Protestant Christianity and the Bible as Wisdom for Earth Environmental Stewardship Cover Image

Protestant Christianity and the Bible as Wisdom for Earth Environmental Stewardship
Protestant Christianity and the Bible as Wisdom for Earth Environmental Stewardship

Author(s): Rodrigo Penna-Firme
Subject(s): Religion and science , Human Ecology, Biblical studies, Other Christian Denominations
Published by: Wydawnictwo Naukowe Uniwersytetu Kardynała Stefana Wyszyńskiego w Warszawie
Keywords: Christianity and ecology;Bible and ecology;Lynn White Jr.;loving dominion;caring for nature, stewardship

Summary/Abstract: Since the 1967, after Lynn White Jr.´s seminal article in science, entitled “The Historical Roots of Our Ecological Crisis,” Christianity has received academic and popular criticism, for having, supposedly, served as a major driver for our current ecological crisis. Contrary to White´s negative historical account of the role of Christianity in environmental affairs, in this article, I offer a rebuttal by stressing that, actually, Christianity is a major source of wisdom towards building a more sustainable Earth stewardship. White´s biggest mistake was not telling apart what Christianity teaches from what self-ascribed Christians think and do about the environment. Christianity itself explains this paradox: People’s right and wrong doings are solely the result of their own choices and flaws due to sin, and not because Judeo-Christian traditions or the Bible lack values and principles that are benevolent to the environment. In conclusion, White´s views on the interplay between Christianity and Ecology are fundamentally mistaken, mainly for his lack (or dismissal) of a deeper knowledge of biblical principles for environmental stewardship.

  • Issue Year: 21/2023
  • Issue No: 4
  • Page Range: 15-25
  • Page Count: 11
  • Language: English