Interview with Goodwin Prize Winner Ryan Duerr

We are thrilled to introduce you to one of our Goodwin Prize Winners, Ryan Duerr (University of Dayton) for his essay, “Eco-Lutheranism and the Hidden God.”

Essay Abstract: Recently, Lutheran theologians have started using Martin Luther’s theologia crucis to construct a uniquely Lutheran approach to eco-theology.  While Luther’s theologia crucis has, indeed, proven useful in this regard, it has also been used to promulgate an ecological ethic which advocates the alleviation of nature’s suffering in such a way that ignores the scientific consensus concerning the necessity of predation, pain, and struggle for the overall health of biotic systems. In order to correct this trend, I argued that eco-Lutherans ought recover Luther’s notion of God hidden “behind” revelation in order to complement their emphasis on God hidden “in” revelation.

Where do you see connections between your personal faith, your intellectual work and the other aspects of your life? 

My intellectual work is motivated, first and foremost, by a desire to understand my faith and integrate it into every aspect of my thinking. But also, having been raised in a Lutheran home as well as formed in Lutheran churches and schools, I like to think of my work as contributing (in a small way) to the religious culture that has always provided me with a deep sense of community and identity.

What inspired you to pursue an advanced degree in theology?  

I grew up in a home that highly valued both faith and education. My dad was a pastor and my mom a teacher, so a desire to learn as much as possible about my faith was instilled in me from a young age. I studied theology as an undergrad and then went on to seminary where I became particularly interested in the question of what it means to think like a Lutheran in a contemporary American context. This question fascinated me so much that I decided to pursue a PhD in theology at the University of Dayton where their department of religion specializes in studying the American Christian experience through the twin lenses of historiography and cultural analysis.

How would you summarize your paper for someone without a theological background? 

In 1967, historian Lynn White convincingly argued that modern ecological crises have roots in the moral attitudes towards nature that were fostered by Western Christian theology throughout its history. Since then, theologians from across the denominational spectrum have scrambled to critically reexamine their own tradition’s view of nature and sought to excavate conceptual tools from its past which might help “convert” their tradition to being more eco-friendly. A handful of Lutheran theologians have recently looked to Martin Luther’s so-called “theology of the cross” as providing an entry point into serious reflection on ecological crises from a distinctly Lutheran perspective. In particular, the theology of the cross emphasizes both the folly of human wisdom when it is divorced from the cross of Christ as well as the way God “hides” in suffering, ironically working life through death, wisdom through foolishness, and strength through weakness. An “eco-theology of the cross,” therefore, might be fashioned which condemns our modern technocratic paradigm as a form of human-wisdom-gone-awry-apart-from-the-cross and points to the suffering of nature as a locus of God’s redemptive work which demands Christian attention.

My paper is supportive of such efforts to construct an “eco-theology of the cross,” but it cautions that it can (and has) been used to promote an ethic of love towards nature which is incompatible with the scientific consensus regarding the necessity of suffering and death for the overall health and well being of biotic systems. I argue that this should not deter Lutherans from using the theology of the cross to address ecological issues, but it should push them to recover another aspect of Luther’s theology, namely, the way that God hides “behind” suffering in addition to hiding “in” suffering. Not only did Luther understand God to be working in suffering to bring about healing, but he also recognized that God operates behind suffering in inscrutable ways which often seem, from a human perspective, to be at odds with God’s way of working redemption through suffering. For Luther, such ostensible paradoxes should be seen, not as a cause for despair but as an opportunity for faith. By integrating this second form of divine hiddenness into their eco-theologies of the cross, I contend that eco-Lutherans can coherently foster a qualified ethic of love towards nature that promotes and encourages ecological activism while also recognizing and respecting God’s inscrutable work “behind” the suffering which is integral natural systems.

How might this award make a difference in your life and what might your future look like? 

This award helps validate my decision to pursue an advanced degree in theology. It also gives me the confidence to keep on with the work I have been doing and continue to put my work out there for others to read.

As a graduate assistant at UD, I get to teach an introductory level class on theology and religious studies. While doing so, I have learned that the old saw about teachers learning more than their students is 100% true. I continue to be amazing by how much I learn from my students each semester. Upon completion of my degree, I hope to continue teaching theology and religious studies at an undergraduate level so that I can keep on learning from students for many years to come.

How do you spend your time when you are not studying?

I spend pretty much all of my free time with my favorite person in the world, Kaellyn, who also happens to be my wife. We can usually be found walking to a local coffee shop, spoiling our adorable little puppy Malcolm, or playing board games with the many friends we have made at UD.

Any other comments?

Thank you to the people at Theological Horizons for providing opportunities in which young, aspiring theologians can get their work read and recognized by established scholars in the field. Thank you to Dr. Vincent Miller for putting together the fantastic seminar on eco-theology that inspired and incubated my essay. And finally, thank you to all of the professors and graduate students in UD’s department of religion for creating a highly intellectual yet deeply spiritual environment in which I have been able to grow both as a student of theology and as a person of faith.