Ecotheology and Nonhuman Ethics in Society: A Community of Compassion

by Melissa Brotton (Editor), Jerry Cappel (Contribution by), David Clough (Contribution by), Celia Deane-Drummond Oxford University (Contribution by), Robert Gottfried (Contribution by)

Overview

This book promotes Christian ecology and animal ethics from the perspectives of the Bible, science, and the Judeo-Christian tradition. In an age of climate change, how do we protect species and individual animals? Does it matter how we treat bugs? How does understanding the Trinity and Christ's self-emptying nature help us to be more responsible earth caretakers? What do Christian ethics have to do with hunting? How do the Foxfire books of Southern Appalachia help us to love a place? Does ecology need a place at the pulpit and in hymns? How do Catholic approaches, past and present, help us appreciate and respond to the created world? Finally, how does Jesus respond to humans, nonhumans, and environmental concerns in the Gospel of Mark?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781498527910
Publisher:	Lexington Books
Publication date:	11/30/2016
Series:	Ecocritical Theory and Practice
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	260
File size:	1 MB

About the Author

Melissa Brotton is associate professor of English literature at La Sierra University.

Table of Contents

Foreword
David Clough

Introduction to Ecotheology and Nonhuman Ethics: A Community of Compassion
Melissa J. Brotton

Part 1: Ecotheology and Nonhuman Ethics
Chapter 1: Animal Rights Revisited
Celia Deane-Drummond
Chapter 2: Whatsoever you do to the least of my brothers: Why it is wrong to harm a fly
Jeffrey A. Lockwood
Chapter 3: Anthropogenic Climate Change and Animal Welfare
Bryan Ness
Chapter 4: The Self-emptying Godhead: Perichoresis, Kenosis, and an Ethic for the Anthropocene
Mick Pope
Part 2: Ecotheology in the South
Chapter 5: Loving the Mountains: Cultivating Compassion for Places
Andrew R. H. Thompson
Chapter 6: An Ecotheology of Hunting
Perry Hodgkins Jones

Part 3: Liturgical Practices and Hymnody
Chapter 7: Singing to Subdue or to Sustain? Looking for an Ethic of Conservation in Christian Liturgical Song and Hymnody
David Kendall
Chapter 8Environmental Advocacy and the Absence of the Church
The Rev. Jerry Cappel
Part 4: Catholic Perspectives
Chapter 9:The Ethics of Virtuous Design
Robert (Robin) Gottfried
Chapter 10:Care and Compassion: The Need for an Integral Ecology
Cristina Vanin
Part 5: Jesus and the Animals in the Gospel of Mark
Chapter 11:Liberating Legion: An Ecocritical, Postcolonial reading of Mark 5:1–20
Kendra Haloviak Valentine
Chapter 12:The End of the Road: Jesus, Donkeys, and Galilean Subsistence Farmers
Matthew Valdez

Editorial Reviews

Environmentalists have many hangups about religion, which is unfortunate since religion has a depth and richness of ecological insight upon which these thinkers might draw. In bringing these various voices back to the environmentalist's table, Melissa Brotton winsomely reminds us that the various religious traditions so often ignored as the cause of all our ecological woes might just actually contain the resources for viable solutions.

Doug Sikkema

Ecotheology and Nonhuman Ethics in Society provides a map and pathway toward reconciliation with God and a wounded creation. These essays recover and extend conversations in ethics, cultural studies, Christian thought, biblical interpretation, and liturgical studies to show us what ecological stewardship looks like when practiced with humility, repentance, and compassion. The scholars gathered here represent a wide range of academic disciplines and faith communities, but their collective voice is working toward an integrative ecology that would allow all of creation to flourish in worshipful response to the creator.

Chad Wriglesworth

This is a book to put on your ‘must read’ list. Ecotheology and Nonhuman Ethics offers a significant interfaith conversation on living as an integrated and ‘faithful’ part of the earth community. This collection of essays is a stimulating and thought-provoking read for personal or classroom use, designed to promote thoughtful reflection on the intersection between faith, human relatedness to the whole of creation, and the necessity of an intentional, compassionate lifestyle.

Ginger Hanks Harwood