Over the last fifty years Western Christianity has been criticized as a cause and enabler of Earth’s ecological crisis. It has been said that Christianity promotes a spiritual-material dualism where the material side of life has little sacred value. Also noted in the critique is the hesitancy of many Christians to embrace modern scientific understandings of creation, especially evolution. Some Christian writers have responded by accepting modern cosmology and evolution, and advocating for a “sacramental” creation spirituality, oftentimes supported by fresh readings of earlier Christian writings.
In Whole-Earth Ethics for Holy Ground, Dr. Stephen Hastings begins by offering a genre defining overview of late 20th century and early 21st century writings that he calls “sacramental” creation spirituality. These writings are characterized by their acceptance of the scientific creation story of cosmogenesis and evolution, and their recovery of authentic Christian nature mysticism. Hastings then looks at Teilhard de Chardin (1881–1955 CE), Maximus the Confessor (c.580–662 CE), and Nicholas of Cusa (1401–1464 CE). Together the teachings of Maximus and Nicholas support Teilhard’s call for a theology of a Creator God robust enough to encompass the most expansive and complicated propositions about creation made by science, while remaining as close as the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist. The integrated teachings of these three figures suggest the consecration of creation as its condition of being, meaning that God is present in all things. This consecration or presence inspires sacramental experiences that are revelations of God in and through creation. These complement the sacramental experience of Christ in the Eucharist. Together these sacramental encounters converge to support the conclusion that just as one receives and responds to Christ present in the elements of the communion table, so one ought to receive and respond to oneself, one’s neighbors, and all creation as the universal consecrated and sacramental neighborhood. This is a whole-Earth sacramental ethic that is what we need today, centered on all life and ecosystems.
Over the last fifty years Western Christianity has been criticized as a cause and enabler of Earth’s ecological crisis. It has been said that Christianity promotes a spiritual-material dualism where the material side of life has little sacred value. Also noted in the critique is the hesitancy of many Christians to embrace modern scientific understandings of creation, especially evolution. Some Christian writers have responded by accepting modern cosmology and evolution, and advocating for a “sacramental” creation spirituality, oftentimes supported by fresh readings of earlier Christian writings.
In Whole-Earth Ethics for Holy Ground, Dr. Stephen Hastings begins by offering a genre defining overview of late 20th century and early 21st century writings that he calls “sacramental” creation spirituality. These writings are characterized by their acceptance of the scientific creation story of cosmogenesis and evolution, and their recovery of authentic Christian nature mysticism. Hastings then looks at Teilhard de Chardin (1881–1955 CE), Maximus the Confessor (c.580–662 CE), and Nicholas of Cusa (1401–1464 CE). Together the teachings of Maximus and Nicholas support Teilhard’s call for a theology of a Creator God robust enough to encompass the most expansive and complicated propositions about creation made by science, while remaining as close as the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist. The integrated teachings of these three figures suggest the consecration of creation as its condition of being, meaning that God is present in all things. This consecration or presence inspires sacramental experiences that are revelations of God in and through creation. These complement the sacramental experience of Christ in the Eucharist. Together these sacramental encounters converge to support the conclusion that just as one receives and responds to Christ present in the elements of the communion table, so one ought to receive and respond to oneself, one’s neighbors, and all creation as the universal consecrated and sacramental neighborhood. This is a whole-Earth sacramental ethic that is what we need today, centered on all life and ecosystems.
Introduction
Chapter One—The Integration of Science in Sacramental Creation
Spirituality: Relatedness, Responsibility, Redemption
Chapter Two—The Recovery Of Nature Mysticism in Sacramental
Creation Spirituality: The Via Positiva, Panentheism,
Sacramentalism
Chapter Three—Teilhard De Chardin and the Case for New Theology in
Light of a New Creation Story
Chapter Four—Sacramental Creation Spirituality in Maximus the
Confessor and Nicholas of Cusa
Chapter Five—The Coincidence and Convergence of Natural and
Eucharistic Sacraments
Chapter Six—The Coincidence and Convergence of Ecological and
Eucharistic Ethics in a Consecrated Universe
Conclusion—Whole-Earth Ethics for Holy Ground
Postlude—Sacramental Creation Spirituality in On Care for Our
Common Home by Pope Francis and the Earth Charter
Bibliography
Stephen Hastings, PhD, is an ordained minister in the United Church of Christ.
The publication of Christian thinkers’ Earth care and creation care
books has been regarded as a welcome, recent addition to efforts to
address increasing devastation of our home planet. Whole-Earth
Ethics for Holy Ground provides a corrective to that inaccurate
historical view: it describes how elements of Christian concern for
Earth have developed over millennia; they are evident in the
developing sacramental creation thread that integrates the related
insights of Maximus the Confessor (7th century), Nicholas of Cusa
(15th century), and Pierre Teilhard de Chardin (20th century).
Whole-Earth Ethics for Holy Ground brings the sacramental Christian
ecological tradition from the past into the present, integrating
concepts of natural sacrament and ritual sacrament, and carries it
toward the future. In doing so, it waters the seeds of the thinking
that promotes the interrelated and interdependent well-being of
Earth and the community of all living beings. An insightful
contribution to creation consciousness.
*John Hart, Boston University, author of "Cosmic Commons and
Sacramental Commons: Christian Ecological Ethics"*
This is a fine, thoughtful contribution to the growing body of work
on ecological theology, and a clear, forceful evocation of
sacrament as crucial to the work of rekindling our relationship
with the natural world.
*Douglas E. Christie, Loyola Marymount University*
 |
Ask a Question About this Product More... |
|
