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Christian Restorative Justice, the Environment, and Health

 
 

Introduction

 

These resources explore moral and ethical challenges related to the environment, human health, and the planet’s health. We explore God’s creation order and God’s vision for relationships between human beings, and also between human beings and the created world.

 

Messages and Resources on Christian Restorative Justice, Environment, and Health

 

A practical Study and Action Guide for use by small groups discussion or personal reflection. The guide covers topics that are actionable on the personal and policy levels: sugar’s impact on our bodies and sugar corporations’ truth-telling and accountability, corn and corn subsidies creating over-supply, plastic and its biological impact on animals and humans, the true cost of meat in terms of soil depletion and air pollution, and food waste and the practices which can diminish it.

 
 

Christian Resources on the Environment and Health

 

Byron Borger, Great Books. Old and New on Creation-Care, Biblically-Informed Views on Ecology. Hearts and Minds Books, Jul 28, 2021.  Lists outstanding books on this topic.

Evangelical Environmental Network (website)

Care of Creation (website)

John Chryssavgis, The Green Patriarch. Ecumenical Patriarchate website.

Rachel Carson, Silent Spring. Mariner Books | Amazon page, 1962.  Courageous Christian woman who sparked the environmental movement.  See also NRDC, The Story of Silent Spring. National Resources Defense Council, Aug 13, 2015.  Re: Rachel Carson vs. big chemical companies.

S.I. McMillen, M.D., None of These Diseases. Fleming H. Revell Company | Amazon page, 1963 originally.  comparative medical anthropology

John Philip Newell, Listening for the Heartbeat of God: A Celtic Spirituality. Paulist Press | Amazon page, 1997.  Emphasizes the ongoing goodness of God’s creation, which serves as a Christian resource for creation-care. See also John Philip Newell, Celtic Treasure: Daily Scriptures and Prayer. Eerdmans | Amazon page, Oct 2005.  For a readable daily prayer guide.  See also John Philip Newell’s website Earth & Soul (website).

Stephen Bede Scharper, Redeeming the Time: A Political Theology of the Environment. Continuum | Amazon page, Jun 1998.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, A Goal of Service to Humankind. NPR, Jul 25, 2005.  Dr. Fauci’s recognition that public health is a global health issue, rooted in principles from his Jesuit education, is impressive and corresponds with biological reality over political dynamics.

Alister McIntosh, Hell and High Water: Climate Change, Hope and the Human Condition. Birlinn | Amazon page, Jun 1, 2008.  

Ellen F. Davis, Scripture, Culture, and Agriculture: An Agrarian Reading Of The Bible. Cambridge University Press | Amazon page, Nov 2008.

Alemayehu Wassie Eshete, Ethiopian Orthodox Church Forests: Opportunities and Challenges for Restoration. VDM Verlag | Amazon page, Jun 26, 2008.  See also Addison Nugent, Ethiopia's Sacred Forests Are Shrinking. Can He Save Them? Ozy, Oct 15, 2017.  For a scientific article, see also Lori Abiyou Tilahun, Hailu Terefe, Teshome Soromessa, The Contribution of Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahido Church in Forest Management and Its Best Practices to be Scaled up in North Shewa Zone of Amhara Region, Ethiopia. Science Publishing Group, Jun 2015.

Father Ernesto, On Healthcare and the Church. OrthoCuban blog, Aug 9, 2009.

Lee Fang, Glenn Beck Brings ExxonMobil-Linked Religious Front Group To Tell Christians Not To Believe In Climate Change. Think Progress, Oct 15, 2010.

Norman Wirzba, Food and Faith: A Theology of Eating. Cambridge University Press | Amazon page, Jul 2011.

Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew and John Chryssavgis, On Earth as in Heaven: Ecological Vision and Initiatives of Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew. Fordham University Press | Amazon page, Oct 3, 2011.

Fred Bahnsen and Norman Wirzba, Making Peace with the Land: God's Call to Reconcile with Creation. InterVarsity Press | Amazon page, Apr 2012.

Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew and John Chryssavgis, Orthodox Christian Perspectives on Environment, Nature, and Creation. Fordham University Press | Amazon page, 2013.  An excellent collection of articles on the Orthodox tradition on ecology - theological, historical, economic, sociological.

Bruce Wydick, The Taste of Many Mountains. Thomas Nelson | Amazon page, Aug 2014.  On the global coffee trade and Christians working for change.

Don Cheadle, Katharine Hayhoe: An Environmental Evangelist. Time 100 Most Influential People, Apr 23, 2014.  See also Dan Zak, One of America’s Top Climate Scientists is an Evangelical Christian. She’s on a Mission to Persuade Skeptics. Washington Post, Jul 15, 2019.

Chris Mooney, Why Should Evangelical Christians Care About Climate Change. Slate, May 3, 2014.

Kieran Corcoran, From Half-Time to Harvest: How NFL Center Gave up $37 Million Football Contract to Farm Cucumbers and Sweet Potatoes. Mail Online, Nov 15, 2014.  See also Jim Davis, CBS Loves NFL Veteran's Potato Farm; His Christian Beliefs, Not So Much. Get Religion, Nov 17, 2014.

Pope Francis, Laudato Si - On Care for Our Common Home. Our Sunday Visitor | Amazon page, 2015.

Patriarch Bartholomew, On Pope Francis' Climate Encyclical. Time, Jun 18, 2015.  "Therefore, the Pope's diagnosis is on the mark: "We are not faced with two separate crises, one environmental and the other social, but rather one complex crisis which is both social and environmental."  Indeed, as he continues to advance, we require "an integrated approach to combating poverty, restoring dignity to the underprivileged, and at the same time protecting nature."  It is also no surprise, then, that the Pope is concerned about and committed to issues like employment and housing."

Jack Quirk, Thoughts on Laudato si', Part 6: No Market Solutions. Christian Democracy, Jul 20, 2015.

Paul Douglas and Mitch Hescox, Caring for Creation: The Evangelical's Guide to Climate Change and a Healthy Environment. Bethany House Publishers | Amazon page, Oct 4, 2016.

Creation Justice Ministries, Christian Communities Support Standing Rock Sioux Protection of Land and Water from Dakota Access Pipeline. Creation Justice Ministries, Sep 6, 2016.

Shaena Montanari, VP-Elect Mike Pence Does Not Accept Evolution: Here's Why That Matters. Forbes, Nov 10, 2016.

Katharine Hayhoe, The Bible Doesn’t Talk About Climate, Right? Global Weirding, Jan 4, 2017.

Rick Rojas, A Pastor Pushes Forward as a Drought Threatens His Town and His Church. NY Times, Oct 7, 2018.  Re: Wee Waa, Australia.

Looper, The Ending of the Matrix Trilogy Finally Explained. Looper, Feb 28, 2019.  If we understand the computers as the non-human world of nature, this becomes an intriguing parable; explores the significance of love in humans and machines.

Henry Karlson, We Are Responsible To the Future. Patheos | A Little Bit of Nothing, May 7, 2019.  Karlson offers a Catholic perspective, citing a Jewish parable about planting trees for future generations; Henry Karlson, Mother Earth and Christian Environmentalism. Patheos | A Little Bit of Nothing, Aug 1, 2019.  Karlson offers quotations and reflections from Christian tradition like Francis of Assisi.

Veronica Squires and Breanna Lathrop, How Neighborhoods Make Us Sick: Restoring Health and Wellness to Our Communities. InterVarsity Press | Amazon page, Jan 8, 2019.

Mari Joerstad, The Hebrew Bible and Environmental Ethics. Cambridge University Press | Amazon page, Sep 2021. This is a unique study of the way Scripture personalizes the non-human creation such as land, trees, rivers and waters, etc. Joerstad makes excellent observations and draws out very helpful ethical implications as to God’s love for the creation into which humans are called to participate.

Sandra L. Richter, Stewards of Eden: What Scripture Says About the Environment and Why It Matters.  InterVarsity Press | Amazon page, Feb 2020.  Richter is an excellent historian and biblical scholar.  She makes very meaningful and appropriate connections to today’s environmental concerns.

Michael Frost, Why Should We Care for Creation if Doomsday is Just Around the Corner?  Michael Frost, May 11, 2022.  A five minute read about Antarctica, sea-level rise, and Christian creation care.

Phil Vischer, Skye Jethani, and Christian Taylor, Episode 525: Why Don’t Evangelicals Care About the Climate? & American Extremism w/ Bob Roberts Jr. Holy Post, Sep 7, 2022.

 
 
 
 

Christian Restorative Justice Critique of the Right: Domestic Policy Topics:

This page is part of our section Critique of the Right, which engages the following topics: Banking and Finance examines the economic and political power of financial institutions; Bioethics discusses abortion policy; Business and Economics examines economic theories, taxes, housing, environment, corporate law, labor law, automation, and inequalities of wealth and power; Civil Unions makes the Christian case for civil unions for all and removing marriage from the culture wars; Criminal Justice examines crime statistics and definition, policing, prosecution, sentencing, prisons, and reintegration; Education examines public education and conservative resistance to it; Environment and Health highlights the many challenges we face related to animals, climate change, food, and health systems; Government Corruption spotlights political compromises and dealings contrary to the public good; Gun Rights examines gun policies and rhetoric; Media spotlights failures of, and possible fixes to, left-wing or left-leaning media; Power and Politics highlights the impact of racial considerations and racism on political campaigns, voting rights, public investments, and other political procedures; Race examines the impact of white supremacy on virtually every aspect of American life.

 
 

Christian Restorative Justice Critique of the Right: Philosophical Influences: