The Concept of the Anthropocene in the Perspective of Contemporary Theological Anthropology and Spirituality

Abstract

In the following study some ways of working with the concept of the Anthropocene in theological anthropology and spirituality are developed. The article first introduces the concept and its background and then elaborates on five theological perspectives of its possible reception in theology. The first one is the notion of sin as a source of environmental crisis, proposing the term Hamartiocene. Then, following Daniel P. Horan, the study addresses the theological challenges of human exceptionalism, a contentious issue in secular philosophy. The third focus consists in the need for a new spirituality in the Anthropocene alongside a renewed hope that emerges only through an acceptance of hopelessness. Building on Pope Francis’s “ecumenism of the blood,” the article then proposes to establish an “ecumenism of a dying planet.” Finally, it considers whether and how our interpretation of the person of Jesus Christ changes in the Anthropocene.