Retrieving a Christian ecological spirituality in response to our contemporary ecological crisis

Abstract

Ecological spirituality encapsulates the relation between spirituality and nature. Situated within this context, this article offers a Christian response to contemporary ecological threats and draws from existing spiritual traditions to propose a Christian ecological spirituality as the basis of and the means to ecological conversion, reformation, healing and renewal. The Story of Creation in the Book of Genesis, is used in exploring the individual roles of God, nature and humans in creation, the initial harmonious balance between them and the loss of this balance due to sin. Environmental exploitation and devastation are then explained in terms of human sin, followed by the need for an ecological conversion. Finally, it posits how God can be rediscovered through ecological spiritual practices inherent in the covenantal, sacramental, ascetic and wisdom traditions, and how these ultimately enable restoration of the harmonious balance between Creator and creation.