Preserving “Creation”?

“Care for Creation”—hardly any other theological catchphrase features so prominently in church debates when it comes to environmental and climate protection. At the same time, the phrase remains strangely opaque. One thing is clear: “Creation” is not simply the same as “nature” or “ecosystem,” but carries an additional layer of meaning. This Lecture the significance of the phrase for Christian theology and explores its relationship to concepts such as “planetary health.” In doing so, it critically questions whether humans can “preserve” creation at all—or whether entirely different approaches are necessary. The goal is to clarify what insights theology can offer for our understanding of ecology and well-being.

The Speaker
Yannick Schlote is a Protestant theologian and advisor on bioethics, medical ethics, and sustainability at the Evangelical Church in Germany (EKD). In this role, he advises EKD committees on fundamental policy issues. His dissertation on apocalyptic motifs in debates surrounding artificial intelligence was awarded the Hanns Lilje Foundation’s “Freedom and Responsibility” Prize in 2023. His research focuses on digitalization and its applications in medicine, as well as the intersections of technology, the environment, and theology.

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