Knektid.com

Christianity as an Ecologically Sensitive Religion

October 17, 2008

Many experts estimate there are over two billion Christians in the world, representing roughly one third of the total human population. The perseverance and growth of the religion over the past two millennia is a testament to the unwavering force of the faith. Christianity will never be replaced, but it will inevitably undergo adaptations and reinterpretations to reflect the environmental crises that are afflicting our planet.

“With the population explosion, the carcinoma of planless urbanism, the now geological deposits of sewage and garbage, surely no creature other than man has ever managed to foul its nest in such short order” (219).

Lynn White attributes the rapid decimation of the natural world largely to the doctrines of the Christian faith. She challenges those who believe “God planned all of this explicitly for man’s benefit and rule: no item in the physical creation had any purpose save to serve man’s purposes” (221). Indeed, White asserts that “Christianity is the most anthropocentric religion the world has seen” (221). With this in mind, however, there is still reason to believe that we can avert ecolological disaster in the context of the Christian value system.

The strength of the Christian faith during its ascendance has been its adaptability. The church has shown a remarkable ability to present new interpretations of scripture that reflect the sentiment and will of its followers. Christianity may soon find it imperative to adapt again in the face of overwhelming geologic change at the hands of human beings. Our current course is unsustainable and a populace that is clamoring for action may spur a rethinking of the notion that “man and nature are two things, and man is master” (221).

Filed under: Perspectives on the Environment