Overview

"Christians share a common concern for the earth. Evangelicals emphasize creation care; mainline Protestants embrace the green movement; the Catholic Church lists """"10 deadly environmental sins;"""" and the Eastern Orthodox Patriarch has declared climate change an urgent issue of social and economic justice. This textbook examines seven contemporary environmental challenges through the lens of classical Christian virtues. Authors Kathryn Blanchard and Kevin O'Brien use these classical Christian virtues to seek a """"golden mean"""" between extreme positions by pairing each virtue with a pernicious environmental problem. Students are thus led past political pitfalls and encouraged to care for other creatures prudently, to develop new energy sources courageously, to choose our food temperately, to manage toxic pollution justly, to respond to climate change faithfully, to consider humanity's future hopefully, and to engage lovingly in advocacy for God's earth. Readers will emerge from this text with a deeper understanding of contemporary environmental problems and the fundamentals of Christian virtue ethics."

Full Product Details

Author:   Kathryn D. Blanchard ,  Kevin J. O'Brien
Publisher:   Baylor University Press
Imprint:   Baylor University Press
Dimensions:   Width: 15.20cm , Height: 1.30cm , Length: 22.90cm
Weight:   0.315kg
ISBN:  

9781481301732

ISBN 10:   148130173
Pages:   230
Publication Date:   30 November 2014
Audience:   Professional and scholarly ,  Professional & Vocational
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   Manufactured on demand  
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Table of Contents

"Introduction: Seven Virtues, Seven Problems, One World 1. Christian Eco-Virtue--In Search of the Golden Mean 2. Prudence--Among Selfless Conservation and Self-Interested Stewardship of Other Species 3. Courage--Among Fossil Fuels, Alternative Energies, and Sabbath Living 4. Temperance--Among Communal Production and Personal Consumption of Food 5. Justice--Among Revolution and Reform In the Fight Against Environmental Injustice 6. Faith--Among Personal, Political, and Technological Responses to Climate Change 7. Hope--Among Despair and Presumption about Human Fertility 8. Love--Among Public Protest and Personal Transformation Conclusion: Practicing Virtue in a """"World of Wounds"""""

Reviews

Scholarly without being stodgy, in understandable and often winsome prose, An Introduction to Christian Environmentalism is a creative contribution to the fledgling field of Christian environmental virtue ethics. Drawing on a wide variety of sourcesthe Bible and papal encyclicals, Aquinas and Bonhoeffer, Wendell Berry and Dr. SeussBlanchard and OBrien explain how the seven classic Christian virtues constructively address seven crucial ecological problems. An Introduction to Christian Environmentalism is an excellent book on an important topic. Steve Bouma-Prediger, Hope College, Author of For the Beauty of the Earth: A Christian Vision for Creation Care This is an excellent book, written with brio and precision, about the most vital ecological and economic issues facing Christian theology today. Using Thomas Aquinas as their primary dialogue-partner, Blanchard and O'Brien interrogate the important role virtue-based theology can play in contemporary environmental debates about hydraulic fracturing, fossil fuels divestment, the urban antitoxics movement, ethical food choices, and the management of wild species. An excellent choice for college classrooms, reading circles, or church groups. --Mark I. Wallace, Professor of Religion and Interpretation Theory, Swarthmore College Faithful, sensible, and constructive. An Introduction to Christian Environmentalism offers Christians a middle way between polarizing views about environmental problems. This well-written and insightful book demonstrates how the four moral virtues and the three theological virtues that have guided the church for millennia can help Christians address the complex environmental problems we face today. --Jim Martin-Schramm, Professor of Religion, Luther College

Scholarly without being stodgy, in understandable and often winsome prose, An Introduction to Christian Environmentalism is a creative contribution to the fledgling field of Christian environmental virtue ethics. Drawing on a wide variety of sourcesthe Bible and papal encyclicals, Aquinas and Bonhoeffer, Wendell Berry and Dr. SeussBlanchard and OBrien explain how the seven classic Christian virtues constructively address seven crucial ecological problems. An Introduction to Christian Environmentalism is an excellent book on an important topic. Steve Bouma-Prediger, Hope College, Author of For the Beauty of the Earth: A Christian Vision for Creation Care This is an excellent book, written with brio and precision, about the most vital ecological and economic issues facing Christian theology today. Using Thomas Aquinas as their primary dialogue-partner, Blanchard and O'Brien interrogate the important role virtue-based theology can play in contemporary environmental debates about hydraulic fracturing, fossil fuels divestment, the urban antitoxics movement, ethical food choices, and the management of wild species. An excellent choice for college classrooms, reading circles, or church groups. --Mark I. Wallace, Professor of Religion and Interpretation Theory, Swarthmore College Faithful, sensible, and constructive. An Introduction to Christian Environmentalism offers Christians a middle way between polarizing views about environmental problems. This well-written and insightful book demonstrates how the four moral virtues and the three theological virtues that have guided the church for millennia can help Christians address the complex environmental problems we face today. --Jim Martin-Schramm,â ¨Professor of Religion, Luther College

Author Information

Kathryn D. Blanchard is Associate Professor of Religious Studies at Alma College. Kevin J. O'Brien is Associate Professor of Religion at Pacific Lutheran University.

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