Former dean of UP’s Faculty of Theology and Religion Prof Johan Buitendag recently received the CLF-Elise Tempelhoff Award from the Andrew Murray Prize Fund. “I regard this award as the crowning achievement of my academic career,” he said.

Professor Johan Buitendag, a former dean of the University of Pretoria’s (UP) Faculty of Theology and Religion, has received the CLF-Elise Tempelhoff Award from the Andrew Murray Prize Fund for his contribution to the field of theology and ecology. 

Prof Buitendag has made a significant contribution to a comprehensive theological approach to ecology. He became the first South African to write a doctoral thesis on theology and ecology, and is the author and co-author of 38 articles on creation and ecology that have been recognised by scientific journals. He has also written 10 chapters in internationally recognised books about ecology.

“The press report on my award pertinently refers to my 1985 dissertation and the work I have since done in the theology and ecology field,” he says. “[I spent] almost 40 years grappling with this particular theme – in effect, it is my entire academic career. Coincidentally, I'm also turning 70 years old this year. We all are aware of the rich significance of this figure. I regard this award as the crowning achievement of my academic career. I'm so grateful to those who imagined and motivated my work.”

Many of his years of service were spent at UP, where Prof Buitendag contributed as a lecturer and in a research capacity, until he was invited to lead the Faculty of Theology and Religion as its dean. He distinguished himself in this position by pioneering its status as one of the premier faculties in the field globally, and the most respected of its kind in Africa. 

“The Faculty of Theology and Religion at UP would like to add its hearty congratulations to Prof Buitendag for this significant achievement,” a representative of the faculty said. “It is a well-deserved honour and has been joyfully celebrated by his friends, peers and former colleagues alike.”