Theology, Ecology, and Food Justice Program

Launched in Fall 2020 under the direction of Jennifer Howell, PhD, the Theology, Ecology, and Food Justice Program at Baylor’s Truett Seminary claims a self-descriptive name that invites students, ministers, and community leaders to explore a subject at once both niche and universally critical. 

“I think there has been confusion—particularly in Protestant circles—about the relationship between creation and our faith. We tend to think of those as separate things,” Howell said when the new program was announced. “But if you look at the Bible and the story of creation, you see that God invites us into a relationship with God, with our neighbors, and even with the land itself. The hope in doing this program is to reorient students’ understandings about creation and help them understand that how we care for creation, how we live in and as part of creation, is itself a theological issue.”

A grant-funded initiative by World Hunger Relief Inc. and the Baugh Family Foundation, the Theology, Ecology, and Food Justice Program has experienced significant progress and development over the past year. 

“It’s something that we’re called fundamentally to do as Christians. To get into the literal weeds and dirt of how we can participate in care of creation has been really gratifying and surprising.”

JENNIFER HOWELL, PHD

“A big part of the last year was simply helping students see that care of creation is a theological enterprise,” Howell said. “It’s something that we’re called fundamentally to do as Christians. To get into the literal weeds and dirt of how we can participate in care of creation has been really gratifying and surprising.”

Howell teaches two courses at the World Hunger Relief Farm—or as it is commonly called, “The Farm.” One is “Introduction to the Doctrine of Creation” and explores Jesus’s connection to creation, and the other is a class on food justice where students are introduced to the global food systems, how they work and do not work. 

Howell believes that hosting classes at The Farm has been especially formative for her students, creating a fun and challenging atmosphere that places an emphasis on camaraderie and on practical learning.

“Once you get your hands in the dirt, once you begin to actually pay attention to the way that land is a central figure in our Scriptures, it really changes the way that you live,” Howell said.

“The class changed my whole outlook about what it means to be a faithful disciple of Jesus Christ,” Kathryn Freeman, MDiv ’20, said. “I previously thought my only relational responsibilities were to my church, my neighbors, my community, but this class made me realize I had relational responsibilities to all of creation, including nature. Being outside on The Farm and seeing how truly integrative God designed creation to be made me a better disciple—one who will strive to love and pursue justice for all of God’s creation.” 

In addition to the classes at The Farm and a course on the relationship between ecology and spiritual formation, a pair of revised courses are available to Truett students during the 2021-22 academic year courtesy of a grant from the American Association for the Advancement of Science secured by Howell and W. Dennis Tucker, Jr., PhD, Professor of Christian Scriptures. 

In Tucker’s Christian Scriptures 1 course, he will pair the historical, literary, and theological issues associated with Genesis through 2 Kings with relevant research and findings in climate science in pursuit of a constructive and theological response to the ecological concerns of today. For Howell’s Text & Traditions 3 course, students will engage with the implications of the mistreatment of the land as a theological act and examine the resulting fallout today. Both courses include the traditional core curriculum, but framed through conversations on climate science, ecology, and faith formation.

Outside of seminary classes, the Theology, Ecology, and Food Justice Program is working closely with the Baylor Collaborative on Hunger and Poverty (BCHP) and Executive Director—and Truett alumnus—Jeremy Everett on a number of events and initiatives. In September, Truett partnered with BCHP to bring Governor David Beasley, Executive Director of the World Food Program at the United Nations to the Baylor campus. As the two initiatives look into the future, they also dream about creating a multidisciplinary think tank to address questions related to food justice and vulnerable, often oppressed populations. 

“With the Baylor Collaborative on Hunger and Poverty, we have these tremendous resources to gather together some of the best thinkers in the country to come together and have conversations,” Howell said.

Even after an exciting year of advancement and expansion, the Theology, Ecology, and Food Justice Program still has sights set high. Howell is knee deep in developing a new Master of Arts in Theology, Ecology, and Food Justice degree program that would uniquely train those who are interested in engaging with issues surrounding food justice or environmental justice. Students in the program will receive a core curriculum in theological formation, study at The Farm, and take courses across the University related to their specific interests. 

As critical conversations around creation care, food justice, and related topics increase in relevancy and urgency, it is crucial that Christians engage thoughtfully and knowledgably in the discussion. Howell—along with her colleagues at Truett and across Baylor University—is dedicated to preparing students to be a part of these conversations. 

“I really didn’t anticipate the amount of energy and support that this program has received,” Howell said. “We have a tremendously gifted faculty at Baylor, many of whom are very committed and interested in these questions. We look forward to working and collaborating with them.”