Earth Matters: Unity on and with the Earth

In celebration of the Ecumenical Season of Creation this year, we have been exploring themes of life, death, decay and rebirth on this blog. The first article focused on production, consumption and waste in general and the second was on natural burial.  We continue these themes here with a theological view of oneness and unity:

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All go to the same place; all come from dust, and to dust all return.

Ecclesiastes 3:20 (NIV)

The article Humanity and nature are not separate – we must see them as one to fix the climate crisis has been both fascinating me and haunting me lately.

It has a good thesis:  We humans used to see ourselves as part of nature but rarely do so anymore. A more accurate understanding of this would help us address climate issues better.

However, I'm skeptical that we have lost this sense of oneness due to the Judeo-Christian tradition, as the article suggests. That being said, I believe we (I'll speak primarily of Christians here) have a lot of work to do to make a more ecologically-supportive theology more well-known and activated.

There are many theological beliefs in play around these issues. But certainly we can all agree that we are indeed a part of nature in so many basic ways. After all, we breathe in and exhale the same air that was produced by plant respiration. We drink the same water that fish live in. The very cells in our body are formed by the minerals found in the soil. Our food is comprised of other plants and animals. We are literally part of nature as understood this way. 

So not only do the materials in our body come directly from nature, but we are part of the same cycles of water use, respiration, birth, rebirth, decay and recycling/composting as everything else in nature.

Some in the Judeo-Christian tradition would say, however, that humans are ontologically distinct from the rest of nature. Others would say that our souls give us a life beyond this world, regardless of what the material reality. Other theologians remind us that a core Christian conviction is the resurrection of the body. Meaning: It's not just that we have detached souls that will live on in Heaven forever, but that there will be an ultimate redemption of the social order. "On earth as it is in heaven" is a description of the Kingdom that Jesus calls us to and asks us to pray for.

In Genesis 3:19, Adam is told that "for you are dust and to dust you shall return." All too often, Christians understand that the redemption through Christ will remove us from this cycle of life and death which doomed Adam and his descendants. 

Is there where we got off track? One interpretation of that would imply that we are only a part of the earth's rhythms and natural cycles of death and decay until we experience the redemption through Christ.  However, I would caution us in this. We need to understand this using the Lord's Prayer for help: Yes, Christ redeems but that redemption does not totally pull us away from earth but rather makes it so that the earth is like it is in Heaven. See Colossians 1:9-20 and the redemption of all things.

Again, there are many beliefs here. But regardless of what happens after this life, we are here now and so are our descendants. We are still a part of nature and its processes. When the earth gets hot in the summer, we get hot, too. When the earth cools in the winter, we cool, too. When the earth has prolific growing seasons, our food is more available and cheaper. When it doesn't, famine is not far away.

I'm not convinced that the reason for this break is the influence of the Judeo-Christian tradition, as the above article suggests.

I see degradation of ecosystems all over the world, not just where the Judeo-Christian footprint is most apparent. The atheistic Soviet Union, Buddhist China and Muslim Indonesia all have terrible ecological footprints. Of course, it is always possible to say this is a consequence of European colonization and a Christian worldview. Perhaps, but it should be pointed out that when the Europeans (and their religion) were kicked out, few bothered to reinstall a different ecological consciousness.

But on the other hand, we Christians haven't spent a whole lot of attention focusing on the relationship between humans and the rest of the earth. The environment is just that--it's there as a backdrop. We can certainly tease out a theology of the environment. I'm part of groups doing that very work today. But it hasn't been emphasized or developed the way theology around other issues has been over the centuries.

Theologically speaking, there are three primary ways of viewing the relationship of humans to God and the rest of nature:  

1. The first is pantheism. This means that humans, nature and God are understood as enmeshed together. Everything is part of the same oneness, even if we take on different forms and appear distinct. Most pagan religions and even perhaps some Eastern religions tend to be in this camp.

2. The second is the polar opposite, depravity: Creation is generally seen as a depraved place, meaning completely absent the presence of God and thus absent all goodness.  Calvinism is one of the most well-known and extreme versions of this brand of theology, but it is common in varying degrees throughout Christianity, most especially in Protestantism. God may appear in certain forms (such as the person of Jesus) or send his Bible or angels from time to time, but otherwise creation is distinct from God entirely and absent all grace.

3. The third is panentheism. This sees creation as infused and pulsating with the presence of God.  Creation is distinct from God and thus is technically speaking depraved, but we understand that God is present with us. God is with us. We are always in relationship with God and grace can be found here. The sacramental imagination of Catholics, Orthodox and Anglicans lends itself to this brand of theology.

Is there something about the Judeo-Christian tradition--or just Christianity more specifically--that lends itself to division? Is our fractured view of our relationship with nature just another symptom of a deeper fracture that gives rise to denominational divisions or the devaluing of life in our social issues? I disagree with the linked article which suggests we need a break from the Judeo-Christian influence and a return to the pantheism of Pagan or Eastern traditions in order to sustainably live on this world.

I believe Christianity has a tremendous unifying message. But I do admit that in the Christian tradition we haven't focused on that enough. Perhaps it is because we don't spend enough time contemplating the mystical, cosmic dimensions of the oneness Jesus calls us into.  To paraphrase Pope Francis, we keep putting walls when Christ has put a bridge.

Yes, that linked article oversimplifies the relationship of Christianity and the environment. But it does raise a fair challenge:  Can every Christian--whether you are a devotee of Calvin, a sacramentally-inclined Catholic or a member of some other theological tradition--articulate and describe your faith in such a way that includes an environmentally sustainable future for humanity?

Whatever our theological traditions, one thing is certain:  We need a theology that can express our relationship to grace while also helping us live responsibly on the earth.