‘Heaven on Earth’: Ecological nuances from Luke’s Gospel

Michael Trainor, DTheol
Senior Lecturer
Australian Catholic University

Abstract: Conventionally, Luke’s gospel has been interpreted anthropocentrically with the focus of Jesus’ ministry exclusively centred on the salvation of human beings. Listening to the gospel from the perspective of Earth, a fresh approach emerges that more resonates with contemporary ecological and environmental concerns. From this perspective, and in the gospel’s birth and resurrection narratives, especially with a focus on the Temple, stone and cloth, Jesus is Earth’s child and his ministry ecologically inclusive.