Wonder and grief. For many of us, these are the entwined poles of our experience of creation. We feel the wonder of deep space and deep time and of an earth teeming with life, but also the scars and absences left by our hewing and delving, our restless consumption of nature’s “resources.”

The Christian doctrine of creation helps us make sense of these realities, and shows us ways to live rightly and well in this glorious and yet groaning world. But too few of us are familiar with its treasures. We are, in Christopher Thompson’s delightful phrase, “indoor Christians.” We don’t see, feel, experience, or care for the natural world as Christian faith would have us. We need to take our faith outside.

This two-day course taught by Andrew Shamy, is about learning to see creation as it really is—full of wonder and mystery and life, seen and unseen—and about learning to live well in this reality. We will explore these topics in the company of voices ancient, modern, and non-human.

This course is for anyone who has looked with wonder on the created world, who has felt grief at the harm we have done to it, and who longs to make sense of these experiences in light of their Christian faith.