This summer, we have been experiencing record-breaking temperatures scorching the United States, Europe and much of the globe. The Earth is crying out from the consequences of climate change. Forests are burning, animals are fleeing or perishing, plants are withering, and vulnerable communities—especially the poor and marginalized—are suffering greatly.
This is more than a scientific crisis; it is a spiritual crisis. The climate emergency confronts us with a profound theological question: how do we respond when God’s creation cries out in pain and suffering?
There is a correlation between our theological frameworks and the environmental destruction we are contributing to. Traditionally, God has been viewed as a powerful, masculine ruler who commands, controls and dominates over the Earth and us. This view of an almighty patriarchal God has influenced not only our relationship with God, but also our relationships with each other and with the Earth.
Consequently, this understanding of God has not only led to the subordination of women, but also to the destruction of the Earth. It taught us to imitate a patriarchal dominator and excuse our exploitation of nature, over-consumption of goods, and pollution of the Earth.
This has caused deep harm to the Earth, to one another and our spiritual selves. We need a new theology and new ways of imagining God that will reverse our actions and push us towards care for creation.
Moving away from a patriarchal, domineering theology to a theology of verbs can be a helpful way in our fight against climate change. The process of reimagining God as a verb can remind us that we cannot limit God’s ‘god-ness’ to stagnant metaphors and nouns that only reinforce patriarchy and domination.
In my new book, Earthbound, I discuss Thomas Aquinas, who reframes the divine as be-ing itself: an active, generative presence that animates all of existence. God is not a figure to be captured by human categories as we have done in the past, but God is the very mystery and vitality of life unfolding.
Be-ing is more than existence; it is the dynamic, continuous act of becoming, as God is ever moving, ever present and ever creating. This understanding of the divine invites us to see God not as a distant observer who is far away from us, but as deeply relational, emergent, responsive and intimately involved in the world and our lives.
God as Be-ing calls all of creation into life, movement and flourishing. In this divine dance of becoming, we are invited to participate as co-creators in the unfolding of love and life itself.
Seeing God as a verb “to be” rather than the traditional way as a noun is liberating and empowering, as it sets a dynamic, non-gendered and non-racialized way of speaking and imagining about God. It embraces God’s activity, which transforms our ways of thinking about and relating to God for our lives today.
This is especially important in our contemporary context, where ecological crisis, social injustice and spiritual disconnection demand new ways of imagining the divine. To change our ways and address this enormous climate change problem, we need to shift from patriarchal metaphors and to understand God as Be-ing who is intimately involved in the unfolding of life, suffering with creation, and is calling it toward healing and renewal.
God is not outside the world looking in, but within the very processes that sustain life.
Reframing God as a verb is not only a linguistic shift but also a theological invitation to encounter the Divine in the ongoing flow of life, justice and relationship. It challenges us to move beyond rigid conceptions and embrace a God who is constantly at work in the world, drawing us into co-creative partnership with all of creation.
In this way, we are encouraged to work for climate justice and seek ways to live sustainably and justly, not only for people but for all of creation. It helps us move away from static, imperial images of God and embrace a dynamic, relational understanding.
This will help us work towards healing the Earth and ourselves. It provokes us to change how we view ourselves, treat one another, and how we live on the planet.
This is a sacred and spiritual call, and we must respond urgently. The Earth is suffering, and creation is crying out in pain as storms rage, temperatures increase and the Earth is destroyed.
These are not just natural disasters but are the Earth’s lament and cry for justice. We must act now before it is too late.
*For further discussion, please read Grace Ji-Sun Kim’s new book, Earthbound: God at the Intersection of Climate and Justice.
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