sun rising over mountains and shining behind clouds


“I am not ashamed to own that I believe that the whole universe, heaven and earth, air and seas, the divine constitution and history of the holy Scriptures, be full of images of divine things." – Jonathan Edwards

O Lord supreme, whose works so fair,
Sublime and varied, every where
The gazing eye delight!
Thy wisdom, power, and love, the day
Doth in its splendid course display,
As doth the glorious night.
– Joanna Baillie

Eighteenth-century Puritan theologian Jonathan Edwards and 19th-century Presbyterian poet Joanna Baillie both reflect the ecclesiastical heritage of ݮƵ and both express the idea that nature, along with the Bible, conveys divine Truth (see also Psalm 19:1 and Romans 1:20). Together, Edwards and Baillie suggest that when we ignore the sublimity and beauty found in natural landscapes, or tread on them irreverently, bending natural resources to our own ends, we not only contribute to environmental degradation but also dishonor our Christian heritage.

As part of ݮƵ’s Year of the Arts, I have organized a one-day symposium to take place on May 12, 2012, titled “Nature as Sacred Space.” The event will include a keynote address from Maire Mullins, editor of the journal Christianity and Literature and specialist in 19th-century American literature, as well as presentations from contributors to Fresh Landscapes of the Heart: Narratives of Nature and Community, an essay collection I edited in memory of my father, Michael Aleksiuk, a zoologist who taught me to look for evidence of the Creator in his creation. The essay contributors each share how nature has acted as a source of spiritual sustenance: providing hope in dark times, healing from past wounds, groundedness amidst difficult changes, and rejuvenation after burnout. They also speak of nature’s power to bring about personal conviction, causing us to face the truth of ourselves in proper humility, which replaces conflict-seeking, confrontational bravado with problem-solving, co-operational openness. Written by poets and environmentalists, established biologists a