Protestant Christianity and the Bible as Wisdom for Earth Environmental Stewardship

Rodrigo Penna-Firme

doi:10.21697/seb.2023.35

Published: 2023-12-12

Vol. 21 No. 4 (2023)

Protestant Christianity and the Bible as Wisdom for Earth Environmental Stewardship

Rodrigo Penna-Firme

Studia Ecologiae et Bioethicae

Section: Articles

https://doi.org/10.21697/seb.2023.35

Abstract

Since the 1967, after Lynn White Jr.´s seminal article in science, entitled “The Historical Roots of Our Ecological Crisis,” Christianity has received academic and popular criticism, for having, supposedly, served as a major driver for our current ecological crisis. Contrary to White´s negative historical account of the role of Christianity in environmental affairs, in this article, I offer a rebuttal by stressing that, actually, Christianity is a major source of wisdom towards building a more sustainable Earth stewardship. White´s biggest mistake was not telling apart what Christianity teaches from what self-ascribed Christians think and do about the environment. Christianity itself explains this paradox: People’s right and wrong doings are solely the result of their own choices and flaws due to sin, and not because Judeo-Christian traditions or the Bible lack values and principles that are benevolent to the environment. In conclusion, White´s views on the interplay between Christianity and Ecology are fundamentally mistaken, mainly for his lack (or dismissal) of a deeper knowledge of biblical principles for environmental stewardship.

Keywords:

Christianity and ecology, Bible and ecology, Lynn White Jr., loving dominion, caring for nature, stewardship

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Penna-Firme, R. (2023). Protestant Christianity and the Bible as Wisdom for Earth Environmental Stewardship. Studia Ecologiae Et Bioethicae, 21(4), 15–25. https://doi.org/10.21697/seb.2023.35

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