Not Made by Human Hands: Ecotheology at the Brooksdale Environmental Centre

Abstract

The global climate change crisis has prompted responses from every corner of social activism, including churches. Evangelical Christians, a demographic responsible for much of the climate change denial in the American political sphere, have also quietly produced substantial environmental action as part of the recently developed theology of Creation Care. This ethnographic study of the Brooksdale Environmental Centre, part of a network of faith-based conservation initiatives started by evangelical Christians, examines one such project. Situated in suburban Vancouver, Brooksdale’s sustainable agriculture practices illustrate the possibilities for local food sourcing within metropolitan areas, while its community engagement efforts have taken a prominent role in the local politics of development. This study shows how the organization’s theological outlook offers a unique framework for environmental activism in the 21st century, contesting dominant discourses of both Christianity and environmentalism.