Creation in Crisis : : Science, Ethics, Theology / / Joshtrom Isaac Kureethadam.

• VerfasserIn: Kureethadam, Joshtrom Isaac,
• Place / Publishing House: New York : : Orbis Books,, 2014.
• Year of Publication: 2014
• Language: English
• Physical Description: 1 online resource (xi, 388 pages)

Are Christians fulfilling the stewardship commandment of Genesis to care for God's household? When we speak of the "environmental crisis" facing the planet, we reduce the coming catastrophe to a physical problem. In Creation in Crisis, Joshtrom Kureethadam seeks to extend the current understanding of what is truly an ecological crisis to include ethical and spiritual perspectives, arguing that the crisis is not merely an environmental problem, but is truly 'eco-logical' (a discourse about our common home - oikos) in nature. In its careful incorporation of the latest science around issues such as environmental degradation, pollution, climate change, and food production, this book also enters into dialogue with various disciplines in understanding the contemporary ecological crisis. Creation in Crisis offers a depth of vision that yields up profound insights about our present milieu and the future of our common home.

Table of Contents

Part I. Are we tearing down our home? The making of a home Our common home in peril -- Part II. The cry of the earth. Climate change Impacts of climate change Species extinction and biodiversity Pollution, waste, and depletion of resources -- Part III. The cry of the poor. The impacts of ecological crisis on food, health, and shelter A moral crisis -- Part IV. The cry of the gods. Creation as God's home The ecological sin of irresponsible stewardship Conclusion: Responding to a creation in crisis. Introduction: The Crisis of Our Home -- Part I Are We Tearing Down Our Home? -- 1. The Making of a Home In the Beginning Earth - The "Goldilocks" Planet Earth, the Womb of Life Our Arrival at Home: The Peopling of the Planet The Transformation of Our Common Home: From Agriculture to Industry and to the Era of Space Travel Earth Is Our Only Home -- 2. Our Common Home in Peril The Gravity of the Contemporary Ecological Crisis: Warnings from the Scientific Community The Alarming State of Our Common Home The Danger of Crossing the Thresholds Humanity Fouling Its Own Nest: The Anthropogenic Character of the Contemporary Ecological Crisis The Dawning of the Anthropocene Era The Moral and Religious Implications of Our "Oikos-cide" Part II The Cry of the Earth -- 3. Climate Change The Greenhouse Effect as Rendering Earth a Home of life A Walk Through Earth's Climate History Anthropogenic Global Warming and Associated Climate Change The Greenhouse Gases Driving Anthropogenic Climate Change Projections of Future Climate Change and the Danger of Tipping Points An Unprecedented Situation in the Geological History of Earth -- 4. Impacts of Climate Change Extreme Weather Events Droughts and Desertification Melting of Glaciers Sea-Level Rise Ocean Acidification and Threats to Marine Life Climate Change and Biodiversity Loss A Reckless Gamble with Our Planetary Home -- 5. Species Extinction and Biodiversity Loss Biodiversity and Its Importance Earth on the Brink of a Massive Loss of Biodiversity Current Spasm of Biodiversity Loss as Driven by Human Activities Implications of the Loss of Biodiversity The Death of Birth and the Rupture of the Web of Interdependence A Unique Challenge and Opportunity -- 6. Pollution, Waste, and Depletion of Resources Pollution of the Air, Land, and Water Waste and Depletion of Natural Resources The Problem of Water Scarcity Humanity's Distorted Relationship with the Natural World Part III The Cry of the Poor -- 7. The Impacts of Ecological Crisis on Food, Health, and Shelter The Current Food-Security Scenario Health Impacts of the Contemporary Ecological Crisis Ecological Crisis and the Specter of Forced Migration Humanity Moving Toward the "Perfect Storm" -- 8. A Moral Crisis The Ecological Crisis in Terms of Injustice and Inequality Ecological Divide Historical Responsibility and Personal Responsibility The Triple Pillars of Justice, Equity, and Solidarity A Common Yet Differentiated Responsibility Part IV The Cry of the Gods -- 9. Creation as God's Home Our Incapacity to See the World as Creation Our Disregard for the Sacredness of God's Home Creation as a Symbol and Sacrament of God The Ecological Crisis and the Disrespect for the Telos of Creation Rediscovering the Physical World as God's Creation -- 10. The Ecological Sin of Irresponsible Stewardship The Human Vocation for the Stewardship of Creation Irresponsible Stewardship as Sin Ecological Crisis Resulting from Our Hubris Repercussions of Sin on Creation Ecological Conversion in Response to Ecological Sin Conclusion: Responding to a Creation in Crisis.