The Ecological Bankruptcy of Christianity? (7)

Conclusion

The Twentieth Century saw a gathering concern over the environmental impact of human activity. Whilst there was prior reflection by theologians such as Sittler, Lynn White Jr.'s allegation of Christian ecological bankruptcy in his famous 1967 essay lay down a profound challenge to the Christian tradition. White's accusation has prompted further analysis of Christian culpability, which has variously anchored the guilt in the Renaissance, in ancient Near East patriarchy, and in the symbiosis of Platonism with Judeo-Hebraic monotheism. Wherever blame lies specifically, it is clear that Western Christianity must carry a large amount of it.

Responses to the allegation fall into three broad types. Apologetic responses thoughtfully seek to affirm the positive ecological legacy of the Christian tradition. However, frequent emphasis on stewardship and human uniqueness reinforces the Christian anthropocentric tendency, and provides a weak set of tools for responding to the ecological crisis itself. At the more extreme end, apologetic responses can view ecology as actually anti-Christian. Reconstructionist responses uphold the accusation, and rightly seek to dissolve the dualisms that alienate God, humanity and nature, and affirm the embodied human location in nature. However, this is typically achieved by collapsing divine transcendence into divine immanence such that God becomes practically indistinguishable from nature. Whilst this may enable us to respond adequately to the ecological predicament, it might be asked to what extent such heterodox reconstructions are still Christian responses. Possibly the most promising responses are from revisionist perspectives. These accept the allegation of culpability, but apply it critically to the actual manifestations of the Christian tradition. Similarly the insights of reconstructive approaches are welcomed, but with critical evaluation. Consequently, there is recognition of the ambiguous ecological promise of the Christian tradition, and revisionist responses seek to re-engage theology with focus on the ecological motifs in both the Scriptures and the tradition. Ecological promise lies in understanding and responding to God in the world and the world in God.

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