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Sustained by Faith? The Role of Christian Belief and Practice in Living Sustainably

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Sustainability and the Humanities

Abstract

This chapter examines Christian beliefs and practices that shape and support sustainable ways of living and their role in catalysing social movements on environmental issues. In particular, it examines Christian theology that promotes an attentiveness to sustaining the environment and describes how theological reflection can be used alongside practice within international development to foster grassroots social movements related to sustainable development.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    Bebbington (2003), which identifies a particular regard for the Bible, over the other sources of theological knowledge, and a belief that all essential spiritual truth is to be found in its pages as a key feature of evangelicalism throughout its history. An example of this may be found in the World Evangelical Alliance’s Statement of Faith (http://www.worldea.org/whoweare/statementoffaith, accessed 1/03/2018), which leads with an emphasis on scripture.

  2. 2.

    Bauckham (2003).

  3. 3.

    ibid. 48.

  4. 4.

    Wright (2006a), USA provides a rich account of this story. A number of theologians have also used the idea of drama to help us understand the key points in the narrative of the Bible, describing it as a story that has six acts. These acts are: (i) God’s creation of the world; (ii) the fall, in which relationships between God, humans, and creation are broken; (iii) the story of Israel, including God’s covenant promise to Abraham and the establishment of Israel as the people of God, and the promise of the Messiah and the salvation that would be offered by Jesus after the failures of the nation of Israel; (iv) the story of the gospels: the birth, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus that makes salvation possible; (v) the story of the church and its mission to share the good news; and (vi) the new creation: for which we wait in hope and expectation, when we will experience the full redemption and restoration of God’s creation and the revelation of his glory. See, for example: Wright, The Mission of God, 53–55, 62–66; Wright (1991, 2013), Bartholomew and Goheen (2014) and Vanhoozer (2005).

  5. 5.

    ‘[It] was good’ appears seven times in Genesis 1, the final time as, ‘it was very good.’

  6. 6.

    Bookless (2008a, b), 23, 63–68.

  7. 7.

    Psalm 19. Cf., Psalm 65, 96, 98, 104.27–28, 148, and 150.6.

  8. 8.

    Spencer et al. (2009), 115–6.

  9. 9.

    Genesis 3:34; Volf (2010).

  10. 10.

    Isaiah 24:4–6; Hosea 4:1–3; Romans 8:20–25.

  11. 11.

    Spencer, White and Vroblesky, Christianity, Climate Change and Sustainable Living, 103–108.

  12. 12.

    John 14:15–31. In Romans 5:1 and Ephesians 2:14–15 Paul also describes cross as the source of peace. Eirene is the Greek term most commonly used to translate shalom in the Septuagint, and the concepts are largely similar in the Bible.

  13. 13.

    Wright (2012), 210, 212–23.

  14. 14.

    Discussions of this can be found in Wright, Surprised by Hope, especially 101–3, 110–119 and 130–34 and James (2017).

  15. 15.

    Genesis 1:27; Gooder (2017), 10–18.

  16. 16.

    Tearfund, CAFOD, and Theos (2010), 23–26; Paula Gooder, ‘Part of a Flourishing World: The Image of God and God's Creational Intentions,’ 10–18.

  17. 17.

    Wallis (2008), 116.

  18. 18.

    Bookless, Planetwise, 33, citing Luke. 12.48: ‘To those who much is given, much is required.’…

  19. 19.

    1 Corinthians 3:9; Romans 8:19–22. Wright (2006b), 145–149.

  20. 20.

    As we do this, we need to remember that the political, social and economic conditions in which the jubilee laws were given no longer exist. Christians also believe that because of Christ the way that God and God’s people interact with the world has changed. In reflecting on how jubilee shapes life today, Christians look at the themes and aims of jubilee more than the legal structures designed to enable these to be fulfilled, and think about how to enact them in their own communities.

  21. 21.

    Brueggemann (2004), 1–12.

  22. 22.

    Tearfund (2015), 25 (https://learn.tearfund.org/~/media/files/tilz/research/tearfund_therestorativeeconomy.pdf, accessed 1/03/2018).

  23. 23.

    Genesis 2:2–3.

  24. 24.

    Exodus 16:5, 23–27.

  25. 25.

    Exodus 20:8–11. Cf. Exodus 31:12–18; Exodus 35:1–3.

  26. 26.

    Luke 4: 16–20.

  27. 27.

    Wright, The Mission of God, 302.

  28. 28.

    Luke 10:27. See also Matthew 19:19; 22:37–40, and Mark 12:28–34. Luke 10:25–37 makes clear that all people are to be considered neighbours by Christians.

  29. 29.

    Spencer, White and Vroblesky, Christianity, Climate Change and Sustainable Living, 75. This echoes the concern of the Old Testament prophets for the poor and their claim that ‘right worship’ includes the pursuit of justice (see, for example, Isaiah 58:3–6; Amos 5:24).

  30. 30.

    Ephesians 1:7–14; 1 John 3:2; Revelation 21. The Wheaton Statement (1983).

  31. 31.

    Thacker (2017), 205–216, 231–240; Wright, Surprised by Hope, 5

  32. 32.

    Williams (1990). See also Williams (1986, 1989), Chester (2006), 121.

  33. 33.

    Brueggemann (2014), 96–97; 103–107; 120. For Brueggemann the role of the Prophet is to help people engage with the difficulties of their reality through lament and to remind them of the hope that is found in God’s promises, see also: Brueggemann (2001).

  34. 34.

    Restorative Economy, 6.

  35. 35.

    Some thinkers have argued that the formation of ideologies is driven by a human fear of isolation and insecurity, and that they seek to offer an understanding of virtue and partnership with like-minded people that enables success. See for example, Pocock (1972), Žižek (1989).

  36. 36.

    Restorative Economy, 21ff.

  37. 37.

    See Restorative Economy Chap. 2. For a more academic discussion, see Snow (2008), 383.

  38. 38.

    This is a key tenet in the social constructivist approach to social movement theory. See for example Rochon (2000), xvi.

  39. 39.

    Rochon (2000), 58.

  40. 40.

    Restorative Economy, Chap. 2.

  41. 41.

    Rootes (2008).

  42. 42.

    Restorative Economy, Chap. 2.

  43. 43.

    Kuran (1995), 288.

  44. 44.

    Stark (1997).

  45. 45.

    A ‘counter-cultural movement’ here refers to a movement that is predominantly related to challenging issues related to rights, culture and identity, thus distinguishing it from both movements defending the status quo and revolutionary movements related to class warfare. Counter-cultural and labour movements overlap, but some theorists argue for significant differences between so-called ‘new social movements’ and labour movements.

  46. 46.

    van Stekelenburg and Klandermans (2009).

  47. 47.

    Snow (2008), 381–383.

  48. 48.

    Snow (2008), 383.

  49. 49.

    Rootes (2008).

  50. 50.

    van Stekelenburg and Klandermans (2009).

  51. 51.

    Piven and Cloward (1977), quoted in van Stekelenburg and Klandermans (2009), 25, 26.

  52. 52.

    McAdam (1982); discussed in van Stekelenburg and Klandermans (2009), 40.

  53. 53.

    van Stekelenburg and Klandermans (2009), 40.

  54. 54.

    Marandu-Kareithi (2017).

  55. 55.

    In Nigeria, the Jos Green Centre use the Live Justly: Global Bible Studies which can be found online at Tearfund Learn (www.tearfund.org/livejustly, accessed 28/02/2018).

  56. 56.

    Marandu-Kareithi (2017).

  57. 57.

    Examples include: Sunday school material (http://www.greenanglicans.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/CARING-FOR-CREATION-RYAN-THE-RHINO.pdf, accessed 1/03/2018) and liturgies (http://www.greenanglicans.org/resources/liturgical/, accessed 1/03/2018).

  58. 58.

    Programme participant, feedback via email.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Theology and Network Engagement Team, Tearfund, UK

    Hannah J. Swithinbank

  2. Policy Team, Tearfund, UK

    Richard Gower

  3. Global Campaigns Team, Tearfund, UK

    Naomi Foxwood

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  1. Hannah J. Swithinbank
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  2. Richard Gower
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  3. Naomi Foxwood
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Correspondence to Hannah J. Swithinbank .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Life Sciences, Hamburg University of Applied Sciences, Hamburg, Germany

    Walter Leal Filho

  2. Canterbury Christ Church University, Canterbury, United Kingdom

    Adriana Consorte McCrea

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Swithinbank, H.J., Gower, R., Foxwood, N. (2019). Sustained by Faith? The Role of Christian Belief and Practice in Living Sustainably. In: Leal Filho, W., Consorte McCrea, A. (eds) Sustainability and the Humanities. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-95336-6_21

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