ABSTRACT
Since the word ‘nature’ has many connotations and since theologians do not agree about what is meant by ‘theology’, it is not surprising to find that the expression ‘natural theology’ is used to refer to a variety of forms of theological understanding. ‘Natural theology’ may, for example, connote a theology of nature in the sense of a theology that seeks to identify divine purposes and correlative values that apply to the non-human world. Those who develop such a natural theology may seek to challenge the anthropocentric and patriarchal attitudes that have traditionally tended to restrict theology to a study of ‘me and my God’ that ignores ‘our relationship—and God's relationship—with the natural world’ (Clatworthy 1992:4) and to replace those attitudes with a theology that appreciates the proper dignity of each component of the natural order, respecting ‘every entity for its intrinsic value as well as for its instrumental value to others’ (Birch and Cobb 1981:152). Where such a natural theology reaches theistic conclusions, God may be held to have ecological concerns for the well-being of all the members of the commonwealth of the natural order throughout the cosmos (McFague 1993).
