Christian Theological, Hermeneutical and Eschatological Perspectives on Environmental Sustainability and Creation Care—The Role of Holistic Education

Abstract

Education for environmental sustainability is increasingly highlighted as an important success factor for environmentally conscious and conscientious living, including the advancement of global poverty reduction and the attainment of developmental goals such as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). As such, education can be comprehended as a deeply ‘Christian’ endeavour, seeing that true Christian ‘religion’ seeks to improve the plight of the poor and needy (James 1:27), both physically and spiritually. The literature identifies some initiatives, where sustainability has been embedded within curricula in ways that have integrated the fundamentals of environmental science, spirituality and ethics. Even so, there is a paucity of initiatives that link the aforementioned foci with Christian theological, hermeneutical and eschatological perspectives. This theoretical chapter extends previous scholarship by means of a two-pronged approach, which links scientific and scriptural discursive reflections with arising opportunities for spirituality-shaped environmental sustainability. It does so with the intention of generating support for a more holistic Christian education agenda where scripturally shaped education for environmental sustainability and creation care does not remain side-lined as a fringe concern.