Kevin J. O’Brien

Professor of Christian and Environmental Ethics

he/him

Kevin J. O’Brien

Phone: 253-535-7239

Email: obrien@plu.edu

Office Location: Xavier Hall - 254

Curriculum Vitae: View my CV

  • Professional
  • Biography

Education

  • Ph.D., Ethics and Society, Emory University, 2006
  • M.A., Theology, Union Theological Seminary, NY, 2001
  • B.A., Religion, Earlham College, Richmond, IN, 1999

Areas of Emphasis or Expertise

  • Christian Social Ethics
  • Environmental Ethics

Books

  • Environmental Ethics and Uncertainty: Wrestling with Wicked Problems, with Dr. Whitney A. Bauman (Routledge 2019) : View Book
  • The Violence of Climate Change: Lessons of Resistance from Nonviolent Activists (Georgetown University Press 2017) : View Book
  • An Introduction to Christian Environmentalism: Ecology, Virtue, and Ethics co-authored with Kathryn D. Blanchard (Baylor University Press 2014) : View Book
  • Inherited Land: The Changing Grounds of Religion and Ecology co-edited with Dr. Whitney A. Bauman and Dr. Richard R. Bohannon (Pickwick Publications 2011) : View Book
  • An Ethics of Biodiversity: Christianity, Ecology, and the Variety of Life (Georgetown University Press 2010) : View Book
  • Grounding Religion: A Field Guide to the Study of Religion and Ecology co-edited with Dr. Whitney A. Bauman and Dr. Richard R. Bohannon (Routledge 2010) : View Book

Selected Articles

  • "Balancing Critique and Commitment: A Synthetic Approach to Teaching Religion and the Environment." Teaching Theology and Religion Vol. 17.3, 2014:
  • "Prophets Meet Profits: The Virtues of Christian Ecological Ethics and Free Market Environmentalism with Kathryn D. Blanchard." The Journal of the Society of Christian Ethics Vol. 34.1, 2014:
  • "Playing God: Religion in the Geoengineering Debate with Forrest Klingerman." Bulletin of Atomic Scientists Vol. May/June, 2014:
  • "The 'War' Against Climate Change and Christian Eco-Justice: Ethical Implications of Martial Rhetoric." Worldviews: Global Religions, Culture, and Ecology Vol. 17, 2013:
  • "La Causa and Environmental Justice: César Chávez as a Resource for 21st Century Christian Ecological Ethics." The Journal of the Society of Christian Ethics Vol. 32:1, 2012:

Accolades

  • K.T. Tang Faculty Excellence Award in Research 2015-2016, Pacific Lutheran University

Biography

Kevin J. O’Brien teaches courses in Christian ecological ethics, religion and environment. He also teaches comparative ethics and Christian ethics in the religion department. His research focuses on the interconnections between religious faith and social justice, human ethics and environmental concerns, scientific data and moral commitments. He is the author of the forthcoming book The Violence of Climate Change: Lessons of Resistance from Nonviolent Activists (Georgetown 2017).