farmers and others who work with the land have a say in church teachings and statements. His most relevant works for St. Matthew include being the primary author of the ELCA’s 1993 social statement on ecology, Caring for Creation: Vision, Hope, and Justice, which St. Matthew has endorsed, and being a leading force in advocating for the Season of Creation. He was also instrumental in forming the group Lutherans Restoring Creation, though he did not become an official part of it so that others would have an opportunity to take leadership. He did all of these things while working as a congregational pastor.
What was amazing about this session is that nearly every panelist broke down in tears during their remarks. That does not happen in academic presentations. Yet in talking about Santmire’s passion for addressing the ecological crisis but even more his care for people and his willingness to mentor them and care for them as they set about the hard work of opening people up to the idea of caring for creation, each was deeply personally moved in sharing what he has meant to them. It was a packed room, including many leaders of global Lutheranism, that ended with a spontaneous standing ovation – something that truly never happens in academic conferences. If any eyes were dry before that, the look in Paul’s eyes changed that as he witnessed what a difference his sixty years of fighting through obstacles, opposition, contempt, and dismissal had made in fostering Christian commitment to care for God’s good creation. It was truly inspiring and emotionally overwhelming.
Learn more about Rev. Dr. Santmire by visiting his website.