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Norman Wirzba

Gilbert T. Rowe Distinguished Professor of Christian Theology
Divinity School
Duke Box 90967, Durham, NC 27708
407 Chapel Drive, 211B Gray Building, Durham, NC 27708

Overview


Norman Wirzba pursues research and teaching interests at the intersections of theology, philosophy, ecology, and agrarian and environmental studies. He lectures frequently in Canada and the United States. His work focuses on understanding and promoting practices that can equip both rural and urban church communities to be more faithful and responsible members of creation. Current research is centered on a recovery of the doctrine of creation and a restatement of humanity in terms of its creaturely life.

Professor Wirzba has published The Paradise of God: Renewing Religion in an Ecological Age and Living the Sabbath: Discovering the Rhythms of Rest and Delight. His most recent books are Food and Faith: A Theology of Eating and (with Fred Bahnson) Making Peace with the Land: God’s Call to Reconcile with Creation. He also has edited several books, including The Essential Agrarian Reader: The Future of Culture, Community, and the Land and The Art of the Commonplace: The Agrarian Essays of Wendell Berry.

Professor Wirzba serves as general editor for the book series Culture of the Land: A Series in the New Agrarianism, published by the University Press of Kentucky, and is co-founder and executive committee member of the Society for Continental Philosophy and Theology.

Current Appointments & Affiliations


Gilbert T. Rowe Distinguished Professor of Christian Theology · 2018 - Present Divinity School
Professor of Theology, Ecology, and Agrarian Studies · 2013 - Present Divinity School

In the News


Published March 19, 2025
Transformative Ideas and POLIS Programs Bring Serious Fun
Published March 17, 2025
Putting Climate Talk on Low Heat
Published January 22, 2025
From Philosophy to the U.S. Court of Appeals, Duke Authors Cover Big Topics

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Recent Publications


Major Reviews

Journal Article Interpretation: A Journal of Bible and Theology · January 2024 Full text Cite

Love's Braided Dance: Hope in a Time of Crisis

Book · January 1, 2024 A moving exploration of the place of hope in the world today, drawing on agrarian principles In this series of meditations, Norman Wirzba recasts hope not as something people have, like a vaccine to prevent pain and trouble, but as something people do. Hop ... Cite
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Recent Grants


Considering Hope in an Anthropocene World

Institutional SupportPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by Issachar Fund · 2021 - 2022

Rethinking Humanity's Place in an Anthropocene World

ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by Henry Luce Foundation, Inc. · 2016 - 2022

A Human Place in the World: A Human Place in the World

Institutional SupportPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by Association of Theological Schools · 2014 - 2016

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Education, Training & Certifications


Loyola University, Chicago · 1994 Ph.D.
Loyola University, Chicago · 1991 M.A.
Yale University · 1988 M.A.