The 1996 Kuyper Lecture

July-August 1996

WASHINGTON, D.C.—"My mission is to bring to the religious and secular publics an ethical and practical understanding of the religious and theological principles that undergird responsible environmental stewardship." That is the way Dr. Calvin B. DeWitt, the 1996 Kuyper Lecturer, describes his calling as a Christian academic and environmental activist. It is also the theme he will be addressing when he delivers the second Kuyper Lecture on October 31 in Pasadena, California. This second Kuyper Lecture is being offered in cooperation with Fuller Theological Seminary, whose president, Richard Mouw, is a long-time Center associate.

DeWitt maintains a heavy schedule of professional activities. His chief responsibility is as professor of environmental studies at the University of Wisconsin (Madison), which last year bestowed on him the Chancellor's Award for Distinguished Teaching. He has published widely on a variety of scientific subjects, especially in the area of wetlands conservation, as well as on subjects at the intersection of theology and the environment. He was one of the authors of the influential book Earthkeeping: Christian Stewardship of Natural Resources, first published by Eerdmans in 1980, and contributed as well to its sequel, Earthkeeping in the Nineties.

In 1979 DeWitt founded the Au Sable Institute of Environmental Studies in Mancelona, Michigan, where he still serves as director. Through an active program that includes publications, classes, and curriculum development, the institute aims to further the integration of scientific and religious knowledge in order to increase respect for God's creation. DeWitt initiated and still administers the Au Sable Forum on theology, science, and environmental stewardship, whose proceedings have resulted in a series of monographs, including The Environment and the Christian and Evangelical Theology and the Environment.

DeWitt's dedication to public service has manifested itself in a variety of ways. He has served in several capacities at the local-government level, grants frequent media interviews, and has served on several church commissions on world hunger and environmental stewardship. DeWitt has also served on the boards of several Christian public policy organizations, including the Center for Public Justice. In 1992 DeWitt helped found the Evangelical Environmental Network, whose $1 million campaign in support of the Endangered Species Act has garnered DeWitt and EEN major media attention. Part of that initiative involves mailing "Let the Earth Be Glad" education kits to thousands of evangelical churches.