Environmental Stewardship in the Judeo-Christian Tradition: Jewish, Catholic, and Protestant Wisdom on the Environment

by Acton Institute and Action Institute

Book Overview

A fair and honest debate about religious responses to environmental issues should always distinguish theological principles from prudential judgments. The Cornwall Declaration and the accompanying... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 188059515X
• Release Date: January 2007
• Publisher: Acton Institute
• Length: 119 Pages
• Weight: 0.10 lbs.
• Dimensions: 8.5" x 0.3" x 5.5"

Customer Reviews

Putting "conserve" in "conservative"

"Environmental Stewardship in the Judeo-Christian Tradition" is a slim volume about caring for the Earth as drafted by Jewish, Catholic, and Protestant leaders. It's a surprisingly accessible read. It's from the Acton Institute, and the book comes across as a collaborative effort--because it is. With the current debate on global warming, soaring gas & food prices, and drilling in ANWR, "Environmental Stewardship" is quite relevant. How can one rightly balance human needs with care for the environment? While some radical environmentalists are ecstatic at high gas prices, there's the issue that it's unduly causing hardship to the working poor. "Environmental Stewardship" is fascinating in that it looks at the issue from three viewpoints- Jewish, Catholic and Protestant. The rabbis discuss, among other things, that eating meat is morally obligatory, since animals that eat other animals are superior to those that eat plants. One can imagine how this would be handled at VegNews. Eating meat, per se, isn't a mitzvot (good work). There are the kosher laws forbidding pork & shellfish, so eating meat isn't always objectively good from the Jewish standpoint. Since lions,tigers & bears eat other animals, does that make them equal to humans? Then again, the Jewish arguments on the environment are interesting because they're so open to debate. The Catholics argue from a more authoritative standpoint. They discuss fortitude, temperance, justice, and prudence-- virtues missing in the current debate. Of course, they speak of artificial contraception as a poor answer to dealing with global population. Finally, the Protestants discuss stewardship mainly from a Calvinist perspective. Many Protestants are emergent and non-denominational, so this article is in a sense anachronistic. "Environmental Stewardship" makes a fascinating read, discussing inconvenient truths about balancing care for the Earth with human needs.

Groundbreaking!

Earthkeeping News describes the Cornwall Declaration on Environmental Stewardship, which appears in the book's introduction, as "the most significant contribution of religious conservatives to the environmental debate since the movement first emerged." It has been endorsed by Focus on the Family president James Dobson, Prison Fellowship Ministries chairman Chuck Colson, First Things editor Father Richard John Neuhaus, and hundreds of other religious leaders. Offers a reasonable vision of environmental stewardship informed by sound theological reflection, honest scientific inquiry, and rigorous economic thinking.