Global Ecological Crisis

1
Global Ecological Crisis Is God or Humanity to
Blame?
Dr Cherryl Hunt, University of Exeter
2
Global Ecological CrisisThe immediate causes

• Human population
• Use of resources
• Industrialisation
• Production of toxins pollution
• Potential for major climate change
• ALSO political and economic issues

3
Global Ecological Crisis The problem

• Decrease in numbers of individual organisms
• Decrease in number of different species
  (diversity)
• Destruction of habitats and whole ecosystems -
  soil erosion

4
Ecological Crisis and BibleThe problem

• Decrease in available land for cultivation and
  for accommodation
• Possible threat to all life forms -except bacteria

5
Global Ecological Crisis Faith and Faith Texts

• Theistic Worldview
• Some texts or stories common to three Abrahamic
  faiths.
• Some similarities in environmental ethics
• Faith
• cause of problems?
• leads to complacency?
• any resources with which to think about how we
  treat the planet?

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Global Ecological Crisis Christians to blame
because they treat the earth as expendable?

• James Watt
• I do not know how many future generations we can
  count on before the Lord returns
• Constance Cumbey
• Our peace was to be with God not natureGod was
  going to make all things new not redeem nature
  along with man

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Global Ecological Crisis Is the Bible to blame?

• 2 Peter 37
• by the same word the present heavens and earth
  have been reserved for fire, being kept until the
  day of judgment and destruction of the godless
• 2 Peter 310
• the heavens will pass away and the elements
  will be dissolved with fire, and the earth and
  everything that is done on it will be disclosed

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Global Ecological Crisis Is the Bible to blame?

• 2 Peter 312-13
• the heavens will be set ablaze and dissolved,
  and the elements will melt with fire.we wait for
  a new heavens and a new earth, where
  righteousness is at home

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Global Ecological Crisis Is the Bible to blame?

• Revelation 211
• I saw a new heaven and a new earth for the
  first heaven and the first earth had passed away,
  and the sea was no more
• (See also Joel 230-321 Mark 13)

10
Global Ecological Crisis Christians to blame
because they treat the earth as exploitable?

• Lynn White Christian teaching
• ..is the most anthropocentric religion the world
  has ever seen
• ..not only established a dualism of man and
  nature but also insisted that it is Gods will
  that man exploit nature for his proper ends

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Global Ecological Crisis Christians to blame
because they treat the earth as exploitable?

• Lynn White Christian teaching
• ..made it possible to exploit nature in a mood of
  indifference to the feelings of natural objects.
• Mans effective monopoly ..was confirmed and the
  old inhibitions to the exploitation of nature
  crumbled.

12
Global Ecological Crisis Christians to blame
because they try to domesticate the earth?

• Calvin Beisner
• devastation as part of Gods dealings with
  people
• wilderness speaks of loss of mans dominion
• technological change a foretaste of the
  restoration of the cursed creation foretold by
  Paul and entailed by the incarnation, death, and
  resurrection of Christ.

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Global Ecological Crisis Is the Bible to blame?

• Genesis 128-30
• fill the earth and subdue it have dominion
  over the fish of the sea and over the birds of
  the air and over every living thing that moves
  upon the earth
• Genesis 2 15
• God took the man and put him in the garden of
  Eden to till it and keep it

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Global Ecological Crisis Possible responses to
sacred texts

• The Bible is of little or no use because
• it is the cause of present troubles.
• it deals primarily with the relationship between
  God and humanity.

• The Bible may have been used to justify
  exploitation of the earth however, it is really
  very green and provides lots of resources with
  which to construct a positive environmental ethic.

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Global Ecological Crisis Possible response -
stewardship

• Genesis 128-30
• fill the earth and subdue it have dominion
  over the fish of the sea and over the birds of
  the air and over every living thing that moves
  upon the earth
• Genesis 2 15
• God took the man and put him in the garden of
  Eden to till it and keep it

16
Global Ecological CrisisPossible responses -
stewardship

• Dominion means stewardship
• subdue may relate to creations relationship
  with chaos
• we should rule in similar manner to God i.e.
  caringly
• The land belongs to God we are tenants

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Global Ecological CrisisPossible response
creations intrinsic worth

• Other creation is good even without humans
  (e.g. Gen 1.10, 12, etc)
• creation praises God (e.g. Ps 19, 96)
• God cares for the birds and flowers (Mt. 6.25-34
  cf also Job 38 41)

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Global Ecological Crisis Possible response
creation has a destiny

• Isaiah 11.6-8 6517-25
• new heavens and earth
• wolf and lamb, leopard and kid, lie down together
• lion eats straw
• child and asp

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Global Ecological Crisis Possible response
creation has a destiny

• Colossians 115-20
• ...through him God was pleased to reconcile to
  himself all things, whether on earth or in
  heaven
• Romans 818-23
• .the creation was subjected to futility..in
  hope that the creation itself will be set free
  from its bondage to decay and will obtain the
  freedom of the glory of the children of God

20
Global Ecological CrisisPossible response
creation has a destiny

• Use of Romans 8 and Colossians 1 to argue that
  redemption is cosmic in scope
• Renewal of earth and heaven downplay verses
  suggesting destruction

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Global Ecological CrisisPossible responses
Green Christianity

• Creation accounts
• Laws about land
• Psalms of praise
• Promise of new earth
• Creation-centred Christ
• Cosmic redemption

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Global Ecological Crisis and BiblePossible
responses Green wash??

• Jesus, his ministry and his teaching embedded in
  nature
• The role of animal sacrifice
• tendency to view through green-tinted glasses?

23
Global Ecological Crisis God (sacred texts) or
human greed and selfishness to blame?

• need to acknowledge nature of texts
• need to read the texts in our current situation
• need to read humbly, to acknowledge our
  spectacles and let the text challenge us
• need to read in community