The Bible And The Environment

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.

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.

Illustrates the diverse ways in which the Bible has been interpreted in relation to issues of ecology and the environment. This book discusses a wide range of biblical texts, from Genesis to Revelation, and evaluates competing interpretations.

The Bible is bursting with teaching about nature: how God created it, how humans fit into it, and how it is part of his big story of justice, love and redemption. But what does the Bible have to say about the environmental issues that face us? These seven Bible studies explore such questions as: How well rooted are you in God's creation?, Can you take your ethics to the shops?, Does what you eat really make a difference?, Is an environmentally friendly lifestyle just too painful to contemplate?

This book offers Christian laypeople a brief and accessible perspective on what the Bible teaches about ecology and about Christians responsibility to care for the environment. The book situates these subjects within the framework of the Bibles overarching teachings about creation, fall, redemption, and new creation. The author also explores his theme by examining relevant scientific and historical data, as well as by discussing the history of philosophy and theology. The books chapters and subsections are brief, making the discussion easy to follow, and the volume ends with practical tips for how people of faith can care for the environment in their daily lives. Key points and features: • Handy and accessible book on an increasingly vital topic • Includes practical tips for how Christians can care for the environment in their daily lives • Affordable and relevant guidebook for pastors, students, teachers, people in the pews, and more

Leading scholars reflect critically on the kinds of appeal to the Bible that have been made in environmental ethics and ecotheoloogy and engage with biblical texts with a view towards exploring their contribution to an ecological ethics. The essays explore the kind of hermeneutic necessary for such engagement to be fruitful for contemporary theology and ethics. Crucial to such broad reflection is the bringing together of a range of perspectives: biblical studies, historical theology, hermeneutics, and theological ethics. The thematic coherence of the book is provided by the running focus on the ways in which biblical texts have been, or might be, read. This volume is not about ecotheology, but is instead about ecological hermeneutics. Indeed, some essays show where biblical texts, or particular approaches in the history of interpretation, represent anthropocentric or even anti-ecological moves. One of the overall aims of the book is to suggest how, and why, an ecological hermeneutic might be developed, and the kinds of intepretive choices that are required in such a development.

What does the Bible teach about the environment? What are our responsibilities as Christians for the environment? How then should we live to preserve our world? An exciting tool for bible study groups.