Ecological Footprints: An Essential Franciscan Guide for Faith and Sustainable Living

by Dawn M. Nothwehr OSF

Overview

The Franciscan Vision offers a powerful antidote to the moral malaise that prevents ordinary Christians from making the necessary choices to live more simply and share the world's goods more equitably. This is the driving conviction behind Ecological Footprints. Dawn M. Nothwehr unfolds the theological, spiritual, and ethical treasure trove of Christianity–especially as it has been developed and lived in Franciscan theology and tradition–as it relates to our efforts to achieve sustainable living. She succeeds admirably in presenting it all in a style that makes this book both accessible and compelling to no specialist readers.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780814639573
Publisher:	Liturgical Press
Publication date:	11/01/2012
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	368
File size:	3 MB

About the Author

Dawn M. Nothwehr, OSF, is professor of Catholic theological ethics at Catholic Theological Union in Chicago. She holds the Erica and Harry John Family Chair in Catholic Theological Ethics and also serves as the director of the Certificate in Healthcare Mission Leadership Program. Her books include That They May Be One: Catholic Social Teaching on Racism Tribalism and Xenophobia; A Franciscan View of the Human Person: Some Central Elements; Struggles for Environmental Justice and Health in Chicago: An African American Perspective; and Franciscan Theology of the Environment: An Introductory Reader. She also is the presenter of the popular audio course, "The Earth is the Lord's: Catholic Theology of Creation, Ecology, and the Environment."

Table of Contents

Preface xi

Acknowledgments xxiii

Part 1 The Bible: Creation and the Word

Chapter 1 "In the Beginning…": The Hebrew Testament on Creation and Redemption 3

Introduction: St. Francis and St. Clare and the Scriptures 3

The Unity of the Stories of Creation and Redemption 7

Creation and Redemption in Genesis 1-11 8

Creation and Redemption beyond Genesis 12

Gleanings from Hebrew Testament Texts 17

From the Writings of St. Francis 18

Reflection and Application 19

Questions for Reflection and Discussion 20

Suggestions for Action 20

Prayer 21

Sources for Further Study 21

Chapter 2 Toward a New Creation: The Christian Testament on Creation and Redemption 22

Introduction: God So Loved the World 22

Our Rich Heritage 23

Linking Original Creation and New Creation 25

Creation and New Creation: Insights from an Evolutionary Worldview 31

Reign of God-New Creation-Emergence 33

St. Bonaventure's Dynamic Trinity and Doctrine of Creation: A Hope-Filled Vision 35

From the Writings of St. Francis 43

Reflection and Application 44

Questions for Reflection and Discussion 45

Suggestions for Action 45

Prayer 46

Sources for Further Study 47

Part 2 St. Francis and St. Clare: Models of Faith and Sustainable Living

Chapter 3 A Word from Lady Clare of Assisi on Sustainable Living 51

Introduction: Why Consider St. Clare? 51

Clare's Community-Minded Living 52

Lady Clare's Lessons for Sustainable Living 57

From the Writings of St. Clare 62

Reflection and Application 63

Questions for Reflection and Discussion 70

Suggestions for Action 71

Prayer 72

Sources for Further Study 72

Abbreviations 73

Chapter 4 St. Francis's Kinship with Creation 74

Introduction: More Than Your Garden Variety 74

Poetry, Prayer, and Poverty 77

A Franciscan Theological Reflection Method 81

Three Elements of Content for a Franciscan Ecotheology 85

From the Writings of St. Francis 88

Reflection and Application 89

Questions for Reflection and Discussion 97

Suggestions for Action 97

Prayer 99

Sources for Further Study 100

Part 3 St. Bonaventure of Bagnoregio: Creator, Christ, Creatures, Cosmos

Chapter 5 Who Is God? Christ in the Middle of a Love Triangle 103

Introduction: The Seraphic Doctor 103

Something about St. Bonaventure's Thought 107

Christ "the Firstborn of All Creation" in the Middle of a Love Triangle 111

From the Writings of St. Bonaventure 120

Reflection and Application 121

Questions for Reflection and Discussion 122

Suggestions for Action 123

Prayer 124

Sources for Further Study 126

Part 4 Blessed John Duns Scotus: One in a Million

Chapter 6 Sacred Subtle Thoughts Concerning Creation 129

Introduction: The Subtle Doctor 129

Something about Blessed John Duns Scotus's Thought 130

From the Writings of John Duns Scotus 139

Reflection and Application 140

Importance of Scotistic Theology and Philosophy for Ecotheology 149

Questions for Reflection and Discussion 150

Suggestions for Action 151

Prayer 151

Sources for Further Study 151

Part 5 What Is Ours to Do: Urgent Issues

Chapter 7 Human-Caused Global Warming: A Leper Awaiting Our Embrace 155

Introduction: Embracing a Leper 155

Why Do We Resist Dealing with Human-Induced Global Warming and Climate Change? 161

Lessons from the Leper: Embracing True Sustainability 171

From the Writings of St. Francis 176

Reflection and Application 176

Questions for Reflection and Discussion 183

Suggestions for Action 183

Prayer 184

Sources for Further Study 186

Chapter 8 Flowing Water for Life: A Human Right 187

Introduction: Morally Significant Facts 187

The Hydrologic Cycle: Basic Facts 188

The Global Water Crisis: An Exposé 190

From the Writings of St. Francis 197

Reflection and Application 198

Questions for Reflection and Discussion 221

Suggestions for Action 221

Prayer 222

Sources for Further Study 223

Chapter 9 Food Access, "Foodprint," Food Security 225

Introduction 225

Understanding Food Security 227

Background to the 2008 Access-to-Food Crisis 229

Causes Contributing to the Global Food Crisis 230

Efforts toward Correction 239

The Current Global Situation with a View toward 2015 242

Theology of the Land and the Moral Vision of Leviticus 25 244

Catholic Social Teaching 249

From the Writings of St. Francis 261

Reflection and Application 263

Feasting and Fasting in the Footprints of Jesus 267

Questions for Reflection and Discussion 272

Suggestions for Action 272

Prayer 273

Sources for Further Study 274

Chapter 10 Crisis of Peak Oil and Sustainable Energy 275

Introduction: Life without Oil? 275

What Are Some Moral Concerns about Peak Oil? 276

An Ethical Framework for Assessing Energy Sources 278

Moral Problems and Fossil Fuels 287

A Review and Assessment of Key Alternative Energy Sources 293

From the Writings of St. Francis 302

Reflection and Application 302

A Personal Reflection on the Keystone XL Pipeline 310

Questions for Reflection and Discussion 321

Suggestions for Action 321

Prayer 322

Sources for Further Study 322

Afterword: A Call to Penance for Justice, Peace, and the Integrity of Creation 324

"The Way of the Cross and the Suffering Earth" 331

Index 344

Editorial Reviews

Ecological Footprints is a hopeful and profound book, one we need today as we search for a way of living as responsible members of the community of life on Earth. Dawn Nothwehr invites the reader into a Christian ecological vision and practice that is inspired by the Scriptures and wonderfully enriched by the precious Franciscan tradition of Francis, Clare, Bonaventure and Scotus.
Denis Edwards, Flinders University, South Australia, Author of Ecology at the Heart of Faith

EBOOK COMMENTARY

Ecological Footprints is a hopeful and profound book, one we need today as we search for a way of living as responsible members of the community of life on Earth. Dawn Nothwehr invites the reader into a Christian ecological vision and practice that is inspired by the Scriptures and wonderfully enriched by the precious Franciscan tradition of Francis, Clare, Bonaventure and Scotus.
Denis Edwards, Flinders University, South Australia, Author of Ecology at the Heart of Faith

Dawn Nothwehr combines depth of scholarship with depth of passion and prayer in a way that is simply breathtaking. Ecological Footprints positively sings with hope. While grim determination and even despair characterize all too many works on today’s (admittedly overwhelming) environmental crises, this book begins and ends with the conviction that we already have the spiritual resources we need in order to live sustainably on our fragile planet. At once prayerful, scholarly, and wonderfully practical, this book is exactly the ecotheology we need today.
Colleen Mary Carpenter, Saint Catherine University, Author of Redeeming the Story: Women, Suffering, and Christ

Ecological Footprints is as vast and rich as Mother Earth. The book is comprehensive in content, exploring its ‘urgent issues’ in a clear, engaging manner. It is a book that can be read individually or with a group, in chapters or in its entirety. However grasped, the charges it outlines about the modern burdens of the earth are haunting and demand our action.
Ingrid J. Peterson, OSF, Co-author of The Franciscan Tradition

From the Publisher