Learning from Einstein

What does the Church need to learn from Albert Einstein?

by Peter Sawtell, Executive Director, Eco-Justice Ministries.

[posted here, with permission of the author, on 8-2-01]

There are many insights that we in the religious community can gain from that frizzy-haired scientific genius. One lesson is found in the birth of his theory of relativity.

For those of you who may be a bit rusty in your knowledge of modern physics, relativity deals with the remarkable things that happen to objects traveling at velocities close to the speed of light. The effects include changes in mass and energy, and shifting perceptions of time. His theory is at the heart of current scientific study ranging from astronomy to> sub-atomic physics.

For several hundred years, Newtonian physics (named after Sir Isaac) provided an accurate picture of the world, and its formulae yielded precise predictions. But as the realm of scientific study expanded in the late 1800s, Newton's theories fell apart. Einstein's mathematical insights of 100 years ago were needed to provide shape and order for the vastly more complex universe that was being discovered.

The physical rules of the universe did not change between 1685 and 1905. Indeed, Newton's simple equations still work quite well for dealing with everyday events. What did change were the experiences and the questions of scientists. New theories were needed to explain whole new types of experiences.

So what does Einstein have to do with the Church?

I think the Christian church today is in a bind similar to the physical sciences around 1900 -- just before Einstein proposed the first parts of his theory. We in the Church have had a meaningful and effective set of answers for human experience and problems. The Church's proclamation of Jesus Christ has helped people find order and meaning, and has answered the most profound questions raised by people of faith. Christian theology has supported the moral and ethical perspectives, and related social and economic systems, that have become dominant around the world.

But our experience and our questions have grown. Changes in the last 50 years -- the doubling of Earth's human population, astounding advances in medicine and technology, new concentrations of power in corporations, expanding knowledge about complex environmental relationships -- have pushed the human experience into new realms where our old answers don't hold up. The theology and ethics that we have depended on still work at the level of many personal relationships, but they are inadequate for understanding how we fit into the complex relationships of a new and larger whole.

Just as the sciences needed Einstein's insights to understand a changed world, the Church needs new theological insights that will enable us to make sense of a world that we experience in new ways.

Einstein's community had a pressing need to deal with the new problems raised by the speed of light. Today's church has a pressing need to deal with new problems that cluster together within the notion of eco-justice. Our theology and ethics must be able to speak meaningfully to a crowded, stressed world with a myriad of relationships. We must find a faithful message that makes sense in the midst of contemporary science, sociology and politics.

When Einstein discerned the theory of relativity, the physical sciences burst to life with new discoveries and applications. As the Church discerns expanded theological understandings, we, too, will find new life, energy and relevance in our ministry.

+ + + + +

Pastor Michael Dowd wrote in the book Earthspirit:

The term 'gospel' literally means 'good news.' But good news is truly good only if it is understood as a saving response to specific bad news. The gospel has contemporary relevance only when it inspires faith, hope and love in the face of the actual bad news of our current situation. ... [A] growing number of theologians, historians and others are suggesting that one reason for the church's decline in numbers and cultural influence over the past hundred years or more in the West may be that it has been offering 'good news' that has been perceived as irrelevant news by the wider culture.

+ + + + +

Eco-Justice Ministries works to challenge church leaders -- clergy and laity -- to seek new theological understandings that will encompass the realities of today's world. We want to help churches find fresh vitality in their ministries as they bring real good news that can address the pressing bad news of environmental collapse and human injustice.

We are eager to share the stories and resources of those who have worked creatively in that direction, and we are eager to provide support and encouragement to those who are beginning the search.

Thank you for your involvement and support in this exciting project for the renewal of the Church and the healing of God's creation.

Shalom!

Peter Sawtell
Executive Director
Eco-Justice Ministries

Eco-Justice Ministries is an ecumenical, non-profit agency which works with clergy and lay leaders to address two problems that we see as closely related:

1) crises in the environment and social justice, having impacts on both local communities and global systems

2) in the light of those crises, the inability of many churches to bring profound hope and prophetic insight into their worship, education, pastoral care and outreach

We provide support and encouragement, resources and education, to help churches claim "an eco-justice theological perspective" at the heart of their life and ministry. In a quest for relevant ministry and effective social transformation, we bring together Christian faith, social analysis, and a commitment to the integrity of creation.