Towards a Christian Social Ecology

Abstract

Solutions to the environmental crisis depend on an understanding of its cause. This paper examines the social ecology of Murray Bookchin, who argues that our ecological crisis, seen in the domination of nature by human beings, has its roots in the domination of human by human. Social ecology, which emphasises these social causes, is at odds with much ecotheology, which finds the causes in overpopulation, technology, consumerism and Christianity itself. The differences between these approaches are illustrated with the examples drawn from New Zealand and Australian authors. The author advocates Christianising Bookchin's social ecology, using various theological motifs, but without slipping into an individualistic eco-spiritualism, which avoids the difficult social questions social ecology raises.