The Dalai Lama, Pope Benedict XVI and the spiritual leader of the world’s Eastern Orthodox Christians were among 15 “Green Religious Leaders” cited by a Seattle-based environmental group.
Grist, an environmental news and commentary Web site that also highlighted “green” actors, musicians and chefs, among others, said the 15 names on the list and five runners-up are dedicated to “spreading the eco-gospel.”
So, where is the Eco-Law to go with the Eco-Gospel?
A good list. I’m sorry that Cal DeWitt did not end up on the top 15. We were together at the ASA/CiS meeting in Edinburgh last week (“New Frontiers in Science and Faith”), and he gave an outstanding plenary lecture on reading God’s Book of Nature. Cal established the Au Sable Institute to provide an opportunity for college students to work in environmental settings and develop a greater appreciation for creation care.
“Eco-gospel.” Appropriate for what is rapidly becoming a new religion.
The response I’m looking for by the leaders of Christianity would be more along the lines of:
Major Chrsitian leaders stated that their view of “eco-stewardship” [i](a much better term than “eco-Gospel”, IMO — je)[/i] is in response to the Gospel and the call of the Christian faith. Following in the footsteps of the Celtic Saints, St. Francis of Assisi, and others, care of the environment is seen as an extension of the Gospel of Christ, who used God’s concern for nature as the basis of several of his parables (the lilies of the field, etc.)
I would have no problem with this, in fact, it is the basis I am a Conservative and a conservationist.
I agree, libraryjim. The mandate to care for the creation appears in Genesis 1 and 2: it is the primary vocation of all human beings, and for those of us committed to God’s order, it is a primary Christian vocation. We are called to communion and stewardship with God, with each other, and with all of God’s creation.
The Lord Jesus Christ we believe in and follow is also the Word through whom all things came to be, the “firstborn of all creation” (Col. 1). This is Christ’s world, and as his followers we ae called to be good and faithful stewards of it. I agree that the term “eco-Gospel” is not the most felicitous, but there is a sense in which living the gospel life and spread the word of Christ’s redemption involves also our witness through caring for his creation.