Search Results

This chapter advances the book’s central argument: the spread of religious environmentalism in the United States has relied not simply on the “ecological dimensions” of scriptures, theology, and religious traditions, but also on latent assumptions about race, ethnicity, and class. It also introduces the work of Faith in Place in the context of other religious environmental movements in the United States, and discusses how the book contributes to conversations in American religion, religion and ecology, and lived religion.

The conclusion reiterates the book’s main argument, that that environmental innovations in American religions have developed for reasons that expand far beyond direct expressions of religious teachings and faith. Then it discusses implications of these findings for the study of religion and ecology and religious studies more broadly.

This chapter introduces the interrelated nexus of ecological crises—imperiled Earth—as a moral crisis that calls for cultural renewal, to which religious traditions are uniquely poised to contribute as sources of moral guidance. The chapter situates the project within the Catholic tradition and notes the ambiguous and contentious history of religions and ecology, especially Christianity. The chapter proposes a twofold conversation: an extension, or a theological and ecological reorientation, of principles of Catholic social thought, centered around the primary theme of the cosmic common good. In general outline, the cosmic common good provides a ground for and solidifies (1) an ethical non-anthropocentrism, in which humans are part of a greater whole; (2) both the instrumental and intrinsic value of nonhuman nature; and (3) an integral connection between the ends of religious practice and the pursuit of this common good. The chapter finishes with an overview of each chapter.

This chapter establishes flourishing as an ethical issue. The chapter explores unequal human flourishing, as well as human flourishing that comes at the cost of ecosystem health, both of which occur in a case study of the oil fields of the Niger Delta. The history of the concept of flourishing follows, from its origin as one translation of Aristotle’s central concept, eudaimonea—the goal of all human lives, the necessary effect of a life of virtue—to its expansion into religious belief. The chapter then introduces the book by reference to the fields of comparative religious ethics and religious environmental ethics. Finally, the chapter introduces the method and contents of the volume.

The chapter explores two communities—a Unitarian women’s urban garden and a green mosque—to examine motivations and effects of both “mainstream” and “alternative” environmental practices. Both the gardening group and the members of the ecofriendly mosque enacted religious environmental projects through partnerships with a Chicago-based interfaith environmental nonprofit. As the groups combined principles of environmental stewardship and justice, along with interfaith cooperation, these projects seem to represent interfaith environmentalism at its best. But the chapter calls readers to acknowledge that discussions of human and earth flourishing must recognize the diversity among humans. Not all humans are accorded equal opportunities to flourish.

This concluding chapter assesses the volume’s achievements and synthesizes major themes, including mysticism and the nature of reality; politics, power, and inclusion; and relational or responsive human agency. The chapter describes how themes were treated in unique and particular ways and how emphases created bridges of commonality, as well as insight and inspiration. Discussion about the purposes behind the dialogues and the process of creating them leads to examination of the connection between and among the participants as they ventured into metaphysics and reached conclusions about stewardship. An invitation to the reader for further exploration suggests topics such as water, land use, and climate change, for a better understanding of human and nonhuman flourishing.