THEOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVES ON ECOLOGY,
ECONOMICS, AND JUSTICE
Christian theology provides vital resources for grappling with ethical
issues related to ecological stewardship and economic systems. Public
theology analyzes intersections of theology, ecology, economics and
justice, calling for practices that cultivate shalom, or holistic communal
flourishing. This lecture will explore ecological and economic themes in
theology and their implications for justice.
Theology and Ecology: Affirming Creation Stewardship
The natural environment holds inherent worth in Christian thought as part
of God's good creation. But ecological degradation and climate change
demand renewed theological attention to stewardship and sustainability.
Public theology applies theology to eco-justice concerns.
Theological foundations for creation care include:
Sacramental universe:%The world mediates divine presence as
God's handiwork. We participate in sanctity of nature.
Incarnation:%God joined creation by becoming flesh. Affirms
material world's dignity.
Image of God:%Humans have special responsibility to tend creation
as imago dei.
Sabbath:%Honoring limits and rest amid nature's cycles.
Stewardship:%Scripture charges humanity to cultivate and keep the
Garden.
New Creation:%Eschatological visions of peace and healing extend
to ecological renewal.
These and other doctrines depict caring for creation as fundamental
Christian vocation.
Theology and Climate Change Ethics
Climate change poses an urgent crisis. Public theology applies
stewardship frameworks to eco-justice concerns like:
Responsibility:%Industralized nations and wealthy bear greater
onus for emissions reductions given capacity and past impacts.
Climate justice.
Sustainability:%Moderation and renewable technology curb
unsustainable consumption. Value conservation and simplicity.
Biodiversity:%Preserve threatened ecosystems that manifest
creation's richness.
Lifestyle:%Shifting habits and cultural values to reduce waste and
carbon footprints.
Advocacy:%Policy change at scales necessary for transitioning
energy infrastructures.
Communal power:%Grassroots mobilization and democratic change
to enact sweeping economic transitions.
Overall climate change requires converting spiritual and ethical
commitments into political and economic change for ecological integrity,
environmental justice and intergenerational solidarity.
Theology of Work and Economic Vocation
Work holds theological significance as collaboration in God's creative and
sustaining activity. Public theology examines ethics of work and economic
life.
Key principles in a theology of work include:
Co-creator:%Work develops gifts and participates in divine
creativity. Affirms dignity in all labor.
Providence:%No line between sacred and secular work since God
sustains all creation.
Stewardship:%Work must serve human needs and ecological
health. Avoid exploitation or wastefulness.
Justice:%Right pay, safe conditions, and fair treatment required to
protect worker dignity and rights. No abuse or exploitation.
Social:%Value cooperation in work and shared fruits. Avoid
individualistic isolation.
Rest:%Honor Sabbath limits on consumption and production. Work
enables flourishing but is not ultimate end.
Calling:%Work cultivates virtue and fulfillment. Connects labor to
transcendent meaning.
This theology offers ethical guidance amid changing economies.
Economic Theology and Justice
Theology also provides moral frameworks for assessing economic
structures. Key principles include:
Common good:%Test policies by ability to foster community
wellbeing, not just individual gain. Avoid stark disparities.
Subsidiarity:%Localized solutions respect human dignity. Checks
excessive bureaucracy.
Solidarity:%Interdependence and concern for poor within one global
community.
Sustainability:%Intergenerational responsibility for shared
resources like water, soil, etc. Curb short-term profits that damage
communities.
Equity:%Fair wealth distribution and equal opportunity to meet
needs and develop potential.
Human Scale:%Democratically shaped economies serve humanity.
Avoid commodification of life and labor.
Risk-Sharing:%Shared security empowers creative development.
Theology critiques unjust economic orders and informs alternative visions
aligned with communal flourishing.
Economic Democracy and Cooperative Movements
In this spirit, movements for economic democracy and cooperatives apply
theological ethics on participatory economics grounded in solidarity:
Democratic control:%Workers and communities shape decisions
about business governance, investment, etc.
Wealth-sharing:%Share profits and ownership equitably.
Limited differentials:%Egalitarian pay scales respect dignity of all
work.
Cooperation:%Choose mutual benefit over self-interest. Build social
capital.
Sustainability:%Account for environmental and human impacts.
Rooted in place:%Attentive to local culture and ecology over distant
abstractions.
By enacting theological values, cooperative economics fosters justice and
sustainability. This models public theology's potential for inspiring
alternatives.
Theology and Ecology: Affirming Creation Stewardship
The natural environment holds inherent worth in Christian thought as part
of God's good creation. But ecological degradation and climate change
demand renewed theological attention to stewardship and sustainability.
Public theology applies theology to eco-justice concerns.
Theological foundations for creation care include:
Sacramental universe:%The world mediates divine presence as
God's handiwork. We participate in sanctity of nature.
Incarnation:%God joined creation by becoming flesh. Affirms
material world's dignity.
Image of God:%Humans have special responsibility to tend creation
as imago dei.
Sabbath:%Honoring limits and rest amid nature's cycles.
Stewardship:%Scripture charges humanity to cultivate and keep the
Garden.
New Creation:%Eschatological visions of peace and healing extend
to ecological renewal.
These and other doctrines depict caring for creation as fundamental
Christian vocation.
Theology and Climate Change Ethics
Climate change poses an urgent crisis. Public theology applies
stewardship frameworks to eco-justice concerns like:
Responsibility:%Industralized nations and wealthy bear greater
onus for emissions reductions given capacity and past impacts.
Climate justice.
Sustainability:%Moderation and renewable technology curb
unsustainable consumption. Value conservation and simplicity.
Biodiversity:%Preserve threatened ecosystems that manifest
creation's richness.
Lifestyle:%Shifting habits and cultural values to reduce waste and
carbon footprints.
Advocacy:%Policy change at scales necessary for transitioning
energy infrastructures.
Communal power:%Grassroots mobilization and democratic change
to enact sweeping economic transitions.
Overall climate change requires converting spiritual and ethical
commitments into political and economic change for ecological integrity,
environmental justice and intergenerational solidarity.
Theology of Work and Economic Vocation
Work holds theological significance as collaboration in God's creative and
sustaining activity. Public theology examines ethics of work and economic
life.
Key principles in a theology of work include:
Co-creator:%Work develops gifts and participates in divine
creativity. Affirms dignity in all labor.
Providence:%No line between sacred and secular work since God
sustains all creation.
Stewardship:%Work must serve human needs and ecological
health. Avoid exploitation or wastefulness.
Justice:%Right pay, safe conditions, and fair treatment required to
protect worker dignity and rights. No abuse or exploitation.
Social:%Value cooperation in work and shared fruits. Avoid
individualistic isolation.
Rest:%Honor Sabbath limits on consumption and production. Work
enables flourishing but is not ultimate end.
Calling:%Work cultivates virtue and fulfillment. Connects labor to
transcendent meaning.
This theology offers ethical guidance amid changing economies.
Economic Theology and Justice
Theology also provides moral frameworks for assessing economic
structures. Key principles include:
Common good:%Test policies by ability to foster community
wellbeing, not just individual gain. Avoid stark disparities.
Subsidiarity:%Localized solutions respect human dignity. Checks
excessive bureaucracy.
Solidarity:%Interdependence and concern for poor within one global
community.
Sustainability:%Intergenerational responsibility for shared
resources like water, soil, etc. Curb short-term profits that damage
communities.
Equity:%Fair wealth distribution and equal opportunity to meet
needs and develop potential.
Human Scale:%Democratically shaped economies serve humanity.
Avoid commodification of life and labor.
Risk-Sharing:%Shared security empowers creative development.
Theology critiques unjust economic orders and informs alternative visions
aligned with communal flourishing.
Economic Democracy and Cooperative Movements
In this spirit, movements for economic democracy and cooperatives apply
theological ethics on participatory economics grounded in solidarity:
Democratic control:%Workers and communities shape decisions
about business governance, investment, etc.
Wealth-sharing:%Share profits and ownership equitably.
Limited differentials:%Egalitarian pay scales respect dignity of all
work.
Cooperation:%Choose mutual benefit over self-interest. Build social
capital.
Sustainability:%Account for environmental and human impacts.
Rooted in place:%Attentive to local culture and ecology over distant
abstractions.
By enacting theological values, cooperative economics fosters justice and
sustainability. This models public theology's potential for inspiring
alternatives.
Theology and Ecology: Affirming Creation Stewardship
The natural environment holds inherent worth in Christian thought as part
of God's good creation. But ecological degradation and climate change
demand renewed theological attention to stewardship and sustainability.
Public theology applies theology to eco-justice concerns.
Theological foundations for creation care include:
Sacramental universe:%The world mediates divine presence as
God's handiwork. We participate in sanctity of nature.
Incarnation:%God joined creation by becoming flesh. Affirms
material world's dignity.
Image of God:%Humans have special responsibility to tend creation
as imago dei.
Sabbath:%Honoring limits and rest amid nature's cycles.
Stewardship:%Scripture charges humanity to cultivate and keep the
Garden.
New Creation:%Eschatological visions of peace and healing extend
to ecological renewal.
These and other doctrines depict caring for creation as fundamental
Christian vocation.
Theology and Climate Change Ethics
Climate change poses an urgent crisis. Public theology applies
stewardship frameworks to eco-justice concerns like:
Responsibility:%Industralized nations and wealthy bear greater
onus for emissions reductions given capacity and past impacts.
Climate justice.
Sustainability:%Moderation and renewable technology curb
unsustainable consumption. Value conservation and simplicity.
Biodiversity:%Preserve threatened ecosystems that manifest
creation's richness.
Lifestyle:%Shifting habits and cultural values to reduce waste and
carbon footprints.
Advocacy:%Policy change at scales necessary for transitioning
energy infrastructures.
Communal power:%Grassroots mobilization and democratic change
to enact sweeping economic transitions.
Overall climate change requires converting spiritual and ethical
commitments into political and economic change for ecological integrity,
environmental justice and intergenerational solidarity.
Theology of Work and Economic Vocation
Work holds theological significance as collaboration in God's creative and
sustaining activity. Public theology examines ethics of work and economic
life.
Key principles in a theology of work include:
Co-creator:%Work develops gifts and participates in divine
creativity. Affirms dignity in all labor.
Providence:%No line between sacred and secular work since God
sustains all creation.
Stewardship:%Work must serve human needs and ecological
health. Avoid exploitation or wastefulness.
Justice:%Right pay, safe conditions, and fair treatment required to
protect worker dignity and rights. No abuse or exploitation.
Social:%Value cooperation in work and shared fruits. Avoid
individualistic isolation.
Rest:%Honor Sabbath limits on consumption and production. Work
enables flourishing but is not ultimate end.
Calling:%Work cultivates virtue and fulfillment. Connects labor to
transcendent meaning.
This theology offers ethical guidance amid changing economies.
Economic Theology and Justice
Theology also provides moral frameworks for assessing economic
structures. Key principles include:
Common good:%Test policies by ability to foster community
wellbeing, not just individual gain. Avoid stark disparities.
Subsidiarity:%Localized solutions respect human dignity. Checks
excessive bureaucracy.
Solidarity:%Interdependence and concern for poor within one global
community.
Sustainability:%Intergenerational responsibility for shared
resources like water, soil, etc. Curb short-term profits that damage
communities.
Equity:%Fair wealth distribution and equal opportunity to meet
needs and develop potential.
Human Scale:%Democratically shaped economies serve humanity.
Avoid commodification of life and labor.
Risk-Sharing:%Shared security empowers creative development.
Theology critiques unjust economic orders and informs alternative visions
aligned with communal flourishing.
Economic Democracy and Cooperative Movements
In this spirit, movements for economic democracy and cooperatives apply
theological ethics on participatory economics grounded in solidarity:
Democratic control:%Workers and communities shape decisions
about business governance, investment, etc.
Wealth-sharing:%Share profits and ownership equitably.
Limited differentials:%Egalitarian pay scales respect dignity of all
work.
Cooperation:%Choose mutual benefit over self-interest. Build social
capital.
Sustainability:%Account for environmental and human impacts.
Rooted in place:%Attentive to local culture and ecology over distant
abstractions.
By enacting theological values, cooperative economics fosters justice and
sustainability. This models public theology's potential for inspiring
alternatives.
Theology and Ecology: Affirming Creation Stewardship
The natural environment holds inherent worth in Christian thought as part
of God's good creation. But ecological degradation and climate change
demand renewed theological attention to stewardship and sustainability.
Public theology applies theology to eco-justice concerns.
Theological foundations for creation care include:
Sacramental universe:%The world mediates divine presence as
God's handiwork. We participate in sanctity of nature.
Incarnation:%God joined creation by becoming flesh. Affirms
material world's dignity.
Image of God:%Humans have special responsibility to tend creation
as imago dei.
Sabbath:%Honoring limits and rest amid nature's cycles.
Stewardship:%Scripture charges humanity to cultivate and keep the
Garden.
New Creation:%Eschatological visions of peace and healing extend
to ecological renewal.
These and other doctrines depict caring for creation as fundamental
Christian vocation.
Theology and Climate Change Ethics
Climate change poses an urgent crisis. Public theology applies
stewardship frameworks to eco-justice concerns like:
Responsibility:%Industralized nations and wealthy bear greater
onus for emissions reductions given capacity and past impacts.
Climate justice.
Sustainability:%Moderation and renewable technology curb
unsustainable consumption. Value conservation and simplicity.
Biodiversity:%Preserve threatened ecosystems that manifest
creation's richness.
Lifestyle:%Shifting habits and cultural values to reduce waste and
carbon footprints.
Advocacy:%Policy change at scales necessary for transitioning
energy infrastructures.
Communal power:%Grassroots mobilization and democratic change
to enact sweeping economic transitions.
Overall climate change requires converting spiritual and ethical
commitments into political and economic change for ecological integrity,
environmental justice and intergenerational solidarity.
Theology of Work and Economic Vocation
Work holds theological significance as collaboration in God's creative and
sustaining activity. Public theology examines ethics of work and economic
life.
Key principles in a theology of work include:
Co-creator:%Work develops gifts and participates in divine
creativity. Affirms dignity in all labor.
Providence:%No line between sacred and secular work since God
sustains all creation.
Stewardship:%Work must serve human needs and ecological
health. Avoid exploitation or wastefulness.
Justice:%Right pay, safe conditions, and fair treatment required to
protect worker dignity and rights. No abuse or exploitation.
Social:%Value cooperation in work and shared fruits. Avoid
individualistic isolation.
Rest:%Honor Sabbath limits on consumption and production. Work
enables flourishing but is not ultimate end.
Calling:%Work cultivates virtue and fulfillment. Connects labor to
transcendent meaning.
This theology offers ethical guidance amid changing economies.
Economic Theology and Justice
Theology also provides moral frameworks for assessing economic
structures. Key principles include:
Common good:%Test policies by ability to foster community
wellbeing, not just individual gain. Avoid stark disparities.
Subsidiarity:%Localized solutions respect human dignity. Checks
excessive bureaucracy.
Solidarity:%Interdependence and concern for poor within one global
community.
Sustainability:%Intergenerational responsibility for shared
resources like water, soil, etc. Curb short-term profits that damage
communities.
Equity:%Fair wealth distribution and equal opportunity to meet
needs and develop potential.
Human Scale:%Democratically shaped economies serve humanity.
Avoid commodification of life and labor.
Risk-Sharing:%Shared security empowers creative development.
Theology critiques unjust economic orders and informs alternative visions
aligned with communal flourishing.
Economic Democracy and Cooperative Movements
In this spirit, movements for economic democracy and cooperatives apply
theological ethics on participatory economics grounded in solidarity:
Democratic control:%Workers and communities shape decisions
about business governance, investment, etc.
Wealth-sharing:%Share profits and ownership equitably.
Limited differentials:%Egalitarian pay scales respect dignity of all
work.
Cooperation:%Choose mutual benefit over self-interest. Build social
capital.
Sustainability:%Account for environmental and human impacts.
Rooted in place:%Attentive to local culture and ecology over distant
abstractions.
By enacting theological values, cooperative economics fosters justice and
sustainability. This models public theology's potential for inspiring
alternatives.
Theology and Ecology: Affirming Creation Stewardship
The natural environment holds inherent worth in Christian thought as part
of God's good creation. But ecological degradation and climate change
demand renewed theological attention to stewardship and sustainability.
Public theology applies theology to eco-justice concerns.
Theological foundations for creation care include:
Sacramental universe:%The world mediates divine presence as
God's handiwork. We participate in sanctity of nature.
Incarnation:%God joined creation by becoming flesh. Affirms
material world's dignity.
Image of God:%Humans have special responsibility to tend creation
as imago dei.
Sabbath:%Honoring limits and rest amid nature's cycles.
Stewardship:%Scripture charges humanity to cultivate and keep the
Garden.
New Creation:%Eschatological visions of peace and healing extend
to ecological renewal.
These and other doctrines depict caring for creation as fundamental
Christian vocation.
Theology and Climate Change Ethics
Climate change poses an urgent crisis. Public theology applies
stewardship frameworks to eco-justice concerns like:
Responsibility:%Industralized nations and wealthy bear greater
onus for emissions reductions given capacity and past impacts.
Climate justice.
Sustainability:%Moderation and renewable technology curb
unsustainable consumption. Value conservation and simplicity.
Biodiversity:%Preserve threatened ecosystems that manifest
creation's richness.
Lifestyle:%Shifting habits and cultural values to reduce waste and
carbon footprints.
Advocacy:%Policy change at scales necessary for transitioning
energy infrastructures.
Communal power:%Grassroots mobilization and democratic change
to enact sweeping economic transitions.
Overall climate change requires converting spiritual and ethical
commitments into political and economic change for ecological integrity,
environmental justice and intergenerational solidarity.
Theology of Work and Economic Vocation
Work holds theological significance as collaboration in God's creative and
sustaining activity. Public theology examines ethics of work and economic
life.
Key principles in a theology of work include:
Co-creator:%Work develops gifts and participates in divine
creativity. Affirms dignity in all labor.
Providence:%No line between sacred and secular work since God
sustains all creation.
Stewardship:%Work must serve human needs and ecological
health. Avoid exploitation or wastefulness.
Justice:%Right pay, safe conditions, and fair treatment required to
protect worker dignity and rights. No abuse or exploitation.
Social:%Value cooperation in work and shared fruits. Avoid
individualistic isolation.
Rest:%Honor Sabbath limits on consumption and production. Work
enables flourishing but is not ultimate end.
Calling:%Work cultivates virtue and fulfillment. Connects labor to
transcendent meaning.
This theology offers ethical guidance amid changing economies.
Economic Theology and Justice
Theology also provides moral frameworks for assessing economic
structures. Key principles include:
Common good:%Test policies by ability to foster community
wellbeing, not just individual gain. Avoid stark disparities.
Subsidiarity:%Localized solutions respect human dignity. Checks
excessive bureaucracy.
Solidarity:%Interdependence and concern for poor within one global
community.
Sustainability:%Intergenerational responsibility for shared
resources like water, soil, etc. Curb short-term profits that damage
communities.
Equity:%Fair wealth distribution and equal opportunity to meet
needs and develop potential.
Human Scale:%Democratically shaped economies serve humanity.
Avoid commodification of life and labor.
Risk-Sharing:%Shared security empowers creative development.
Theology critiques unjust economic orders and informs alternative visions
aligned with communal flourishing.
Economic Democracy and Cooperative Movements
In this spirit, movements for economic democracy and cooperatives apply
theological ethics on participatory economics grounded in solidarity:
Democratic control:%Workers and communities shape decisions
about business governance, investment, etc.
Wealth-sharing:%Share profits and ownership equitably.
Limited differentials:%Egalitarian pay scales respect dignity of all
work.
Cooperation:%Choose mutual benefit over self-interest. Build social
capital.
Sustainability:%Account for environmental and human impacts.
Rooted in place:%Attentive to local culture and ecology over distant
abstractions.
By enacting theological values, cooperative economics fosters justice and
sustainability. This models public theology's potential for inspiring
alternatives.
Theology and Ecology: Affirming Creation Stewardship
The natural environment holds inherent worth in Christian thought as part
of God's good creation. But ecological degradation and climate change
demand renewed theological attention to stewardship and sustainability.
Public theology applies theology to eco-justice concerns.
Theological foundations for creation care include:
Sacramental universe:%The world mediates divine presence as
God's handiwork. We participate in sanctity of nature.
Incarnation:%God joined creation by becoming flesh. Affirms
material world's dignity.
Image of God:%Humans have special responsibility to tend creation
as imago dei.
Sabbath:%Honoring limits and rest amid nature's cycles.
Stewardship:%Scripture charges humanity to cultivate and keep the
Garden.
New Creation:%Eschatological visions of peace and healing extend
to ecological renewal.
These and other doctrines depict caring for creation as fundamental
Christian vocation.
Theology and Climate Change Ethics
Climate change poses an urgent crisis. Public theology applies
stewardship frameworks to eco-justice concerns like:
Responsibility:%Industralized nations and wealthy bear greater
onus for emissions reductions given capacity and past impacts.
Climate justice.
Sustainability:%Moderation and renewable technology curb
unsustainable consumption. Value conservation and simplicity.
Biodiversity:%Preserve threatened ecosystems that manifest
creation's richness.
Lifestyle:%Shifting habits and cultural values to reduce waste and
carbon footprints.
Advocacy:%Policy change at scales necessary for transitioning
energy infrastructures.
Communal power:%Grassroots mobilization and democratic change
to enact sweeping economic transitions.
Overall climate change requires converting spiritual and ethical
commitments into political and economic change for ecological integrity,
environmental justice and intergenerational solidarity.
Theology of Work and Economic Vocation
Work holds theological significance as collaboration in God's creative and
sustaining activity. Public theology examines ethics of work and economic
life.
Key principles in a theology of work include:
Co-creator:%Work develops gifts and participates in divine
creativity. Affirms dignity in all labor.
Providence:%No line between sacred and secular work since God
sustains all creation.
Stewardship:%Work must serve human needs and ecological
health. Avoid exploitation or wastefulness.
Justice:%Right pay, safe conditions, and fair treatment required to
protect worker dignity and rights. No abuse or exploitation.
Social:%Value cooperation in work and shared fruits. Avoid
individualistic isolation.
Rest:%Honor Sabbath limits on consumption and production. Work
enables flourishing but is not ultimate end.
Calling:%Work cultivates virtue and fulfillment. Connects labor to
transcendent meaning.
This theology offers ethical guidance amid changing economies.
Economic Theology and Justice
Theology also provides moral frameworks for assessing economic
structures. Key principles include:
Common good:%Test policies by ability to foster community
wellbeing, not just individual gain. Avoid stark disparities.
Subsidiarity:%Localized solutions respect human dignity. Checks
excessive bureaucracy.
Solidarity:%Interdependence and concern for poor within one global
community.
Sustainability:%Intergenerational responsibility for shared
resources like water, soil, etc. Curb short-term profits that damage
communities.
Equity:%Fair wealth distribution and equal opportunity to meet
needs and develop potential.
Human Scale:%Democratically shaped economies serve humanity.
Avoid commodification of life and labor.
Risk-Sharing:%Shared security empowers creative development.
Theology critiques unjust economic orders and informs alternative visions
aligned with communal flourishing.
Economic Democracy and Cooperative Movements
In this spirit, movements for economic democracy and cooperatives apply
theological ethics on participatory economics grounded in solidarity:
Democratic control:%Workers and communities shape decisions
about business governance, investment, etc.
Wealth-sharing:%Share profits and ownership equitably.
Limited differentials:%Egalitarian pay scales respect dignity of all
work.
Cooperation:%Choose mutual benefit over self-interest. Build social
capital.
Sustainability:%Account for environmental and human impacts.
Rooted in place:%Attentive to local culture and ecology over distant
abstractions.
By enacting theological values, cooperative economics fosters justice and
sustainability. This models public theology's potential for inspiring
alternatives.
Theology and Ecology: Affirming Creation Stewardship
The natural environment holds inherent worth in Christian thought as part
of God's good creation. But ecological degradation and climate change
demand renewed theological attention to stewardship and sustainability.
Public theology applies theology to eco-justice concerns.
Theological foundations for creation care include:
Sacramental universe:%The world mediates divine presence as
God's handiwork. We participate in sanctity of nature.
Incarnation:%God joined creation by becoming flesh. Affirms
material world's dignity.
Image of God:%Humans have special responsibility to tend creation
as imago dei.
Sabbath:%Honoring limits and rest amid nature's cycles.
Stewardship:%Scripture charges humanity to cultivate and keep the
Garden.
New Creation:%Eschatological visions of peace and healing extend
to ecological renewal.
These and other doctrines depict caring for creation as fundamental
Christian vocation.
Theology and Climate Change Ethics
Climate change poses an urgent crisis. Public theology applies
stewardship frameworks to eco-justice concerns like:
Responsibility:%Industralized nations and wealthy bear greater
onus for emissions reductions given capacity and past impacts.
Climate justice.
Sustainability:%Moderation and renewable technology curb
unsustainable consumption. Value conservation and simplicity.
Biodiversity:%Preserve threatened ecosystems that manifest
creation's richness.
Lifestyle:%Shifting habits and cultural values to reduce waste and
carbon footprints.
Advocacy:%Policy change at scales necessary for transitioning
energy infrastructures.
Communal power:%Grassroots mobilization and democratic change
to enact sweeping economic transitions.
Overall climate change requires converting spiritual and ethical
commitments into political and economic change for ecological integrity,
environmental justice and intergenerational solidarity.
Theology of Work and Economic Vocation
Work holds theological significance as collaboration in God's creative and
sustaining activity. Public theology examines ethics of work and economic
life.
Key principles in a theology of work include:
Co-creator:%Work develops gifts and participates in divine
creativity. Affirms dignity in all labor.
Providence:%No line between sacred and secular work since God
sustains all creation.
Stewardship:%Work must serve human needs and ecological
health. Avoid exploitation or wastefulness.
Justice:%Right pay, safe conditions, and fair treatment required to
protect worker dignity and rights. No abuse or exploitation.
Social:%Value cooperation in work and shared fruits. Avoid
individualistic isolation.
Rest:%Honor Sabbath limits on consumption and production. Work
enables flourishing but is not ultimate end.
Calling:%Work cultivates virtue and fulfillment. Connects labor to
transcendent meaning.
This theology offers ethical guidance amid changing economies.
Economic Theology and Justice
Theology also provides moral frameworks for assessing economic
structures. Key principles include:
Common good:%Test policies by ability to foster community
wellbeing, not just individual gain. Avoid stark disparities.
Subsidiarity:%Localized solutions respect human dignity. Checks
excessive bureaucracy.
Solidarity:%Interdependence and concern for poor within one global
community.
Sustainability:%Intergenerational responsibility for shared
resources like water, soil, etc. Curb short-term profits that damage
communities.
Equity:%Fair wealth distribution and equal opportunity to meet
needs and develop potential.
Human Scale:%Democratically shaped economies serve humanity.
Avoid commodification of life and labor.
Risk-Sharing:%Shared security empowers creative development.
Theology critiques unjust economic orders and informs alternative visions
aligned with communal flourishing.
Economic Democracy and Cooperative Movements
In this spirit, movements for economic democracy and cooperatives apply
theological ethics on participatory economics grounded in solidarity:
Democratic control:%Workers and communities shape decisions
about business governance, investment, etc.
Wealth-sharing:%Share profits and ownership equitably.
Limited differentials:%Egalitarian pay scales respect dignity of all
work.
Cooperation:%Choose mutual benefit over self-interest. Build social
capital.
Sustainability:%Account for environmental and human impacts.
Rooted in place:%Attentive to local culture and ecology over distant
abstractions.
By enacting theological values, cooperative economics fosters justice and
sustainability. This models public theology's potential for inspiring
alternatives.
Theology and Ecology: Affirming Creation Stewardship
The natural environment holds inherent worth in Christian thought as part
of God's good creation. But ecological degradation and climate change
demand renewed theological attention to stewardship and sustainability.
Public theology applies theology to eco-justice concerns.
Theological foundations for creation care include:
Sacramental universe:%The world mediates divine presence as
God's handiwork. We participate in sanctity of nature.
Incarnation:%God joined creation by becoming flesh. Affirms
material world's dignity.
Image of God:%Humans have special responsibility to tend creation
as imago dei.
Sabbath:%Honoring limits and rest amid nature's cycles.
Stewardship:%Scripture charges humanity to cultivate and keep the
Garden.
New Creation:%Eschatological visions of peace and healing extend
to ecological renewal.
These and other doctrines depict caring for creation as fundamental
Christian vocation.
Theology and Climate Change Ethics
Climate change poses an urgent crisis. Public theology applies
stewardship frameworks to eco-justice concerns like:
Responsibility:%Industralized nations and wealthy bear greater
onus for emissions reductions given capacity and past impacts.
Climate justice.
Sustainability:%Moderation and renewable technology curb
unsustainable consumption. Value conservation and simplicity.
Biodiversity:%Preserve threatened ecosystems that manifest
creation's richness.
Lifestyle:%Shifting habits and cultural values to reduce waste and
carbon footprints.
Advocacy:%Policy change at scales necessary for transitioning
energy infrastructures.
Communal power:%Grassroots mobilization and democratic change
to enact sweeping economic transitions.
Overall climate change requires converting spiritual and ethical
commitments into political and economic change for ecological integrity,
environmental justice and intergenerational solidarity.
Theology of Work and Economic Vocation
Work holds theological significance as collaboration in God's creative and
sustaining activity. Public theology examines ethics of work and economic
life.
Key principles in a theology of work include:
Co-creator:%Work develops gifts and participates in divine
creativity. Affirms dignity in all labor.
Providence:%No line between sacred and secular work since God
sustains all creation.
Stewardship:%Work must serve human needs and ecological
health. Avoid exploitation or wastefulness.
Justice:%Right pay, safe conditions, and fair treatment required to
protect worker dignity and rights. No abuse or exploitation.
Social:%Value cooperation in work and shared fruits. Avoid
individualistic isolation.
Rest:%Honor Sabbath limits on consumption and production. Work
enables flourishing but is not ultimate end.
Calling:%Work cultivates virtue and fulfillment. Connects labor to
transcendent meaning.
This theology offers ethical guidance amid changing economies.
Economic Theology and Justice
Theology also provides moral frameworks for assessing economic
structures. Key principles include:
Common good:%Test policies by ability to foster community
wellbeing, not just individual gain. Avoid stark disparities.
Subsidiarity:%Localized solutions respect human dignity. Checks
excessive bureaucracy.
Solidarity:%Interdependence and concern for poor within one global
community.
Sustainability:%Intergenerational responsibility for shared
resources like water, soil, etc. Curb short-term profits that damage
communities.
Equity:%Fair wealth distribution and equal opportunity to meet
needs and develop potential.
Human Scale:%Democratically shaped economies serve humanity.
Avoid commodification of life and labor.
Risk-Sharing:%Shared security empowers creative development.
Theology critiques unjust economic orders and informs alternative visions
aligned with communal flourishing.
Economic Democracy and Cooperative Movements
In this spirit, movements for economic democracy and cooperatives apply
theological ethics on participatory economics grounded in solidarity:
Democratic control:%Workers and communities shape decisions
about business governance, investment, etc.
Wealth-sharing:%Share profits and ownership equitably.
Limited differentials:%Egalitarian pay scales respect dignity of all
work.
Cooperation:%Choose mutual benefit over self-interest. Build social
capital.
Sustainability:%Account for environmental and human impacts.
Rooted in place:%Attentive to local culture and ecology over distant
abstractions.
By enacting theological values, cooperative economics fosters justice and
sustainability. This models public theology's potential for inspiring
alternatives.
Theology and Ecology: Affirming Creation Stewardship
The natural environment holds inherent worth in Christian thought as part
of God's good creation. But ecological degradation and climate change
demand renewed theological attention to stewardship and sustainability.
Public theology applies theology to eco-justice concerns.
Theological foundations for creation care include:
Sacramental universe:%The world mediates divine presence as
God's handiwork. We participate in sanctity of nature.
Incarnation:%God joined creation by becoming flesh. Affirms
material world's dignity.
Image of God:%Humans have special responsibility to tend creation
as imago dei.
Sabbath:%Honoring limits and rest amid nature's cycles.
Stewardship:%Scripture charges humanity to cultivate and keep the
Garden.
New Creation:%Eschatological visions of peace and healing extend
to ecological renewal.
These and other doctrines depict caring for creation as fundamental
Christian vocation.
Theology and Climate Change Ethics
Climate change poses an urgent crisis. Public theology applies
stewardship frameworks to eco-justice concerns like:
Responsibility:%Industralized nations and wealthy bear greater
onus for emissions reductions given capacity and past impacts.
Climate justice.
Sustainability:%Moderation and renewable technology curb
unsustainable consumption. Value conservation and simplicity.
Biodiversity:%Preserve threatened ecosystems that manifest
creation's richness.
Lifestyle:%Shifting habits and cultural values to reduce waste and
carbon footprints.
Advocacy:%Policy change at scales necessary for transitioning
energy infrastructures.
Communal power:%Grassroots mobilization and democratic change
to enact sweeping economic transitions.
Overall climate change requires converting spiritual and ethical
commitments into political and economic change for ecological integrity,
environmental justice and intergenerational solidarity.
Theology of Work and Economic Vocation
Work holds theological significance as collaboration in God's creative and
sustaining activity. Public theology examines ethics of work and economic
life.
Key principles in a theology of work include:
Co-creator:%Work develops gifts and participates in divine
creativity. Affirms dignity in all labor.
Providence:%No line between sacred and secular work since God
sustains all creation.
Stewardship:%Work must serve human needs and ecological
health. Avoid exploitation or wastefulness.
Justice:%Right pay, safe conditions, and fair treatment required to
protect worker dignity and rights. No abuse or exploitation.
Social:%Value cooperation in work and shared fruits. Avoid
individualistic isolation.
Rest:%Honor Sabbath limits on consumption and production. Work
enables flourishing but is not ultimate end.
Calling:%Work cultivates virtue and fulfillment. Connects labor to
transcendent meaning.
This theology offers ethical guidance amid changing economies.
Economic Theology and Justice
Theology also provides moral frameworks for assessing economic
structures. Key principles include:
Common good:%Test policies by ability to foster community
wellbeing, not just individual gain. Avoid stark disparities.
Subsidiarity:%Localized solutions respect human dignity. Checks
excessive bureaucracy.
Solidarity:%Interdependence and concern for poor within one global
community.
Sustainability:%Intergenerational responsibility for shared
resources like water, soil, etc. Curb short-term profits that damage
communities.
Equity:%Fair wealth distribution and equal opportunity to meet
needs and develop potential.
Human Scale:%Democratically shaped economies serve humanity.
Avoid commodification of life and labor.
Risk-Sharing:%Shared security empowers creative development.
Theology critiques unjust economic orders and informs alternative visions
aligned with communal flourishing.
Economic Democracy and Cooperative Movements
In this spirit, movements for economic democracy and cooperatives apply
theological ethics on participatory economics grounded in solidarity:
Democratic control:%Workers and communities shape decisions
about business governance, investment, etc.
Wealth-sharing:%Share profits and ownership equitably.
Limited differentials:%Egalitarian pay scales respect dignity of all
work.
Cooperation:%Choose mutual benefit over self-interest. Build social
capital.
Sustainability:%Account for environmental and human impacts.
Rooted in place:%Attentive to local culture and ecology over distant
abstractions.
By enacting theological values, cooperative economics fosters justice and
sustainability. This models public theology's potential for inspiring
alternatives.
Theology and Ecology: Affirming Creation Stewardship
The natural environment holds inherent worth in Christian thought as part
of God's good creation. But ecological degradation and climate change
demand renewed theological attention to stewardship and sustainability.
Public theology applies theology to eco-justice concerns.
Theological foundations for creation care include:
Sacramental universe:%The world mediates divine presence as
God's handiwork. We participate in sanctity of nature.
Incarnation:%God joined creation by becoming flesh. Affirms
material world's dignity.
Image of God:%Humans have special responsibility to tend creation
as imago dei.
Sabbath:%Honoring limits and rest amid nature's cycles.
Stewardship:%Scripture charges humanity to cultivate and keep the
Garden.
New Creation:%Eschatological visions of peace and healing extend
to ecological renewal.
These and other doctrines depict caring for creation as fundamental
Christian vocation.
Theology and Climate Change Ethics
Climate change poses an urgent crisis. Public theology applies
stewardship frameworks to eco-justice concerns like:
Responsibility:%Industralized nations and wealthy bear greater
onus for emissions reductions given capacity and past impacts.
Climate justice.
Sustainability:%Moderation and renewable technology curb
unsustainable consumption. Value conservation and simplicity.
Biodiversity:%Preserve threatened ecosystems that manifest
creation's richness.
Lifestyle:%Shifting habits and cultural values to reduce waste and
carbon footprints.
Advocacy:%Policy change at scales necessary for transitioning
energy infrastructures.
Communal power:%Grassroots mobilization and democratic change
to enact sweeping economic transitions.
Overall climate change requires converting spiritual and ethical
commitments into political and economic change for ecological integrity,
environmental justice and intergenerational solidarity.
Theology of Work and Economic Vocation
Work holds theological significance as collaboration in God's creative and
sustaining activity. Public theology examines ethics of work and economic
life.
Key principles in a theology of work include:
Co-creator:%Work develops gifts and participates in divine
creativity. Affirms dignity in all labor.
Providence:%No line between sacred and secular work since God
sustains all creation.
Stewardship:%Work must serve human needs and ecological
health. Avoid exploitation or wastefulness.
Justice:%Right pay, safe conditions, and fair treatment required to
protect worker dignity and rights. No abuse or exploitation.
Social:%Value cooperation in work and shared fruits. Avoid
individualistic isolation.
Rest:%Honor Sabbath limits on consumption and production. Work
enables flourishing but is not ultimate end.
Calling:%Work cultivates virtue and fulfillment. Connects labor to
transcendent meaning.
This theology offers ethical guidance amid changing economies.
Economic Theology and Justice
Theology also provides moral frameworks for assessing economic
structures. Key principles include:
Common good:%Test policies by ability to foster community
wellbeing, not just individual gain. Avoid stark disparities.
Subsidiarity:%Localized solutions respect human dignity. Checks
excessive bureaucracy.
Solidarity:%Interdependence and concern for poor within one global
community.
Sustainability:%Intergenerational responsibility for shared
resources like water, soil, etc. Curb short-term profits that damage
communities.
Equity:%Fair wealth distribution and equal opportunity to meet
needs and develop potential.
Human Scale:%Democratically shaped economies serve humanity.
Avoid commodification of life and labor.
Risk-Sharing:%Shared security empowers creative development.
Theology critiques unjust economic orders and informs alternative visions
aligned with communal flourishing.
Economic Democracy and Cooperative Movements
In this spirit, movements for economic democracy and cooperatives apply
theological ethics on participatory economics grounded in solidarity:
Democratic control:%Workers and communities shape decisions
about business governance, investment, etc.
Wealth-sharing:%Share profits and ownership equitably.
Limited differentials:%Egalitarian pay scales respect dignity of all
work.
Cooperation:%Choose mutual benefit over self-interest. Build social
capital.
Sustainability:%Account for environmental and human impacts.
Rooted in place:%Attentive to local culture and ecology over distant
abstractions.
By enacting theological values, cooperative economics fosters justice and
sustainability. This models public theology's potential for inspiring
alternatives.
Theology and Ecology: Affirming Creation Stewardship
The natural environment holds inherent worth in Christian thought as part
of God's good creation. But ecological degradation and climate change
demand renewed theological attention to stewardship and sustainability.
Public theology applies theology to eco-justice concerns.
Theological foundations for creation care include:
Sacramental universe:%The world mediates divine presence as
God's handiwork. We participate in sanctity of nature.
Incarnation:%God joined creation by becoming flesh. Affirms
material world's dignity.
Image of God:%Humans have special responsibility to tend creation
as imago dei.
Sabbath:%Honoring limits and rest amid nature's cycles.
Stewardship:%Scripture charges humanity to cultivate and keep the
Garden.
New Creation:%Eschatological visions of peace and healing extend
to ecological renewal.
These and other doctrines depict caring for creation as fundamental
Christian vocation.
Theology and Climate Change Ethics
Climate change poses an urgent crisis. Public theology applies
stewardship frameworks to eco-justice concerns like:
Responsibility:%Industralized nations and wealthy bear greater
onus for emissions reductions given capacity and past impacts.
Climate justice.
Sustainability:%Moderation and renewable technology curb
unsustainable consumption. Value conservation and simplicity.
Biodiversity:%Preserve threatened ecosystems that manifest
creation's richness.
Lifestyle:%Shifting habits and cultural values to reduce waste and
carbon footprints.
Advocacy:%Policy change at scales necessary for transitioning
energy infrastructures.
Communal power:%Grassroots mobilization and democratic change
to enact sweeping economic transitions.
Overall climate change requires converting spiritual and ethical
commitments into political and economic change for ecological integrity,
environmental justice and intergenerational solidarity.
Theology of Work and Economic Vocation
Work holds theological significance as collaboration in God's creative and
sustaining activity. Public theology examines ethics of work and economic
life.
Key principles in a theology of work include:
Co-creator:%Work develops gifts and participates in divine
creativity. Affirms dignity in all labor.
Providence:%No line between sacred and secular work since God
sustains all creation.
Stewardship:%Work must serve human needs and ecological
health. Avoid exploitation or wastefulness.
Justice:%Right pay, safe conditions, and fair treatment required to
protect worker dignity and rights. No abuse or exploitation.
Social:%Value cooperation in work and shared fruits. Avoid
individualistic isolation.
Rest:%Honor Sabbath limits on consumption and production. Work
enables flourishing but is not ultimate end.
Calling:%Work cultivates virtue and fulfillment. Connects labor to
transcendent meaning.
This theology offers ethical guidance amid changing economies.
Economic Theology and Justice
Theology also provides moral frameworks for assessing economic
structures. Key principles include:
Common good:%Test policies by ability to foster community
wellbeing, not just individual gain. Avoid stark disparities.
Subsidiarity:%Localized solutions respect human dignity. Checks
excessive bureaucracy.
Solidarity:%Interdependence and concern for poor within one global
community.
Sustainability:%Intergenerational responsibility for shared
resources like water, soil, etc. Curb short-term profits that damage
communities.
Equity:%Fair wealth distribution and equal opportunity to meet
needs and develop potential.
Human Scale:%Democratically shaped economies serve humanity.
Avoid commodification of life and labor.
Risk-Sharing:%Shared security empowers creative development.
Theology critiques unjust economic orders and informs alternative visions
aligned with communal flourishing.
Economic Democracy and Cooperative Movements
In this spirit, movements for economic democracy and cooperatives apply
theological ethics on participatory economics grounded in solidarity:
Democratic control:%Workers and communities shape decisions
about business governance, investment, etc.
Wealth-sharing:%Share profits and ownership equitably.
Limited differentials:%Egalitarian pay scales respect dignity of all
work.
Cooperation:%Choose mutual benefit over self-interest. Build social
capital.
Sustainability:%Account for environmental and human impacts.
Rooted in place:%Attentive to local culture and ecology over distant
abstractions.
By enacting theological values, cooperative economics fosters justice and
sustainability. This models public theology's potential for inspiring
alternatives.
Theology and Ecology: Affirming Creation Stewardship
The natural environment holds inherent worth in Christian thought as part
of God's good creation. But ecological degradation and climate change
demand renewed theological attention to stewardship and sustainability.
Public theology applies theology to eco-justice concerns.
Theological foundations for creation care include:
Sacramental universe:%The world mediates divine presence as
God's handiwork. We participate in sanctity of nature.
Incarnation:%God joined creation by becoming flesh. Affirms
material world's dignity.
Image of God:%Humans have special responsibility to tend creation
as imago dei.
Sabbath:%Honoring limits and rest amid nature's cycles.
Stewardship:%Scripture charges humanity to cultivate and keep the
Garden.
New Creation:%Eschatological visions of peace and healing extend
to ecological renewal.
These and other doctrines depict caring for creation as fundamental
Christian vocation.
Theology and Climate Change Ethics
Climate change poses an urgent crisis. Public theology applies
stewardship frameworks to eco-justice concerns like:
Responsibility:%Industralized nations and wealthy bear greater
onus for emissions reductions given capacity and past impacts.
Climate justice.
Sustainability:%Moderation and renewable technology curb
unsustainable consumption. Value conservation and simplicity.
Biodiversity:%Preserve threatened ecosystems that manifest
creation's richness.
Lifestyle:%Shifting habits and cultural values to reduce waste and
carbon footprints.
Advocacy:%Policy change at scales necessary for transitioning
energy infrastructures.
Communal power:%Grassroots mobilization and democratic change
to enact sweeping economic transitions.
Overall climate change requires converting spiritual and ethical
commitments into political and economic change for ecological integrity,
environmental justice and intergenerational solidarity.
Theology of Work and Economic Vocation
Work holds theological significance as collaboration in God's creative and
sustaining activity. Public theology examines ethics of work and economic
life.
Key principles in a theology of work include:
Co-creator:%Work develops gifts and participates in divine
creativity. Affirms dignity in all labor.
Providence:%No line between sacred and secular work since God
sustains all creation.
Stewardship:%Work must serve human needs and ecological
health. Avoid exploitation or wastefulness.
Justice:%Right pay, safe conditions, and fair treatment required to
protect worker dignity and rights. No abuse or exploitation.
Social:%Value cooperation in work and shared fruits. Avoid
individualistic isolation.
Rest:%Honor Sabbath limits on consumption and production. Work
enables flourishing but is not ultimate end.
Calling:%Work cultivates virtue and fulfillment. Connects labor to
transcendent meaning.
This theology offers ethical guidance amid changing economies.
Economic Theology and Justice
Theology also provides moral frameworks for assessing economic
structures. Key principles include:
Common good:%Test policies by ability to foster community
wellbeing, not just individual gain. Avoid stark disparities.
Subsidiarity:%Localized solutions respect human dignity. Checks
excessive bureaucracy.
Solidarity:%Interdependence and concern for poor within one global
community.
Sustainability:%Intergenerational responsibility for shared
resources like water, soil, etc. Curb short-term profits that damage
communities.
Equity:%Fair wealth distribution and equal opportunity to meet
needs and develop potential.
Human Scale:%Democratically shaped economies serve humanity.
Avoid commodification of life and labor.
Risk-Sharing:%Shared security empowers creative development.
Theology critiques unjust economic orders and informs alternative visions
aligned with communal flourishing.
Economic Democracy and Cooperative Movements
In this spirit, movements for economic democracy and cooperatives apply
theological ethics on participatory economics grounded in solidarity:
Democratic control:%Workers and communities shape decisions
about business governance, investment, etc.
Wealth-sharing:%Share profits and ownership equitably.
Limited differentials:%Egalitarian pay scales respect dignity of all
work.
Cooperation:%Choose mutual benefit over self-interest. Build social
capital.
Sustainability:%Account for environmental and human impacts.
Rooted in place:%Attentive to local culture and ecology over distant
abstractions.
By enacting theological values, cooperative economics fosters justice and
sustainability. This models public theology's potential for inspiring
alternatives.
Theology and Ecology: Affirming Creation Stewardship
The natural environment holds inherent worth in Christian thought as part
of God's good creation. But ecological degradation and climate change
demand renewed theological attention to stewardship and sustainability.
Public theology applies theology to eco-justice concerns.
Theological foundations for creation care include:
Sacramental universe:%The world mediates divine presence as
God's handiwork. We participate in sanctity of nature.
Incarnation:%God joined creation by becoming flesh. Affirms
material world's dignity.
Image of God:%Humans have special responsibility to tend creation
as imago dei.
Sabbath:%Honoring limits and rest amid nature's cycles.
Stewardship:%Scripture charges humanity to cultivate and keep the
Garden.
New Creation:%Eschatological visions of peace and healing extend
to ecological renewal.
These and other doctrines depict caring for creation as fundamental
Christian vocation.
Theology and Climate Change Ethics
Climate change poses an urgent crisis. Public theology applies
stewardship frameworks to eco-justice concerns like:
Responsibility:%Industralized nations and wealthy bear greater
onus for emissions reductions given capacity and past impacts.
Climate justice.
Sustainability:%Moderation and renewable technology curb
unsustainable consumption. Value conservation and simplicity.
Biodiversity:%Preserve threatened ecosystems that manifest
creation's richness.
Lifestyle:%Shifting habits and cultural values to reduce waste and
carbon footprints.
Advocacy:%Policy change at scales necessary for transitioning
energy infrastructures.
Communal power:%Grassroots mobilization and democratic change
to enact sweeping economic transitions.
Overall climate change requires converting spiritual and ethical
commitments into political and economic change for ecological integrity,
environmental justice and intergenerational solidarity.
Theology of Work and Economic Vocation
Work holds theological significance as collaboration in God's creative and
sustaining activity. Public theology examines ethics of work and economic
life.
Key principles in a theology of work include:
Co-creator:%Work develops gifts and participates in divine
creativity. Affirms dignity in all labor.
Providence:%No line between sacred and secular work since God
sustains all creation.
Stewardship:%Work must serve human needs and ecological
health. Avoid exploitation or wastefulness.
Justice:%Right pay, safe conditions, and fair treatment required to
protect worker dignity and rights. No abuse or exploitation.
Social:%Value cooperation in work and shared fruits. Avoid
individualistic isolation.
Rest:%Honor Sabbath limits on consumption and production. Work
enables flourishing but is not ultimate end.
Calling:%Work cultivates virtue and fulfillment. Connects labor to
transcendent meaning.
This theology offers ethical guidance amid changing economies.
Economic Theology and Justice
Theology also provides moral frameworks for assessing economic
structures. Key principles include:
Common good:%Test policies by ability to foster community
wellbeing, not just individual gain. Avoid stark disparities.
Subsidiarity:%Localized solutions respect human dignity. Checks
excessive bureaucracy.
Solidarity:%Interdependence and concern for poor within one global
community.
Sustainability:%Intergenerational responsibility for shared
resources like water, soil, etc. Curb short-term profits that damage
communities.
Equity:%Fair wealth distribution and equal opportunity to meet
needs and develop potential.
Human Scale:%Democratically shaped economies serve humanity.
Avoid commodification of life and labor.
Risk-Sharing:%Shared security empowers creative development.
Theology critiques unjust economic orders and informs alternative visions
aligned with communal flourishing.
Economic Democracy and Cooperative Movements
In this spirit, movements for economic democracy and cooperatives apply
theological ethics on participatory economics grounded in solidarity:
Democratic control:%Workers and communities shape decisions
about business governance, investment, etc.
Wealth-sharing:%Share profits and ownership equitably.
Limited differentials:%Egalitarian pay scales respect dignity of all
work.
Cooperation:%Choose mutual benefit over self-interest. Build social
capital.
Sustainability:%Account for environmental and human impacts.
Rooted in place:%Attentive to local culture and ecology over distant
abstractions.
By enacting theological values, cooperative economics fosters justice and
sustainability. This models public theology's potential for inspiring
alternatives.
Theology and Ecology: Affirming Creation Stewardship
The natural environment holds inherent worth in Christian thought as part
of God's good creation. But ecological degradation and climate change
demand renewed theological attention to stewardship and sustainability.
Public theology applies theology to eco-justice concerns.
Theological foundations for creation care include:
Sacramental universe:%The world mediates divine presence as
God's handiwork. We participate in sanctity of nature.
Incarnation:%God joined creation by becoming flesh. Affirms
material world's dignity.
Image of God:%Humans have special responsibility to tend creation
as imago dei.
Sabbath:%Honoring limits and rest amid nature's cycles.
Stewardship:%Scripture charges humanity to cultivate and keep the
Garden.
New Creation:%Eschatological visions of peace and healing extend
to ecological renewal.
These and other doctrines depict caring for creation as fundamental
Christian vocation.
Theology and Climate Change Ethics
Climate change poses an urgent crisis. Public theology applies
stewardship frameworks to eco-justice concerns like:
Responsibility:%Industralized nations and wealthy bear greater
onus for emissions reductions given capacity and past impacts.
Climate justice.
Sustainability:%Moderation and renewable technology curb
unsustainable consumption. Value conservation and simplicity.
Biodiversity:%Preserve threatened ecosystems that manifest
creation's richness.
Lifestyle:%Shifting habits and cultural values to reduce waste and
carbon footprints.
Advocacy:%Policy change at scales necessary for transitioning
energy infrastructures.
Communal power:%Grassroots mobilization and democratic change
to enact sweeping economic transitions.
Overall climate change requires converting spiritual and ethical
commitments into political and economic change for ecological integrity,
environmental justice and intergenerational solidarity.
Theology of Work and Economic Vocation
Work holds theological significance as collaboration in God's creative and
sustaining activity. Public theology examines ethics of work and economic
life.
Key principles in a theology of work include:
Co-creator:%Work develops gifts and participates in divine
creativity. Affirms dignity in all labor.
Providence:%No line between sacred and secular work since God
sustains all creation.
Stewardship:%Work must serve human needs and ecological
health. Avoid exploitation or wastefulness.
Justice:%Right pay, safe conditions, and fair treatment required to
protect worker dignity and rights. No abuse or exploitation.
Social:%Value cooperation in work and shared fruits. Avoid
individualistic isolation.
Rest:%Honor Sabbath limits on consumption and production. Work
enables flourishing but is not ultimate end.
Calling:%Work cultivates virtue and fulfillment. Connects labor to
transcendent meaning.
This theology offers ethical guidance amid changing economies.
Economic Theology and Justice
Theology also provides moral frameworks for assessing economic
structures. Key principles include:
Common good:%Test policies by ability to foster community
wellbeing, not just individual gain. Avoid stark disparities.
Subsidiarity:%Localized solutions respect human dignity. Checks
excessive bureaucracy.
Solidarity:%Interdependence and concern for poor within one global
community.
Sustainability:%Intergenerational responsibility for shared
resources like water, soil, etc. Curb short-term profits that damage
communities.
Equity:%Fair wealth distribution and equal opportunity to meet
needs and develop potential.
Human Scale:%Democratically shaped economies serve humanity.
Avoid commodification of life and labor.
Risk-Sharing:%Shared security empowers creative development.
Theology critiques unjust economic orders and informs alternative visions
aligned with communal flourishing.
Economic Democracy and Cooperative Movements
In this spirit, movements for economic democracy and cooperatives apply
theological ethics on participatory economics grounded in solidarity:
Democratic control:%Workers and communities shape decisions
about business governance, investment, etc.
Wealth-sharing:%Share profits and ownership equitably.
Limited differentials:%Egalitarian pay scales respect dignity of all
work.
Cooperation:%Choose mutual benefit over self-interest. Build social
capital.
Sustainability:%Account for environmental and human impacts.
Rooted in place:%Attentive to local culture and ecology over distant
abstractions.
By enacting theological values, cooperative economics fosters justice and
sustainability. This models public theology's potential for inspiring
alternatives.
Theology and Ecology: Affirming Creation Stewardship
The natural environment holds inherent worth in Christian thought as part
of God's good creation. But ecological degradation and climate change
demand renewed theological attention to stewardship and sustainability.
Public theology applies theology to eco-justice concerns.
Theological foundations for creation care include:
Sacramental universe:%The world mediates divine presence as
God's handiwork. We participate in sanctity of nature.
Incarnation:%God joined creation by becoming flesh. Affirms
material world's dignity.
Image of God:%Humans have special responsibility to tend creation
as imago dei.
Sabbath:%Honoring limits and rest amid nature's cycles.
Stewardship:%Scripture charges humanity to cultivate and keep the
Garden.
New Creation:%Eschatological visions of peace and healing extend
to ecological renewal.
These and other doctrines depict caring for creation as fundamental
Christian vocation.
Theology and Climate Change Ethics
Climate change poses an urgent crisis. Public theology applies
stewardship frameworks to eco-justice concerns like:
Responsibility:%Industralized nations and wealthy bear greater
onus for emissions reductions given capacity and past impacts.
Climate justice.
Sustainability:%Moderation and renewable technology curb
unsustainable consumption. Value conservation and simplicity.
Biodiversity:%Preserve threatened ecosystems that manifest
creation's richness.
Lifestyle:%Shifting habits and cultural values to reduce waste and
carbon footprints.
Advocacy:%Policy change at scales necessary for transitioning
energy infrastructures.
Communal power:%Grassroots mobilization and democratic change
to enact sweeping economic transitions.
Overall climate change requires converting spiritual and ethical
commitments into political and economic change for ecological integrity,
environmental justice and intergenerational solidarity.
Theology of Work and Economic Vocation
Work holds theological significance as collaboration in God's creative and
sustaining activity. Public theology examines ethics of work and economic
life.
Key principles in a theology of work include:
Co-creator:%Work develops gifts and participates in divine
creativity. Affirms dignity in all labor.
Providence:%No line between sacred and secular work since God
sustains all creation.
Stewardship:%Work must serve human needs and ecological
health. Avoid exploitation or wastefulness.
Justice:%Right pay, safe conditions, and fair treatment required to
protect worker dignity and rights. No abuse or exploitation.
Social:%Value cooperation in work and shared fruits. Avoid
individualistic isolation.
Rest:%Honor Sabbath limits on consumption and production. Work
enables flourishing but is not ultimate end.
Calling:%Work cultivates virtue and fulfillment. Connects labor to
transcendent meaning.
This theology offers ethical guidance amid changing economies.
Economic Theology and Justice
Theology also provides moral frameworks for assessing economic
structures. Key principles include:
Common good:%Test policies by ability to foster community
wellbeing, not just individual gain. Avoid stark disparities.
Subsidiarity:%Localized solutions respect human dignity. Checks
excessive bureaucracy.
Solidarity:%Interdependence and concern for poor within one global
community.
Sustainability:%Intergenerational responsibility for shared
resources like water, soil, etc. Curb short-term profits that damage
communities.
Equity:%Fair wealth distribution and equal opportunity to meet
needs and develop potential.
Human Scale:%Democratically shaped economies serve humanity.
Avoid commodification of life and labor.
Risk-Sharing:%Shared security empowers creative development.
Theology critiques unjust economic orders and informs alternative visions
aligned with communal flourishing.
Economic Democracy and Cooperative Movements
In this spirit, movements for economic democracy and cooperatives apply
theological ethics on participatory economics grounded in solidarity:
Democratic control:%Workers and communities shape decisions
about business governance, investment, etc.
Wealth-sharing:%Share profits and ownership equitably.
Limited differentials:%Egalitarian pay scales respect dignity of all
work.
Cooperation:%Choose mutual benefit over self-interest. Build social
capital.
Sustainability:%Account for environmental and human impacts.
Rooted in place:%Attentive to local culture and ecology over distant
abstractions.
By enacting theological values, cooperative economics fosters justice and
sustainability. This models public theology's potential for inspiring
alternatives.
Theology and Ecology: Affirming Creation Stewardship
The natural environment holds inherent worth in Christian thought as part
of God's good creation. But ecological degradation and climate change
demand renewed theological attention to stewardship and sustainability.
Public theology applies theology to eco-justice concerns.
Theological foundations for creation care include:
Sacramental universe:%The world mediates divine presence as
God's handiwork. We participate in sanctity of nature.
Incarnation:%God joined creation by becoming flesh. Affirms
material world's dignity.
Image of God:%Humans have special responsibility to tend creation
as imago dei.
Sabbath:%Honoring limits and rest amid nature's cycles.
Stewardship:%Scripture charges humanity to cultivate and keep the
Garden.
New Creation:%Eschatological visions of peace and healing extend
to ecological renewal.
These and other doctrines depict caring for creation as fundamental
Christian vocation.
Theology and Climate Change Ethics
Climate change poses an urgent crisis. Public theology applies
stewardship frameworks to eco-justice concerns like:
Responsibility:%Industralized nations and wealthy bear greater
onus for emissions reductions given capacity and past impacts.
Climate justice.
Sustainability:%Moderation and renewable technology curb
unsustainable consumption. Value conservation and simplicity.
Biodiversity:%Preserve threatened ecosystems that manifest
creation's richness.
Lifestyle:%Shifting habits and cultural values to reduce waste and
carbon footprints.
Advocacy:%Policy change at scales necessary for transitioning
energy infrastructures.
Communal power:%Grassroots mobilization and democratic change
to enact sweeping economic transitions.
Overall climate change requires converting spiritual and ethical
commitments into political and economic change for ecological integrity,
environmental justice and intergenerational solidarity.
Theology of Work and Economic Vocation
Work holds theological significance as collaboration in God's creative and
sustaining activity. Public theology examines ethics of work and economic
life.
Key principles in a theology of work include:
Co-creator:%Work develops gifts and participates in divine
creativity. Affirms dignity in all labor.
Providence:%No line between sacred and secular work since God
sustains all creation.
Stewardship:%Work must serve human needs and ecological
health. Avoid exploitation or wastefulness.
Justice:%Right pay, safe conditions, and fair treatment required to
protect worker dignity and rights. No abuse or exploitation.
Social:%Value cooperation in work and shared fruits. Avoid
individualistic isolation.
Rest:%Honor Sabbath limits on consumption and production. Work
enables flourishing but is not ultimate end.
Calling:%Work cultivates virtue and fulfillment. Connects labor to
transcendent meaning.
This theology offers ethical guidance amid changing economies.
Economic Theology and Justice
Theology also provides moral frameworks for assessing economic
structures. Key principles include:
Common good:%Test policies by ability to foster community
wellbeing, not just individual gain. Avoid stark disparities.
Subsidiarity:%Localized solutions respect human dignity. Checks
excessive bureaucracy.
Solidarity:%Interdependence and concern for poor within one global
community.
Sustainability:%Intergenerational responsibility for shared
resources like water, soil, etc. Curb short-term profits that damage
communities.
Equity:%Fair wealth distribution and equal opportunity to meet
needs and develop potential.
Human Scale:%Democratically shaped economies serve humanity.
Avoid commodification of life and labor.
Risk-Sharing:%Shared security empowers creative development.
Theology critiques unjust economic orders and informs alternative visions
aligned with communal flourishing.
Economic Democracy and Cooperative Movements
In this spirit, movements for economic democracy and cooperatives apply
theological ethics on participatory economics grounded in solidarity:
Democratic control:%Workers and communities shape decisions
about business governance, investment, etc.
Wealth-sharing:%Share profits and ownership equitably.
Limited differentials:%Egalitarian pay scales respect dignity of all
work.
Cooperation:%Choose mutual benefit over self-interest. Build social
capital.
Sustainability:%Account for environmental and human impacts.
Rooted in place:%Attentive to local culture and ecology over distant
abstractions.
By enacting theological values, cooperative economics fosters justice and
sustainability. This models public theology's potential for inspiring
alternatives.
Theology and Ecology: Affirming Creation Stewardship
The natural environment holds inherent worth in Christian thought as part
of God's good creation. But ecological degradation and climate change
demand renewed theological attention to stewardship and sustainability.
Public theology applies theology to eco-justice concerns.
Theological foundations for creation care include:
Sacramental universe:%The world mediates divine presence as
God's handiwork. We participate in sanctity of nature.
Incarnation:%God joined creation by becoming flesh. Affirms
material world's dignity.
Image of God:%Humans have special responsibility to tend creation
as imago dei.
Sabbath:%Honoring limits and rest amid nature's cycles.
Stewardship:%Scripture charges humanity to cultivate and keep the
Garden.
New Creation:%Eschatological visions of peace and healing extend
to ecological renewal.
These and other doctrines depict caring for creation as fundamental
Christian vocation.
Theology and Climate Change Ethics
Climate change poses an urgent crisis. Public theology applies
stewardship frameworks to eco-justice concerns like:
Responsibility:%Industralized nations and wealthy bear greater
onus for emissions reductions given capacity and past impacts.
Climate justice.
Sustainability:%Moderation and renewable technology curb
unsustainable consumption. Value conservation and simplicity.
Biodiversity:%Preserve threatened ecosystems that manifest
creation's richness.
Lifestyle:%Shifting habits and cultural values to reduce waste and
carbon footprints.
Advocacy:%Policy change at scales necessary for transitioning
energy infrastructures.
Communal power:%Grassroots mobilization and democratic change
to enact sweeping economic transitions.
Overall climate change requires converting spiritual and ethical
commitments into political and economic change for ecological integrity,
environmental justice and intergenerational solidarity.
Theology of Work and Economic Vocation
Work holds theological significance as collaboration in God's creative and
sustaining activity. Public theology examines ethics of work and economic
life.
Key principles in a theology of work include:
Co-creator:%Work develops gifts and participates in divine
creativity. Affirms dignity in all labor.
Providence:%No line between sacred and secular work since God
sustains all creation.
Stewardship:%Work must serve human needs and ecological
health. Avoid exploitation or wastefulness.
Justice:%Right pay, safe conditions, and fair treatment required to
protect worker dignity and rights. No abuse or exploitation.
Social:%Value cooperation in work and shared fruits. Avoid
individualistic isolation.
Rest:%Honor Sabbath limits on consumption and production. Work
enables flourishing but is not ultimate end.
Calling:%Work cultivates virtue and fulfillment. Connects labor to
transcendent meaning.
This theology offers ethical guidance amid changing economies.
Economic Theology and Justice
Theology also provides moral frameworks for assessing economic
structures. Key principles include:
Common good:%Test policies by ability to foster community
wellbeing, not just individual gain. Avoid stark disparities.
Subsidiarity:%Localized solutions respect human dignity. Checks
excessive bureaucracy.
Solidarity:%Interdependence and concern for poor within one global
community.
Sustainability:%Intergenerational responsibility for shared
resources like water, soil, etc. Curb short-term profits that damage
communities.
Equity:%Fair wealth distribution and equal opportunity to meet
needs and develop potential.
Human Scale:%Democratically shaped economies serve humanity.
Avoid commodification of life and labor.
Risk-Sharing:%Shared security empowers creative development.
Theology critiques unjust economic orders and informs alternative visions
aligned with communal flourishing.
Economic Democracy and Cooperative Movements
In this spirit, movements for economic democracy and cooperatives apply
theological ethics on participatory economics grounded in solidarity:
Democratic control:%Workers and communities shape decisions
about business governance, investment, etc.
Wealth-sharing:%Share profits and ownership equitably.
Limited differentials:%Egalitarian pay scales respect dignity of all
work.
Cooperation:%Choose mutual benefit over self-interest. Build social
capital.
Sustainability:%Account for environmental and human impacts.
Rooted in place:%Attentive to local culture and ecology over distant
abstractions.
By enacting theological values, cooperative economics fosters justice and
sustainability. This models public theology's potential for inspiring
alternatives.
Theology and Ecology: Affirming Creation Stewardship
The natural environment holds inherent worth in Christian thought as part
of God's good creation. But ecological degradation and climate change
demand renewed theological attention to stewardship and sustainability.
Public theology applies theology to eco-justice concerns.
Theological foundations for creation care include:
Sacramental universe:%The world mediates divine presence as
God's handiwork. We participate in sanctity of nature.
Incarnation:%God joined creation by becoming flesh. Affirms
material world's dignity.
Image of God:%Humans have special responsibility to tend creation
as imago dei.
Sabbath:%Honoring limits and rest amid nature's cycles.
Stewardship:%Scripture charges humanity to cultivate and keep the
Garden.
New Creation:%Eschatological visions of peace and healing extend
to ecological renewal.
These and other doctrines depict caring for creation as fundamental
Christian vocation.
Theology and Climate Change Ethics
Climate change poses an urgent crisis. Public theology applies
stewardship frameworks to eco-justice concerns like:
Responsibility:%Industralized nations and wealthy bear greater
onus for emissions reductions given capacity and past impacts.
Climate justice.
Sustainability:%Moderation and renewable technology curb
unsustainable consumption. Value conservation and simplicity.
Biodiversity:%Preserve threatened ecosystems that manifest
creation's richness.
Lifestyle:%Shifting habits and cultural values to reduce waste and
carbon footprints.
Advocacy:%Policy change at scales necessary for transitioning
energy infrastructures.
Communal power:%Grassroots mobilization and democratic change
to enact sweeping economic transitions.
Overall climate change requires converting spiritual and ethical
commitments into political and economic change for ecological integrity,
environmental justice and intergenerational solidarity.
Theology of Work and Economic Vocation
Work holds theological significance as collaboration in God's creative and
sustaining activity. Public theology examines ethics of work and economic
life.
Key principles in a theology of work include:
Co-creator:%Work develops gifts and participates in divine
creativity. Affirms dignity in all labor.
Providence:%No line between sacred and secular work since God
sustains all creation.
Stewardship:%Work must serve human needs and ecological
health. Avoid exploitation or wastefulness.
Justice:%Right pay, safe conditions, and fair treatment required to
protect worker dignity and rights. No abuse or exploitation.
Social:%Value cooperation in work and shared fruits. Avoid
individualistic isolation.
Rest:%Honor Sabbath limits on consumption and production. Work
enables flourishing but is not ultimate end.
Calling:%Work cultivates virtue and fulfillment. Connects labor to
transcendent meaning.
This theology offers ethical guidance amid changing economies.
Economic Theology and Justice
Theology also provides moral frameworks for assessing economic
structures. Key principles include:
Common good:%Test policies by ability to foster community
wellbeing, not just individual gain. Avoid stark disparities.
Subsidiarity:%Localized solutions respect human dignity. Checks
excessive bureaucracy.
Solidarity:%Interdependence and concern for poor within one global
community.
Sustainability:%Intergenerational responsibility for shared
resources like water, soil, etc. Curb short-term profits that damage
communities.
Equity:%Fair wealth distribution and equal opportunity to meet
needs and develop potential.
Human Scale:%Democratically shaped economies serve humanity.
Avoid commodification of life and labor.
Risk-Sharing:%Shared security empowers creative development.
Theology critiques unjust economic orders and informs alternative visions
aligned with communal flourishing.
Economic Democracy and Cooperative Movements
In this spirit, movements for economic democracy and cooperatives apply
theological ethics on participatory economics grounded in solidarity:
Democratic control:%Workers and communities shape decisions
about business governance, investment, etc.
Wealth-sharing:%Share profits and ownership equitably.
Limited differentials:%Egalitarian pay scales respect dignity of all
work.
Cooperation:%Choose mutual benefit over self-interest. Build social
capital.
Sustainability:%Account for environmental and human impacts.
Rooted in place:%Attentive to local culture and ecology over distant
abstractions.
By enacting theological values, cooperative economics fosters justice and
sustainability. This models public theology's potential for inspiring
alternatives.
Theology and Ecology: Affirming Creation Stewardship
The natural environment holds inherent worth in Christian thought as part
of God's good creation. But ecological degradation and climate change
demand renewed theological attention to stewardship and sustainability.
Public theology applies theology to eco-justice concerns.
Theological foundations for creation care include:
Sacramental universe:%The world mediates divine presence as
God's handiwork. We participate in sanctity of nature.
Incarnation:%God joined creation by becoming flesh. Affirms
material world's dignity.
Image of God:%Humans have special responsibility to tend creation
as imago dei.
Sabbath:%Honoring limits and rest amid nature's cycles.
Stewardship:%Scripture charges humanity to cultivate and keep the
Garden.
New Creation:%Eschatological visions of peace and healing extend
to ecological renewal.
These and other doctrines depict caring for creation as fundamental
Christian vocation.
Theology and Climate Change Ethics
Climate change poses an urgent crisis. Public theology applies
stewardship frameworks to eco-justice concerns like:
Responsibility:%Industralized nations and wealthy bear greater
onus for emissions reductions given capacity and past impacts.
Climate justice.
Sustainability:%Moderation and renewable technology curb
unsustainable consumption. Value conservation and simplicity.
Biodiversity:%Preserve threatened ecosystems that manifest
creation's richness.
Lifestyle:%Shifting habits and cultural values to reduce waste and
carbon footprints.
Advocacy:%Policy change at scales necessary for transitioning
energy infrastructures.
Communal power:%Grassroots mobilization and democratic change
to enact sweeping economic transitions.
Overall climate change requires converting spiritual and ethical
commitments into political and economic change for ecological integrity,
environmental justice and intergenerational solidarity.
Theology of Work and Economic Vocation
Work holds theological significance as collaboration in God's creative and
sustaining activity. Public theology examines ethics of work and economic
life.
Key principles in a theology of work include:
Co-creator:%Work develops gifts and participates in divine
creativity. Affirms dignity in all labor.
Providence:%No line between sacred and secular work since God
sustains all creation.
Stewardship:%Work must serve human needs and ecological
health. Avoid exploitation or wastefulness.
Justice:%Right pay, safe conditions, and fair treatment required to
protect worker dignity and rights. No abuse or exploitation.
Social:%Value cooperation in work and shared fruits. Avoid
individualistic isolation.
Rest:%Honor Sabbath limits on consumption and production. Work
enables flourishing but is not ultimate end.
Calling:%Work cultivates virtue and fulfillment. Connects labor to
transcendent meaning.
This theology offers ethical guidance amid changing economies.
Economic Theology and Justice
Theology also provides moral frameworks for assessing economic
structures. Key principles include:
Common good:%Test policies by ability to foster community
wellbeing, not just individual gain. Avoid stark disparities.
Subsidiarity:%Localized solutions respect human dignity. Checks
excessive bureaucracy.
Solidarity:%Interdependence and concern for poor within one global
community.
Sustainability:%Intergenerational responsibility for shared
resources like water, soil, etc. Curb short-term profits that damage
communities.
Equity:%Fair wealth distribution and equal opportunity to meet
needs and develop potential.
Human Scale:%Democratically shaped economies serve humanity.
Avoid commodification of life and labor.
Risk-Sharing:%Shared security empowers creative development.
Theology critiques unjust economic orders and informs alternative visions
aligned with communal flourishing.
Economic Democracy and Cooperative Movements
In this spirit, movements for economic democracy and cooperatives apply
theological ethics on participatory economics grounded in solidarity:
Democratic control:%Workers and communities shape decisions
about business governance, investment, etc.
Wealth-sharing:%Share profits and ownership equitably.
Limited differentials:%Egalitarian pay scales respect dignity of all
work.
Cooperation:%Choose mutual benefit over self-interest. Build social
capital.
Sustainability:%Account for environmental and human impacts.
Rooted in place:%Attentive to local culture and ecology over distant
abstractions.
By enacting theological values, cooperative economics fosters justice and
sustainability. This models public theology's potential for inspiring
alternatives.
Theology and Ecology: Affirming Creation Stewardship
The natural environment holds inherent worth in Christian thought as part
of God's good creation. But ecological degradation and climate change
demand renewed theological attention to stewardship and sustainability.
Public theology applies theology to eco-justice concerns.
Theological foundations for creation care include:
Sacramental universe:%The world mediates divine presence as
God's handiwork. We participate in sanctity of nature.
Incarnation:%God joined creation by becoming flesh. Affirms
material world's dignity.
Image of God:%Humans have special responsibility to tend creation
as imago dei.
Sabbath:%Honoring limits and rest amid nature's cycles.
Stewardship:%Scripture charges humanity to cultivate and keep the
Garden.
New Creation:%Eschatological visions of peace and healing extend
to ecological renewal.
These and other doctrines depict caring for creation as fundamental
Christian vocation.
Theology and Climate Change Ethics
Climate change poses an urgent crisis. Public theology applies
stewardship frameworks to eco-justice concerns like:
Responsibility:%Industralized nations and wealthy bear greater
onus for emissions reductions given capacity and past impacts.
Climate justice.
Sustainability:%Moderation and renewable technology curb
unsustainable consumption. Value conservation and simplicity.
Biodiversity:%Preserve threatened ecosystems that manifest
creation's richness.
Lifestyle:%Shifting habits and cultural values to reduce waste and
carbon footprints.
Advocacy:%Policy change at scales necessary for transitioning
energy infrastructures.
Communal power:%Grassroots mobilization and democratic change
to enact sweeping economic transitions.
Overall climate change requires converting spiritual and ethical
commitments into political and economic change for ecological integrity,
environmental justice and intergenerational solidarity.
Theology of Work and Economic Vocation
Work holds theological significance as collaboration in God's creative and
sustaining activity. Public theology examines ethics of work and economic
life.
Key principles in a theology of work include:
Co-creator:%Work develops gifts and participates in divine
creativity. Affirms dignity in all labor.
Providence:%No line between sacred and secular work since God
sustains all creation.
Stewardship:%Work must serve human needs and ecological
health. Avoid exploitation or wastefulness.
Justice:%Right pay, safe conditions, and fair treatment required to
protect worker dignity and rights. No abuse or exploitation.
Social:%Value cooperation in work and shared fruits. Avoid
individualistic isolation.
Rest:%Honor Sabbath limits on consumption and production. Work
enables flourishing but is not ultimate end.
Calling:%Work cultivates virtue and fulfillment. Connects labor to
transcendent meaning.
This theology offers ethical guidance amid changing economies.
Economic Theology and Justice
Theology also provides moral frameworks for assessing economic
structures. Key principles include:
Common good:%Test policies by ability to foster community
wellbeing, not just individual gain. Avoid stark disparities.
Subsidiarity:%Localized solutions respect human dignity. Checks
excessive bureaucracy.
Solidarity:%Interdependence and concern for poor within one global
community.
Sustainability:%Intergenerational responsibility for shared
resources like water, soil, etc. Curb short-term profits that damage
communities.
Equity:%Fair wealth distribution and equal opportunity to meet
needs and develop potential.
Human Scale:%Democratically shaped economies serve humanity.
Avoid commodification of life and labor.
Risk-Sharing:%Shared security empowers creative development.
Theology critiques unjust economic orders and informs alternative visions
aligned with communal flourishing.
Economic Democracy and Cooperative Movements
In this spirit, movements for economic democracy and cooperatives apply
theological ethics on participatory economics grounded in solidarity:
Democratic control:%Workers and communities shape decisions
about business governance, investment, etc.
Wealth-sharing:%Share profits and ownership equitably.
Limited differentials:%Egalitarian pay scales respect dignity of all
work.
Cooperation:%Choose mutual benefit over self-interest. Build social
capital.
Sustainability:%Account for environmental and human impacts.
Rooted in place:%Attentive to local culture and ecology over distant
abstractions.
By enacting theological values, cooperative economics fosters justice and
sustainability. This models public theology's potential for inspiring
alternatives.
Conclusion
In summary, this lecture has demonstrated how public theology applies
theological perspectives on creation, vocation, stewardship and justice to
ethical issues related to ecology and economics. By cultivating creation
care, environmental justice and economic systems aligned with shared
flourishing over individualism, public theology works to build societies
reflecting the biblical vision of shalom. In an age of both ecological and
economic crises, public theology has vital contributions to offer through its
moral frameworks inspiring action for sustainability, solidarity and
communal wellbeing. It calls for spiritual and structural conversion toward
just relations between humanity and the natural world.
