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The Ecological Bankruptcy of Christianity? (2)
Today is the first installment of my Advanced Workshop essay on the ecological crisis and the culpability of Christianity. I'm gonna tease you and just publish the introduction today, which outlines the structure of the essay. So, you should be able to guess from here what you're going to get for each of the next five days at least.As always, comments and reflections are most welcome.
Critically evaluate the range of Christian responses to the accusation that attitudes toward creation found in the Bible have been a root cause of the current environmental crisis.
As the environmental crisis deepens and climate change accelerates, it is clear that scientific and technological advances in the so-called 'developed' world in the last four centuries in particular have precipitated the impending disaster. In examining the root causes, cultural values and ideologies that have brought the Earth to this crisis point, it has been alleged, as the title of this essay suggests, that the Western Christian tradition is 'ecologically bankrupt.'[1] This has, of course, given rise to a spectrum of responses from within the Christian tradition, ranging from rejecting the allegations at one extreme to rejecting Christianity at the other, but has also provoked much positive reflection and self-examination.
In this essay I shall first examine the accusations levelled at Christian attitudes to creation, which Santmire refers to as the 'critical ecological wisdom.'[2] This was given its most influential articulation in the celebrated 1967 essay by Lynn White, Jr., in Science, 'The Historical Roots of our Ecological Crisis,' which has precipitated further critical assessment of historic readings of the Bible.[3] Christian responses to the allegations of culpability can be classified in the following typology: those characterised by an apologetic defence of the present position; those that seek a reconstruction of dominant Christian theology; those that propose a revisionary re-examination of Christian theologies of nature in the light of these allegations.[4] I shall examine each of these in turn before offering some concluding thoughts.
Footnotes
[1] H. Paul Santmire, The Travail of Nature: The Ambiguous Ecological Promise of Christian Theology (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1985), 1.
[2] Santmire, Travail, 1.
[3] Lynn White, Jr., 'The Historical Roots of our Ecological Crisis,' in, The Care of Creation: Focusing Concern and Action (R. J. Berry, ed.; Leicester: IVP, 2000), 31-42; repr., with anglicisations, from Science 155 (1967): 1203-07.
[4] This typology is derived from H. Paul Santmire, Nature Reborn: The Ecological and Cosmic Promise of Christian Theology (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2000), 6-8. Lawrence Osborn categories Christian responses similarly, opting for a more alliterative typology: reaction; reconstruction; re-examination. Cf. Lawrence Osborn, Guardians of Creation: Nature in Theology and the Christian Life (Leicester: Apollos, 1993), 60-61.
So, tomorrow's installment will cover Lynn White Jr.'s ecological condemnation of Christianity, and the subsequent critique and adaption of the 'Lynn White thesis.'
You may like to look back at the rationale for publishing my unmarked essay.
See you tomorrow!
April 25, 2006 - 10:43am
Interesting topic - I suspect that people use the bible rather indiscriminately to make it say whatever they want it to say. Hence you find Christians with a very wide range of ecological worldview.
I think I'd struggle to say that western christianity was 'ecologically bankrupt' on the basis that tarrs everyone with the same brush, when the truth is that many christians are working very hard to make changes. As a whole, Christians are pretty apathetic - but how much of that is due to societal influences and how much due to church-think? Also, I suspect that on the whole, Christianity has become rather a marginalised activity in most peoples' lives (ie 'I do church, you play golf, he plays scrabble').
Anyway, interesting as ever Joe. I look forward to reading the rest.
JT
April 26, 2006 - 11:43am
I know what you mean, Joe.
It does seems that Protestant Christianity, for example, has such a strong emphasis on crucicentrism and salvation by faith that many other issues are marginalised. There is little by way of a 'doctrine of creation' and what there is is not seen as central to 'The Gospel,' so, as you say, the Bible is often used indiscriminately.
April 29, 2006 - 8:47pm
Hi,
I can't tell you how glad I am that you are engaging on this topic and that you are sharing your essay... thankyou..!!
for me the level of apathy of Christianity about Creation is kind of demonstrated -and what it means or who does what- is demonstrated by the lack of available or specific Christian organisations/focus groups (or profile perhaps?)..... seems that's what the questioner is finding too..
[I was especially alerted to this when some arty folk went to a Christian Arts Festival... and asking them what they enjoyed... I was surprised when they told me how they hung out at the stall place amongst the organisations that were concerned about the environment...!! they had never seen anysuch!! and for them coming from New Agey sort of landscape they were conscious about issues such as food and health that bypass Christians... generally....
the thing about the environment and other issues of importance is that is that very few folks (ie outside of Christianity) seem clued up or bothered I mean generally ... and those that are are sometimes priveleged and self focused ... or a little too radical ..for comfort? in politics 'environment' seems to be about how to put urban living and concrete into the countryside]
...concerned with there might be a crisis...?
....that needs tending to?....
actually I know there is.. and that folk -deep down- know there is? and it's a big one? I know that people are uncomfortable to talk about it .. within priorities of group activities within communities ... already energies stretched ..within the urban or settled landscape of their faith and faith priorities or fit in practises etc or direction of what to do? from the distance of urban living etc with so many issues and priorities and issues to tend to.. we don't get enough prompting ....
we do need to say sorry and offer ourselves to put things right is easy to say ? seems too easy to delay .. I am certainly thakful to those that are doing one or more of the various and many Ministries.... one thing we can do or should I say I can do is pray about it
hey....shouldn't we be the vanguard movement... Christians/ecologists is all one surely?
GOD BLESS!
Peace and Love,
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