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Derrick Weston
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Speaker Kit Overview & Sample Speaking Topics
THEOLOGY OF CREATION
The Bible was written in an agrarian world to people whose lives were deeply intertwined with the natural world. In some ways, we can’t understand the Bible without understanding the themes of land, water, and creation that move throughout both testaments. But seeing the themes of creation in scripture is not enough. We must also recognize that within those themes is a call to serve and protect the created world and that the command to love our neighbor extends to our non-human neighbors as well. I will give an overview of creation’s role in the biblical narrative and ask us to consider what our role as Christians might be in tending to the world that God made.
FOOD JUSTICE AND THEOLOGY
Food is our most intimate connection to the natural world. We relate to the other species on this planet largely by what we do and do not eat. Food can be comforting and nostalgic and often very personal, but beyond connecting us to the natural world, it also connects us to each other, sometimes in life affirming ways, but also in ways that highlight the inequalities in our society. We will explore the ways that food shows up in scripture and discuss the ways that food intersects with a range of justice issues from race to environmentalism.
ENVIRONMENTAL RACISM
The effects of climate change disproportionately impact black and brown communities. African Americans in this country are more likely to live near industrial waste facilities regardless of their socioeconomic status. And while deeply affected, people of color often feel left out of the conversations about environmental issues. I will discuss the racial dimensions of our current climate crisis, encouraging communities of color to advocate more deeply around ecological issues while encouraging predominantly white communities to both acknowledge the inequalities and to form partnerships across dividing lines to create community change.
The Bible was written in an agrarian world to people whose lives were deeply intertwined with the natural world. In some ways, we can’t understand the Bible without understanding the themes of land, water, and creation that move throughout both testaments. But seeing the themes of creation in scripture is not enough. We must also recognize that within those themes is a call to serve and protect the created world and that the command to love our neighbor extends to our non-human neighbors as well. I will give an overview of creation’s role in the biblical narrative and ask us to consider what our role as Christians might be in tending to the world that God made.
FOOD JUSTICE AND THEOLOGY
Food is our most intimate connection to the natural world. We relate to the other species on this planet largely by what we do and do not eat. Food can be comforting and nostalgic and often very personal, but beyond connecting us to the natural world, it also connects us to each other, sometimes in life affirming ways, but also in ways that highlight the inequalities in our society. We will explore the ways that food shows up in scripture and discuss the ways that food intersects with a range of justice issues from race to environmentalism.
ENVIRONMENTAL RACISM
The effects of climate change disproportionately impact black and brown communities. African Americans in this country are more likely to live near industrial waste facilities regardless of their socioeconomic status. And while deeply affected, people of color often feel left out of the conversations about environmental issues. I will discuss the racial dimensions of our current climate crisis, encouraging communities of color to advocate more deeply around ecological issues while encouraging predominantly white communities to both acknowledge the inequalities and to form partnerships across dividing lines to create community change.
