The Groaning of Creation (Romans 8:19-22) and the Ecological Devastation of the Niger Delta, Nigeria

Peter Chidolue Onwuka ORCID iD  

Issue: Vol.10 No.4 April 2024 Issue  Article 4  pp. 97-105
DOI : https://doi.org/10.38159/erats.20241044|   Published online 12th April, 2024.
© 2024 The Author(s). This is an open access article under the CCBY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

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This work studied Romans 8:19-22 with a focus on the frustration human actions bring to the non-material creation which makes it yearn to be liberated from them and tries to see its relationship to the ecological devastation in the Niger Delta, Nigeria. Using the historical-critical method of exegesis and comparative and contextual methods it maintains that there is a relationship between the image of creation painted in Rom 8:19-22 and the ecological situation in the Niger Delta. It holds that since humans played a major role in rendering the non-material creation incapable of realising its natural goal, humans also have a role to play in its restoration. It further states that since humanity through the Christ event has been reconciled to God and looks forward to the realisation of the fullness of such reconciliation, reconciled humans should relate to the rest of creation in such a way that it will also experience the effect of this reconciliation as it awaits its fullness in future. The paper contributes to the discussion on environmental realised eschatology.

Keywords: Creation, Groaning, Niger Delta, Environment, Pollution

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Peter Chidolue Onwuka is a Priest of the Catholic Diocese of Nnewi, Nigeria and a Lecturer at the Catholic Institute of West Africa, Port Harcourt, Nigeria. He holds a doctorate degree in Sacred Theology with specialization in Biblical Theology from Pontifical Gregorian University Rome.

Onwuka, Peter Chidolue. “The Groaning of Creation (Romans 8:19-22) and the Ecological Devastation of the Niger Delta, Nigeria,” E-Journal of Religious and Theological Studies, 10 no.4 (2024): 97-105. https://doi.org/10.38159/erats.20241044

© 2024 The Author(s). Published and Maintained by Noyam Journals. This is an open access article under the CCBY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

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