Eco Reformation

In 2017 Christians around the world will mark the five hundredth anniversary of the Reformation. In the midst of many appeals for reformation today, a growing number of theologians, scholars, and activists around the world believe Reformation celebrations in 2017 and beyond need to focus now on the urgent need for an Eco-Reformation. The rise of industrial, fossil fuel-driven capitalism and the explosive growth in human population endanger the fundamental planetary life-support systems on which life as we know it has evolved. The collective impact of human production, consumption, and reproduction is undermining the ecological systems that support human life on Earth. If human beings do not reform their relationship with God's creation, unspeakable suffering will befall many--especially the weakest and most vulnerable among all species. The conviction at the heart of this collection of essays is that a gospel call for ecological justice belongs at the heart of the five hundredth anniversary observance of the Reformation in 2017 and as a--if not the--central dimension of Christian conversion, faith, and practice into the foreseeable future. Like Luther's Ninety-Five Theses, this volume brings together critical biblical, pastoral, theological, historical, and ethical perspectives that constructively advance the vision of a socially and ecologically flourishing Earth.

Eco-Justice—The Unfinished Journey links ecological sustainability and social justice from an ethical and often theological perspective. Eco-justice, defined as the well-being of all humankind on a thriving earth, began as a movement during the 1970s, responding to massive, sobering evidence that nature imposes limits—limits to production and consumption, with profound implications for distributive justice, and limits to the human numbers sustainable by habitat earth. This collection includes contributions from the leading interpreters of the eco-justice movement as it recounts the evolution of the Eco-Justice Project, initiated by campus ministries in Rochester and Ithaca, New York. Most of these essays were originally published in the organization's journal, and they address many themes, including environmental justice, hunger, economics, and lifestyle.

Sometimes it is helpful to take one step backward, in order to take two steps forward. In this insightful volume, H. Paul Santmire draws on his long-standing and widely recognized engagement with ecological theology to propose that the traditions of the Protestant Reformation, rightly read, offer rich resources today for those who are struggling to move forward to respond theologically to the crisis of a planet in peril and thereby to celebrate nature by faith.

The Encyclopedia of Religion and Nature, originally published in 2005, is a landmark work in the burgeoning field of religion and nature. It covers a vast and interdisciplinary range of material, from thinkers to religious traditions and beyond, with clarity and style. Widely praised by reviewers and the recipient of two reference work awards since its publication (see www.religionandnature.com/ern), this new, more affordable version is a must-have book for anyone interested in the manifold and fascinating links between religion and nature, in all their many senses.

So That All May Flourish provides a substantive and accessible introduction to the vocation, educational priorities, and theological foundations of Lutheran Higher Education (LHE) and the Network of ELCA Colleges and Universities (NECU). Intended as a "primer," the book seeks to cultivate knowledge of LHE and NECU that is both appreciative, critical, and constructive. The book includes 16 chapters across three important organizing sections: Core Commitments, Distinctive Strengths, and Contemporary Callings. Each chapter is written by scholars from various NECU institutions and highlights a distinctive educational priority, explores its theological groundings, and offers examples of how it is embodied in a variety of distinctive ways on different NECU campuses. The result is a rich tour of Lutheran higher education as a site for important formative work. The book also includes a short preface, forward, and epilogue. Written by a veritable who's who of Lutheran higher education, this volume is a must read for everyone concerned about the work being done on Lutheran campuses.

Now in its second edition, Grounding Religion explores relationships between the environment and religious beliefs and practices. Established scholars introduce students to the ways in which religion shapes human–earth relations, surveying a series of questions about how the religious world influences and is influenced by ecological systems. Case studies, discussion questions, and further reading enrich students’ experience. This second edition features updated content, including revisions of every chapter and new material on natural disasters, gender and sexuality, race and ethnicity, climate change, food, technology, and hope and despair. An excellent text for undergraduates and graduates alike, it offers an expansive overview of the academic field of religion and ecology as it has emerged in the past fifty years.

Christians seeking to "save the Earth" have to relate creation to salvation by doing justice to both themes. This study explores the ambiguous legacy of the ways in which this challenge has been approached in the reformed tradition of Swiss, Dutch, and German origins and in the reception of this tradition in South Africa. The book focuses on the diverging interpretations of the category of "re-creation" in this regard. (Series: Studies in Religion and the Environment / Studien zur Religion und Umwelt - Vol. 8)