Theological Foundations for Environmental Ethics

Theological Foundations for Environmental Ethics PDF Author: James Schaefer
Publisher: Georgetown University Press
ISBN: 1589016114
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 335

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Book Description
Earth is imperiled. Human activities are adversely affecting the land, water, air, and myriad forms of biological life that comprise the ecosystems of our planet. Indicators of global warming and holes in the ozone layer inhibit functions vital to the biosphere. Environmental damage to the planet becomes damaging to human health and well-being now and into the future—and too often that damage affects those who are least able to protect themselves. Can religion make a positive contribution to preventing further destruction of biological diversity and ecosystems and threats to our earth? Jame Schaefer thinks that it can, and she examines the thought of Christian Church fathers and medieval theologians to reveal and retrieve insights that may speak to our current plight. By reconstructing the teachings of Augustine, Thomas Aquinas, and other classic thinkers to reflect our current scientific understanding of the world, Schaefer shows how to "green" the Catholic faith: to value the goodness of creation, to appreciate the beauty of creation, to respect creation's praise for God, to acknowledge the kinship of all creatures, to use creation with gratitude and restraint, and to live virtuously within the earth community.

Theological Foundations for Environmental Ethics

Theological Foundations for Environmental Ethics PDF Author: James Schaefer
Publisher: Georgetown University Press
ISBN: 1589016114
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 335

Get Book Here

Book Description
Earth is imperiled. Human activities are adversely affecting the land, water, air, and myriad forms of biological life that comprise the ecosystems of our planet. Indicators of global warming and holes in the ozone layer inhibit functions vital to the biosphere. Environmental damage to the planet becomes damaging to human health and well-being now and into the future—and too often that damage affects those who are least able to protect themselves. Can religion make a positive contribution to preventing further destruction of biological diversity and ecosystems and threats to our earth? Jame Schaefer thinks that it can, and she examines the thought of Christian Church fathers and medieval theologians to reveal and retrieve insights that may speak to our current plight. By reconstructing the teachings of Augustine, Thomas Aquinas, and other classic thinkers to reflect our current scientific understanding of the world, Schaefer shows how to "green" the Catholic faith: to value the goodness of creation, to appreciate the beauty of creation, to respect creation's praise for God, to acknowledge the kinship of all creatures, to use creation with gratitude and restraint, and to live virtuously within the earth community.

Ethics as Worship: The Pursuit of Moral Discipleship

Ethics as Worship: The Pursuit of Moral Discipleship PDF Author: Mark Liederbach
Publisher: P & R Publishing
ISBN: 9781629952628
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 784

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Book Description
"Ethics as Worship examines the foundations and application of Christian ethics, offering an ethical system that emphasizes the worship of God as motivation, method, and goal of the ethical endeavor"--

Environmental Science and Theology in Dialogue

Environmental Science and Theology in Dialogue PDF Author: Russell A. Butkus
Publisher: Orbis Books
ISBN: 157075912X
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 257

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Book Description
This work demonstrates how understanding environmental science and theology can provide new resources for sustaining the Earth. With sidebars, discussion questions, and recommended readings, the book provides students with a text that nurtures both critical thinking and ethical action.

Introducing Evangelical Ecotheology

Introducing Evangelical Ecotheology PDF Author: Daniel L. Brunner
Publisher: Baker Academic
ISBN: 1441221425
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 395

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Book Description
Today's church finds itself in a new world, one in which climate change and ecological degradation are front-page news. In the eyes of many, the evangelical community has been slow to take up a call to creation care. How do Christians address this issue in a faithful way? This evangelically centered but ecumenically informed introduction to ecological theology (ecotheology) explores the global dimensions of creation care, calling Christians to meet contemporary ecological challenges with courage and hope. The book provides a biblical, theological, ecological, and historical rationale for earthcare as well as specific practices to engage both individuals and churches. Drawing from a variety of Christian traditions, the book promotes a spirit of hospitality, civility, honesty, and partnership. It includes a foreword by Bill McKibben and an afterword by Matthew Sleeth.

Environmental Ethics, Ecological Theology, and Natural Selection

Environmental Ethics, Ecological Theology, and Natural Selection PDF Author: Lisa H. Sideris
Publisher: Columbia University Press
ISBN: 0231126611
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 323

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Book Description
Lisa Sideris proposes a new way of thinking about the natural world, an environmental ethic that incorporates the ideas of natural selection and values the processes rather than the products of nature. Such an approach encourages us to take a minimally interventionist approach to nature. Only when the competitive realities of evolution are faced squarely, Sideris argues, can we generate practical environmental principles to deal with such issues as species extinction and the relationship between suffering and sentience.

Theological Foundations for Environmental Ethics

Theological Foundations for Environmental Ethics PDF Author: Jame Schaefer
Publisher: Georgetown University Press
ISBN: 1589012682
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 334

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Book Description
This book asks whether religion can make a positive contribution to preventing further destruction of biological diversity and ecosystems and threats to our earth. The author reconstructs the teachings of Augustine, Thomas Aquinas and other classic thinkers to reflect our current scientific understanding of the world.

Let Creation Rejoice

Let Creation Rejoice PDF Author: Jonathan A. Moo
Publisher: InterVarsity Press
ISBN: 083089635X
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 191

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Book Description
The Bible is full of images of God caring for his creation in all its complexity. Yet experts warn us that a so-called perfect storm of factors threatens the future of life on earth. The authors assess the evidence for climate change and other threats that our planet faces in the coming decades while pointing to the hope God offers the world and the people he made.

An Introduction to Christian Environmentalism

An Introduction to Christian Environmentalism PDF Author: Associate Professor and Chair Kathryn D Blanchard
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781481315005
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 230

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Book Description
Christians share a common concern for the earth. Evangelicals emphasize creation care; mainline Protestants embrace the green movement; the Catholic Church lists 10 deadly environmental sins; and the Eastern Orthodox Patriarch has declared climate change an urgent issue of social and economic justice. This textbook examines seven contemporary environmental challenges through the lens of classical Christian virtues. Authors Kathryn Blanchard and Kevin O'Brien use these classical Christian virtues to seek a golden mean between extreme positions by pairing each virtue with a pernicious environmental problem. Students are thus led past political pitfalls and encouraged to care for other creatures prudently, to develop new energy sources courageously, to choose our food temperately, to manage toxic pollution justly, to respond to climate change faithfully, to consider humanity's future hopefully, and to engage lovingly in advocacy for God's earth. Readers will emerge from this text with a deeper understanding of contemporary environmental problems and the fundamentals of Christian virtue ethics.

Beyond Stewardship

Beyond Stewardship PDF Author: David P. Warners
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781937555382
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 252

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Book Description
Beyond Stewardship is intended to equip Christians to live better in this world by helping us all think more intentionally about the relationship we have with the nonhuman creation in which we are necessarily and thoroughly embedded. It responds to these questions: "What if God didn't place humans on earth to be stewards of creation, but something else?" and "if not stewards, then what?" The chapters in Beyond Stewardship are written by scholars from diverse disciplines who share a deep passion for a flourishing creation. Each chapter begins with a compelling story that draws the reader into new ways of thinking. Each author then looks beyond stewardship from the context of her or his own discipline and experiences. Some reimagine creation care by expanding on the traditional notion of stewardship. Others set aside the stewardship model and offer alternative ways to understand our presence within the broader creation. The chapters mark out ways to live better in the places we inhabit as individuals, communities, and institutions. Collectively, the essays in Beyond Stewardship offer an expanded and enlivened understanding of the place of humans in the context of God's creation.

The Future of Ethics

The Future of Ethics PDF Author: Willis Jenkins
Publisher: Georgetown University Press
ISBN: 162616018X
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 350

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Book Description
The Future of Ethics interprets the big questions of sustainability and social justice through the practical problems arising from humanity’s increasing power over basic systems of life. What does climate change mean for our obligations to future generations? How can the sciences work with pluralist cultures in ways that will help societies learn from ecological change? Traditional religious ethics examines texts and traditions and highlights principles and virtuous behaviors that can apply to particular issues. Willis Jenkins develops lines of practical inquiry through "prophetic pragmatism," an approach to ethics that begins with concrete problems and adapts to changing circumstances. This brand of pragmatism takes its cues from liberationist theology, with its emphasis on how individuals and communities actually cope with overwhelming problems. Can religious communities make a difference when dealing with these issues? By integrating environmental sciences and theological ethics into problem-based engagements with philosophy, economics, and other disciplines, Jenkins illustrates the wide understanding and moral creativity needed to live well in the new conditions of human power. He shows the significance of religious thought to the development of interdisciplinary responses to sustainability issues and how this calls for a new style of religious ethics.