Evocations of Grace: The Writings of Joseph Sittler on Ecology, Theology, and Ethics
Digital Logos Edition
Overview
As early as 1954 ‘well before such popular books as Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring’ the influential Lutheran theologian Joseph Sittler wrote on the need to think about’ a theology for earth. Perhaps most famous for his eloquent and provocative address ‘Called to Unity’ given at the 1961 World Council of Churches in New Delhi, Sittler prophetically and insistently gave voice to what he called ‘ecological commitment as theological responsibility’.
Evocations of Grace introduces a new generation of readers to the thought of Jospeh Sittler. Gathering ten of Sittler’s seminal works - ‘works foundational to the field yet unavailable until now’ the volume conveys Sittler’s powerfully argument for the vital connection between Christian theology, ethics, and the natural world. In an area where so much writing tends to be drearily repetitious, Sittler ‘even forty years later ‘remains a fresh voice. His proposal for a ‘cosmic christology’ and his clarion call for ‘the care of the earth’ continue to shape current eco-theological reflection. The book also includes a comprehensive Sittler bibliography and original essays by editors Steven Bouma-Prediger and Peter Bakken that assess Sittler’s pioneering contribution to environmental ethics. Intended for anyone interested in the relationship between Christian faith and the environment, Evocations of Grace provides the necessary perspective for thinking seriously about the earth and our responsibility to it.
Foreword by Martin E. Marty
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- Introduces a new generation of readers to the thought of Jospeh Sittler
- Conveys Sittler's argument for the connection between Christian theology, ethics, and the natural world
- Includes a comprehensive Sittler bibliography and original essays by editors Steven Bouma-Prediger and Peter Bakken
- Introduction: Nature as a Theater of Grace: The Ecological Theology of Joseph Sittler - Peter W. Bakken
- [1954] A Theology for Earth
- [1959] Commencement Address
- [1962] Called to Unity
- [1963] The Care of the Earth
- [1968] The Role of the Spirit in Creating the Future Environment
- [1970] Ecological Commitment as Theological Responsibility
- [1972] Excerpts from Essays on Nature and Grace
- [1972] The Scope of Christological Reflection
- [1973] Evangelism and the Care of the Earth
- [1975] Nature and Grace in Romans 8
- Sittler the Pioneering Ecological Theologian - Steven Bouma-Prediger
- Joseph Sittler and Environmental Ethics: A Selected Bibliography
A pioneer of ecotheology, Sittler addressed environmental concerns even before the publication of Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring. As the editors’ introductory and concluding essays note, Sittler’s lasting significance lies in his insistence that environmental concerns be addressed by Christians in terms of Christology and grace. For Sittler, environmental degradation isn’t just wrong, its is blasphemous. He invites us to share aesthetic delight in a world permeated by God’s surprising presence.
—Booklist
It’s an occasion for rejoicing that Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co. recently released Evocations of Grace. . . The collection includes the most important of Sittler’s writings and speeches, drawing together the concepts of nature and grace—his theological trademark. As he said often, he is not a theology of nature but rather a theology for nature—an incarnational theology whose lasting importance cannot be overstated.
—The Lutheran
- Title: Evocations of Grace: The Writings of Joseph Sittler on Ecology, Theology, and Ethics
- Author: Joseph Sittler
- Publisher: Eerdmans
- Print Publication Date: 2000
- Logos Release Date: 2025
- Pages: 242
- Era: era:contemporary
- Language: English
- Resources: 1
- Format: Digital › Logos Reader Edition
- Subjects: Human ecology › Religious aspects--Lutheran Church; Lutheran Church › Doctrines
- ISBNs: 9780802846778, 0802846777
- Resource ID: LLS:EVOCATIONSGRACE
- Resource Type: Monograph
- Metadata Last Updated: 2025-03-11T21:43:29Z
Joseph A. Sittler (1904-1987) was born in Upper Sandusky, Ohio, on September 26, 1904, the son of a Lutheran pastor (also named Joseph) and a remarkable woman, Minnie Vieth Sittler. He was a graduate of Wittenberg College and the Hamma Divinity School and began his career in the ordained ministry as pastor of Messiah Lutheran Church in Cleveland, Ohio. For most of his life, however, he was a Professor of Theology, first at the Chicago Lutheran Seminary in Maywood, Illinois, then at the Divinity School of the University of Chicago. He ended his nearly 58-year career as theologian with fifteen years of association with the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago (LSTC); that association included the title of Distinguished Professor in Residence.