AEI has just released the first books in its new Common Sense Concept Series, all of which deal with important social and economic issues, and are written for college-age students of faith and especially Christians. One of them, Mere Environmentalism: A Biblical Perspective on Humans and the Natural World, is written by AEI’s Steven Hayward. (Full disclosure: I wrote the foreword for the volume. I’ll discuss some of the other books in the series in later installments.)
It’s no surprise that many Christians, especially younger Christians, have grown increasingly concerned about the environment in recent years. And not coincidentally, a number of religious groups have grown up in recent years, such as the Evangelical Environmental Network and the Religious Partnership on the Environment, which seek to integrate faith and environmental concern. Following in their wake are dozens of books by Christian authors seeking to draw Christians into the cause of environmental stewardship.
Almost everyone now agrees that Christian theology and tradition encourage us to be good stewards of the environment. In fact, I think the Judeo-Christian tradition provides a solid foundation for developing a stable environmental ethic. Unfortunately, far too many well-meaning Christian authors lack discernment, and end up offering little more than mainstream environmentalist dogma wrapped in a theological package. At its worst, Christian environmentalism has traded in both bad science and bad theology.
To be sure, the issues are subtle and it’s easy to make mistakes. To get beyond clichés, intellectual orthodoxies, and the annual Earth Day issue of Newsweek, however, you need not only discernment, but also a good grasp of theology, politics, economics, and environmental science, and uncommon intestinal fortitude. As I say in the foreword to Mere Environmentalism, “The discerning religious leader should distill the central principles of the biblical perspective, distinguish the signal from the noise in an increasingly fractious public debate, take account of subtle economic and scientific facts, and then carefully apply all of that to specific environmental questions.”
That’s a pretty tall order, but Hayward pulls it off. He also manages to translate his knowledge in an accessible booklet that you can read in one sitting. Hayward emphasizes the dignity of human beings made in the image of God must be central to any Christian approach to the environment.
What I like most about Mere Environmentalism is that Hayward draws out economic insights from biblical texts that tend to elude biblical scholars who lack knowledge of economics. I especially like his analysis of the story of Joseph; but I don’t want to provide a spoiler. If you’re curious, you can get your own copy at the new Common Sense Concept website. (Follow the link to the Amazon.com page.) And while you’re there, check out the rest of the website.
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