The object of this research is to discover how Christianity can be reformed so that it could provide the foundation of a truly ecological spirituality. It is the contention of the thesis that the planet currently faces an ecological crisis that has largely been brought about by human activity, encouraged by a particular worldview, which sees the non-human creation as of no value in itself and merely an object to be used. The work argues that those who see traditional Christian theology as a contributory factor in this destructive world-view are correct. The first chapter of the thesis seeks to describe the crisis and define the terms "ecology" and "Christian spirituality". Chapter Two examines the mainstream Christian response to the ecological crisis thus far, namely the "stewardship approach", and argues that this approach has serious weaknesses. Chapter Three strives to move beyond stewardship and looks specifically at how the person of Jesus of Nazareth can become a focus for ecological thinking. Chapter Four continues this theme by exploring images of the Christ, with the aim of showing how these images can encourage an ecological awareness and practice. Chapter Five looks at other faiths and forms of thought which give insights that could be resources in the journey towards an ecological Christian spirituality. Finally, Chapter Six sets out to formulate such a spirituality, looking at its theology, liturgy, and practice as well as at the spirituality itself. Overall, the thesis is a contribution to the growing field of Ecotheology. It seeks to show how Christianity can move from being a part of the ecological problem to encouraging a transformative praxis that could offer hope of a solution to the crisis by effecting a fundamental change of heart in its adherents through the spirituality it engenders.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bl.uk/oai:ethos.bl.uk:274677 |
| Date | January 2003 |
| Creators | Ridd, Kevin Norman |
| Publisher | University of Bristol |
| Source Sets | Ethos UK |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
| Source | http://hdl.handle.net/1983/20d04fac-0cb9-4f9b-9fee-680a555b0686 |
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