Towards a Theology of the Environment

Towards a Theology of the Environment

Author: Paul Haffner

Publisher:

Published: 2008

Total Pages: 370

ISBN-13:

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POPE BENEDICT said at the beginning of his Pontificate that external deserts in the world are growing, because the internal deserts have become so vast. Therefore the earth's treasures no longer serve to build God's garden for all to live in, but they have been made to serve the powers of exploitation and destruction. This book is a theological investigation of the environment, and takes in scientific, biblical, moral and spiritual themes, all addressed by recent Church teaching on the subject. The starting point is a detailed analysis of the various problems assailing the environment at present. Then a distinction is made between the science of ecology and the ideological overtones which are often associated with this area. Next, an overview of Christian teaching on ecology is present as an antidote to both New Age pseudo-mysticism and political ideology. A Christian theology of the environment is then formulated which has consequences for our moral life and our prayer. PAUL HAFFNER is a priest and professor of theology at Regina Apostolorum University in Rome, visiting professor at the Pontifical Gregorian University, and adjunct lecturer at Duquesne University Roman Campus. Author of over 20 books and 100 articles on philosophical and theological themes, many of his works have been translated into several languages, including Italian, Spanish, Portuguese and Russian. Other published volumes by this author include Mystery of Creation, Mystery of the Church, The Mystery of Mary, The Mystery of Reason and The Sacramental Mystery, all from Gracewing.


The Bible and the Environment

The Bible and the Environment

Author: David G. Horrell

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2015-08-12

Total Pages: 160

ISBN-13: 1317324374

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The biblical and Christian traditions have long been seen to have legitimated and encouraged humanity's aggressive domination of nature. Biblical visions of the future, with destruction for the earth and rescue for the elect, have also discouraged any concern for the earth's future or the welfare of future generations. But we now live in a time when environmental issues are at the centre of political and ethical debate. What is needed is a new reading of the biblical tradition that can meet the challenges of the ecological issues that face humanity at the beginning of the third millennium. 'The Bible and the Environment' examines a range of biblical texts - from Genesis to Revelation - evaluating competing interpretations. The Bible provides a thoroughly ambivalent legacy. Certainly, it cannot provide straightforward teaching on care for the environment but nor can it simply be seen as an anti-ecological book. Developing an 'ecological hermeneutic' as a way of mediating between contemporary concerns and the biblical text, 'The Bible and the Environment' presents a way of productively reading the Bible in the context of contemporary ecology.


What are They Saying about Environmental Theology?

What are They Saying about Environmental Theology?

Author: John Hart

Publisher: Paulist Press

Published: 2004

Total Pages: 180

ISBN-13: 9780809142309

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"This book offers a comprehensive analysis of Catholic teachings on environmental themes by exploring official statements from Rome and the bishops of the Americas, as well as from contemporary visionary theologians". (p. [4] cover).


Ecologies of Grace

Ecologies of Grace

Author: Willis Jenkins

Publisher: Oxford University Press

Published: 2013-02-12

Total Pages: 376

ISBN-13: 0199989885

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Christianity struggles to show how living on earth matters for living with God. While people of faith increasingly seek practical ways to respond to the environmental crisis, theology has had difficulty contextualizing the crisis and interpreting the responses. In Ecologies of Grace, Willis Jenkins presents a field-shaping introduction to Christian environmental ethics that offers resources for renewing theology. Observing how religious environmental practices often draw on concepts of grace, Jenkins maps the way Christian environmental strategies draw from traditions of salvation as they engage the problems of environmental ethics. He then uses this new map to explore afresh the ecological dimensions of Christian theology. Jenkins first shows how Christian ethics uniquely frames environmental issues, and then how those approaches both challenge and reinhabit theological traditions. He identifies three major strategies for making environmental problems intelligible to Christian moral experience. Each one draws on a distinct pattern of grace as it adapts a secular approach to environmental ethics. The strategies of ecojustice, stewardship, and ecological spirituality make environments matter for Christian experience by drawing on patterns of sanctification, redemption, and deification. He then confronts the problems of each of these strategies through critical reappraisals of Thomas Aquinas, Karl Barth, and Sergei Bulgakov. Each represents a soteriological tradition which Jenkins explores as an ecology of grace, letting environmental questions guide investigation into how nature becomes significant for Christian experience. By being particularly sensitive to the ways in which environmental problems are made intelligible to Christian moral experience, Jenkins guides his readers toward a fuller understanding of Christianity and ecology. He not only makes sense of the variety of Christian environmental ethics, but by showing how environmental issues come to the heart of Christian experience, prepares fertile ground for theological renewal.


Redeeming the Time

Redeeming the Time

Author: Stephen Bede Scharper

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA

Published: 1998-06-01

Total Pages: 241

ISBN-13: 144116796X

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"A thoughtful and interesting contribution to environmental theology literature." --Choice "Richly informative and provocative." --Review for Religious "Stephen Bede Scharper has added a significant new book to the growing collection of Christian ecotheological offerings....an admirable job of summarizing the main strands of Christian environmental theologies and highlighting the most valuable contributions of each....heartfelt...There is much to celebrate in this book!...presents a comprehensible and accessible guide to the major varieties of what Scharper calls 'Christian ecological theology.'...In this book he succeeds not just in coherently summarizing a number of the most important voices in ecotheology, but also in giving us a blueprint for the changed consciousness necessary to motivate a conversion from our destructive earth-damaging behavior to a more earth-friendly way of living." --Worldviews


A Theology of the Built Environment

A Theology of the Built Environment

Author: Timothy Gorringe

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 2002-07-11

Total Pages: 300

ISBN-13: 9780521891448

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In this 2002 book, Tim Gorringe reflects theologically on the built environment as a whole.


Christianity and Ecological Theology

Christianity and Ecological Theology

Author: E. M. Conradie

Publisher: AFRICAN SUN MeDIA

Published: 2006-10-01

Total Pages: 388

ISBN-13: 1920109234

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There has been a proliferation of publications in the field of Christian ecological theology over the last three decades or so. These include a number of recent edited volumes, each covering a range of topics and consolidating many of the emerging insights in ecological theology. The call for Christian churches to respond to the environmental crisis has been reiterated numerous times in this vast corpus of literature, also in South Africa.


Eco-theology

Eco-theology

Author: Celia Deane-Drummond

Publisher: Saint Mary's Press

Published: 2008

Total Pages: 258

ISBN-13: 1599820137

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Here is comprehensive coverage of the rapidly growing field of eco-theology. Eco-Theology evaluates the merits or otherwise of contemporary eco-theologies and introduces readers to critical debates, while tracing trends from around the globe and key theological responses. The emphasis is on the theological aspects of Christian engagement with environmental issues, rather than primarily ethical or spiritual concerns. Included are further reading sections and discussion questions.


Toward an Ecology of Transfiguration

Toward an Ecology of Transfiguration

Author: John Chryssavgis

Publisher: Fordham Univ Press

Published: 2013-06-03

Total Pages: 509

ISBN-13: 0823251446

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Can Orthodox Christianity offer unique spiritual resources especially suited to the environmental concerns of today? This book makes the case that yes, it can. In addition to being the first substantial and comprehensive collection of essays, in any language, to address environmental issues from the Orthodox point of view, this volume with contributions from the most highly influential theologians and philosophers in contemporary world Orthodoxy will engage a wide audience, in academic as well as popular circles--resonating not only with Orthodox audiences but with all those in search of a fresh approach to environmental theory and ethics that can bring the resources of ancient spirituality to bear on modern challenges.