For God so loved the world - theology and the Australian alpine environment

This thesis focuses on the role of God the Trinity as Creator, Redeemer and Sustainer, and the implications of the relational nature of the Trinity, for the non-human world. This exploration is situated in an Australian context—the Australian Alps environment—and includes a dedicated study of the Alps ecology in order to provide illustrations and examples from a tangible living environment for the more theoretical theological discussion. This thesis constitutes the first component of the Doctor of Ministry project and is the theological research that underpins and informs the second part of the project, which produces a practical outcome for the thesis: a chaplaincy curriculum that connects faith and practice through teaching, liturgy and outdoor therapeutic activities, and resources.

This thesis reveals a direct and profound relationship between the triune God and the ecology of the Australian Alps and, by extension, a world facing ecological crisis. It provides praxis by discussing and revealing what the practical implications of the theology are for our life and interaction as Christians, with the natural world. It finds God Creator, Redeemer and Sustainer, embedded in an Australian alpine context, and provides an example of an ecotheological discussion in the setting of a specific environment, and establishes the groundwork for the practical application of the insights obtained, by way of the curriculum to follow. Through the trinitarian eco-theological discussion, that is grounded in the context of the Australian Alps, this thesis articulates a clear link between the Alps and the Creator, Redeemer and Sustainer of the Trinity.