50 Key Concepts in Theology
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50 Key Concepts in Theology - Rayment-Pickard
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- We shall continue to have a worsening ecological crisis until we reject the Christian axiom that nature has no reason for existence save to serve
- Roger Gottlieb (ed.), This Sacred Earth, Routledge, 2003)
- Ecotheology: Voices from South and North
Ecotheology
Theology that affirms the primacy and importance of the natural cosmos. In the past 30 years or so, the traditional doctrine of creation has faced a fundamental challenge from ecological theologians who argue that the Christian creation myth supports the supremacy of humanity over creation, rather than the mutual interdependence of humanity and nature. The idea, set out in the book of Genesis, that we have ‘dominion’ over nature and are entitled to do what we like to the world, has allegedly given theological justification to our abuse of nature and its resources: We shall continue to have a worsening ecological crisis until we reject the Christian axiom that nature has no reason for existence save to serve man … Both our present science and our present technology are so tinctured with orthodox Christian arrogance toward nature that no solution for our ecological crisis can be expected from them alone. Since the roots of our trouble are so largely religious, the remedy must also be essentially religious, whether we call it that or not. (Lynn White, ‘On the Historical Roots of our Ecological Crisis’, in Roger Gottlieb (ed.), This Sacred Earth, Routledge, 2003) The human abuse of nature has become ever more obvious as our industries and technologies have started to impact on the natural environment. Global warming is an obvious example, but there are plenty of others: bio- technology, intensive farming, deforestation, the exploitation of finite natural resources, and pollution. As the negative, even catastrophic, effects of our abuse of nature become clear, so theologians have begun to question the theological premise that nature is ours to use as we wish. The traditionally anthropocentric view of creation has been unsettled, and it is now suggested that humans should be regarded as just another part of nature, rather than nature’s crowning glory. So-called ‘ecotheology’ offers an understanding of creation as a cosmic system which incorporates humanity. Human beings do not have rights of dominion over nature, but are within nature, and must look to it to understand what it means to be human. This implies a revision of the traditional view of God, which has emphasised God’s power over the natural world, rather than his nurturing creativity within the cosmos. Unlike some academic theology, ecotheology has direct implications both for individual conduct and for policy at every level of government, from the local council to the United Nations. It may be possible to study narrative theology, for example, and leave one’s personal and political life unchallenged, but ecotheology concerns our global human livelihood and cannot be a merely theoretical pursuit. THINKERS St Augustine (354–430) argued strongly against Gnostics, such as the Manicheans, that God was the sole creator and that he had made a good creation. Sallie McFague (1933– ) argues that we need to coin new ‘immanental’ metaphors for God which do not portray him as a monarch, dominating and controlling nature. Lynn White (1907–87) published a seminal article in 1967, ‘The Historical Roots of our Ecological Crisis’. White argued that our modern ecological difficulties originate in Christian ideas about humanity’s relationship with nature. IDEAS Cosmic Christianity: a term used by Mircea Eliade to describe forms of agrarian Christianity which emphasise the human relationship with the cosmos, the cycle of the seasons and the use of symbols drawn from the natural world. Creation ordinances: a term which refers to the basic regulations set down by God at the time of creation, such as keeping the Sabbath and the institution of marriage. Dominionism/dominion theology: a right-wing theology in the United States that supports ideas of Christian theocracy and the Christian entitlement to ‘subdue’ and ‘dominate’ the world. Specieism: a term used by Peter Singer in his book, Animal Liberation, A New Ethic for Our Treatment of Animals (1975). Specieism refers to the exploitation of other animal species by human beings. BOOKS Sallie McFague, The Body of God: An Ecological Theology (SCM Press, 1993) H. Paul Santmire, The Travail of Nature: The Ambiguous Ecological Promise of Christian Theology (Augsburg Fortress Press, 1985) David G. Hallman (ed.), Ecotheology: Voices from South and North (Orbis Books, 1996) Matthew Fox, A New Reformation: Creation Spirituality and the Transformation of Christianity (Inner Traditions, 2006) |
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