Fragile World: Ecology and the Church

by William T. Cavanaugh (Editor)

Overview

In Fragile World: Ecology and the Church, scholars and activists from Christian communities as far-flung as Honduras, the Philippines, Colombia, and Kenya present a global angle on the global ecological crisis--in both its material and spiritual senses--and offer Catholic resources for responding to it. This volume explores the deep interconnections, for better and for worse, between the global North and the global South, and analyzes the relationship among the physical environment, human society, culture, theology, and economics--the "integral ecology" described by Pope Francis in Laudato Si'. Integral ecology demands that we think deeply about humans and the physical environment, but also about the God who both created the world and sustains it in being. At its root, the ecological crisis is a theological crisis, not only in the way that humans regard creation and their place in it, but in the way that humans think about God. For Pope Francis in Laudato Si', the root of the crisis is that we humans have tried to put ourselves in God's place. According to Pope Francis, therefore, "A fragile world, entrusted by God to human care, challenges us to devise intelligent ways of directing, developing, and limiting our power."

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781498283410
Publisher:	Cascade Books
Publication date:	05/22/2018
Series:	Studies in World Catholicism , #5
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	388
File size:	3 MB

About the Author

William T. Cavanaugh is director of the Center for World Catholicism and Intercultural Theology and professor of Catholic studies at DePaul University in Chicago. His areas of specialization are in political theology, economic ethics, and ecclesiology. His publications include Field Hospital: The Church’s Engagement in Markets, Politics, and Conflict; Migrations of the Holy: Theologies of State and Church; and The Myth of Religious Violence: Secular Ideology and the Roots of Modern Conflict.

Table of Contents

Contributors xiii

Acknowledgments xix

Introduction William T. Cavanaugh 1

Part 1 Catholic Social Teaching

1 Turning Over the Right Rocks: Finding Legacies of Catholic Environmentalism Christopher Hamlin 11

2 Ecology, Justice, and Peace: The Perspective of a Global Church Cardinal Peter K. A. Turkson 33

3 Catholic Social Teaching and Ecology: Promise and Limits Celia Deane-Drummond 49

4 From Assisi to Buenos Aires: The Cry of the Poor and the Cry of the Planet Michael A. Perry, OFM 63

Part 2 Cry of the Earth

5 Extractive Industries, Destructive Industries: The Case of Honduras-A Fragile Country and Devastated Ecology Bishop Luis Alfonso Santos Villeda 91

6 The Pan Amazon, Extractive Industries, and the Church Peter Hughes, SSC 97

7 Planetary Boundaries: Africa's Vulnerabilities and Resilience Peter Knox, SJ 112

Part 3 Theology

8 Fragile Earth, Fragile Africa: An African Eco-theology for Human and Cosmic Flourishing Stan Chu Ilo 129

9 Between Exile and the New Jerusalem: Prophetic Mourning, Lament, and the Ecological Crisis Daniel P. Castillo 151

9 The Poor: An Endangered Species? Germán Mahecha Clavijo 163

Part 4 Ethics

11 Fragile Ecosystems and the Pressures of Anthropogenia: Recovering a Theo-ethic of Relationality in Our Common Home Edward Obi, MSP 175

12 Becoming Stewards of Creation: Ecological Virtue Ethics from the Perspective of Otherness Rolando A. Tuazon, CM 192

13 Christian Christmas Consumption: Ethical Considerations of the Environmental and Social Impacts of Holiday Spending Christle Klimas 210

Part 5 Pastoral Resources

14 Rooting the Church in African Soil and the Bethany Land Institute: A Theological Experiment Emmanuel Katongoie 219

15 Religious and Cultural Beliefs Related to Disaster Risk Reduction: The Case of Super Typhoon Haiyan Agnes M. Brazal 233

16 Nurturing Communities, Sustaining Fragile Ecologies Randy J. C. Odchigue 252

Part 6 Eschatology

17 Ecology and the Apocalypse Daniel F. Pilario, CM 271

18 Political Theology for Earthlings: Christian Messianism and the Ecological Ruins of Global Corporate Capitalism Michael S. Northcott 286

19 An Eschatological Perspective on Our Hope for a Sustainable World Reynaldo D. Raluto 302

Bibliography 319

Subject Index 351

Scripture Index 367

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

“This book is a necessary and powerful follow-up to Laudato Si, a reminder of just how real and pressing these needs are, and of the opportunities for enormous change that lie all around us.”


—Bill McKibben, Author The Comforting Whirlwind





“William T. Cavanaugh offers this stunning collection as a ‘global angle on a global crisis.’ With contributions from across the world, these perspectives further our understanding of the crisis that unfolds by the hour. The diversity of the contributors is marked not only by their own national backgrounds, but also by their own academic investigations . . . Cavanaugh beautifully organizes these essays beginning with the foundations of social teaching and the cry of the earth. A refreshing collection, a worthy read, an urgent project!”


—James F. Keenan, Canisius Professor, Boston College





“This collection blends theology and ethics to produce a scholarly, critical, and pastoral account of the global ecological crisis and the collective responsibility to respond. Rather than yield to despair at the scope of environmental calamity, the authors explore and unveil theological and ethical resources for achieving redemptive and integral ecology for our times and for future generations. Fragile World is a truly global theological and ethical study of the global ecological challenge.”


—Agbonkhianmeghe E. Orobator, President of the Conference of Major Superiors of Africa and Madagascar





“Required reading! The Church must ‘catch up’—and do it now! It’s been nearly 50 years since the first ‘Earth Day,’ (1970) and the 1975 publication of the Appalachian Bishop’s Pastoral. Deplorably, only in 2015 did the Church promulgate a Papal Encyclical on the now—‘ecological crisis!’ . . . This volume is a primer, showing the complexity of the crisis, but also the theological, moral, and spiritual grounding for an integral ecology at the heart of a sustainable world.”


—Dawn M. Nothwehr, Chair in Catholic Ethics, Catholic Theological Union





“Fragile World takes seriously the notion of ‘integral ecology’ as described in Laudato Si’. Its chapters generate an informed, intelligent dialogue among a diversity of voices from around the planet to address the global ecological crisis. Seldom does a reader find in one volume both a clear, critical analysis of this issue as well as so many strong voices from the margins that have too often been ignored. This volume is required reading.”


—Dennis Patrick O'Hara, Associate Professor, Elliott Allen Institute for Theology and Ecology, University of St. Michael's College

Editorial Reviews

This book is a necessary and powerful follow-up to Laudato Si, a reminder of just how real and pressing these needs are, and of the opportunities for enormous change that lie all around us.”


—Bill McKibben, Author The Comforting Whirlwind





“William T. Cavanaugh offers this stunning collection as a ‘global angle on a global crisis.’ With contributions from across the world, these perspectives further our understanding of the crisis that unfolds by the hour. The diversity of the contributors is marked not only by their own national backgrounds, but also by their own academic investigations . . . Cavanaugh beautifully organizes these essays beginning with the foundations of social teaching and the cry of the earth. A refreshing collection, a worthy read, an urgent project!”


—James F. Keenan, Canisius Professor, Boston College





“This collection blends theology and ethics to produce a scholarly, critical, and pastoral account of the global ecological crisis and the collective responsibility to respond. Rather than yield to despair at the scope of environmental calamity, the authors explore and unveil theological and ethical resources for achieving redemptive and integral ecology for our times and for future generations. Fragile World is a truly global theological and ethical study of the global ecological challenge.”


—Agbonkhianmeghe E. Orobator, President of the Conference of Major Superiors of Africa and Madagascar





“Required reading! The Church must ‘catch up’—and do it now! It’s been nearly 50 years since the first ‘Earth Day,’ (1970) and the 1975 publication of the Appalachian Bishop’s Pastoral. Deplorably, only in 2015 did the Church promulgate a Papal Encyclical on the now—‘ecological crisis!’ . . . This volume is a primer, showing the complexity of the crisis, but also the theological, moral, and spiritual grounding for an integral ecology at the heart of a sustainable world.”


—Dawn M. Nothwehr, Chair in Catholic Ethics, Catholic Theological Union





“Fragile World takes seriously the notion of ‘integral ecology’ as described in Laudato Si’. Its chapters generate an informed, intelligent dialogue among a diversity of voices from around the planet to address the global ecological crisis. Seldom does a reader find in one volume both a clear, critical analysis of this issue as well as so many strong voices from the margins that have too often been ignored. This volume is required reading.”


—Dennis Patrick O'Hara, Associate Professor, Elliott Allen Institute for Theology and Ecology, University of St. Michael's College

From the Publisher