A new climate change story
THIS book examines the theology of God from an Oceanian point of view, using a Tuvaluan relational philosophy called 'Vaa Fesokotaki' which literally means, the relational sacred space. Vaa fesokotaki is used as the hermeneutical lens through which to redefine the theology of Te Atua.
It refers to the deeply interconnected and multifaceted ‘relational space’ which defines the Tuvaluan (and the Oceanian) worldview.
Using this indigenous interpretive lens affirms that any reimagining of Te Atua must be grounded in the spirituality of the Oceanian indigenous peoples. Any decolonising endeavor must be groundup and grassroots, or else it is just another theological construct imposed from afar.
Climate change is a global crisis that affects not only the planet Earth, but the whole universe and has been a continuing focal point of almost all sovereign power through debates and seminars addressing its threats and posed challenges. Its reach spans beyond any boundary and impacts both humans and creation.
It affects all aspects of life, from the social and economic to the cultural and spiritual. In the Pacific Island nation of Tuvalu, the focus of this work, the destructive impacts of climate change challenge its very existence and threaten its future. Tuvalu is at the forefront of the climate crisis, regionally and globally. Like other low-lying island nations in the South Pacific.
Tuvalu is constantly threatened by climate change impacts by way of increasingly severe natural disasters and sea level rise. The steady rise in sea levels may well submerge this small island nation, and growing numbers of small islands in the Pacific have already disappeared beneath the sea.
The uncertainties which climate change brings have sweeping implications not only for the material lives of the people, but for their spirituality. The author studies within the spirituality the theological questions raised by the people which the church needs to address, notably the question of the relation of God to climate change.
The term Te Atua literally means God and theologically, the deliberation of Te Atua is brought to the focus to the question of who and where Te Atua is in the face of this ecological crisis calls for a critical analysis of the current theological perception of Te Atua as Te Atua faamasino (divine judge) that has dominated Tuvaluan spirituality since the arrival of Christian missionaries and colonisers.
Vaa Fesokotaki is used as the hermeneutical lens through which to redefine the theology of Te Atua. It refers to the deeply interconnected and multifaceted ‘relational space’ which defines the Tuvaluan worldview.
Using this indigenous interpretive lens affirms that any reimagining of Te Atua must be grounded in the spirituality of the Tuvaluan people. As such decolonising endeavor must be ground-up and grassroots, or else it is just another theological construct imposed from afar. Tuvalu, like all Pacific Islands countries, is overwhelmingly Christian.
The people's attitude towards any issue is determined by their faith, which has been shaped by a theological tradition that goes back to the European missionaries
This book argues that the theology of God as Te Atua faamasino is problematic because it disconnects Te Atua from the suffering of the Tuvaluan people in the light of climate change and prohibits them from the understanding in depth the reality of Emmanuel — God within us. Not only for the Tuvaluans, but this book draws reflections over years since becoming aware of the ecological moral imperative of our times.
The churches and other faith communities can become rigorously effective by when it comes to speaking up about ecology, climate change and global warming.
This book can be seen as an instrument that offers some suggestions on why that might be the case that faith communities, as broadbased international organisations operating at all levels of society, might have something useful to contribute to the changes in mindset and behavior of every individual towards climate change.
The author of the book Dr. Tafue Lusama is a theologian with a strong sense for climate justice, have travelled the world advocating for the island countries challenged by the negative impacts of climate change.
He completed his Doctoral studies at the Pacific Theological College in 2021. This book is his PhD thesis, which demands a redefinition of God from a Tuvalu indigenous perspective.
■ The views expressed by the author of this article are his and not of the Pacific Theological College or this newspaper.