A CALL TO ACTION

- Sallie McFague

 I. The church is ecological

Simone Weil: Christianity is not catholic if creation left out (Waiting for God)

Pierre Teilhard de Chardin: “Jesus must be loved as a world.”(Writings in Time of War)

           OIKOS: ecology, ecumenical, economics

 George Hendry, Theology of Nature (1980: Three contexts for doing Christian theology:

 Christianity’s incarnationalism: God is with us in the flesh here and now on our earth.  Our assignment: loving the world                                                          

 The contemporary, evolutionary, ecological world-view

 A new view of human beings: who we are in the scheme of things

 Ecological catholicity is central to mission of church to preach good news to all creation.

 Implications for church: economics

A just sustainable planet is not possible unless all parts have access to resources

 Ecological catholicity means radical changes in our lifestyle: a life of limitation,

of cruciform living in solidarity with the oppressed

 Charles Birch:“The rich must live more simply, so that the poor may simply live.”

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 II. The church’s public voice: if the church is ecological, it must take public stands on issues

that affect the well-being of creation and its inhabitants

 A. The privatization of religion is the triumph of public greed.

Focus of Scripture: economics, especially wealth and poverty

 Meaning of salvation: redemption of individuals for live in another world vs.

well-being of all of creation here and now

 Irenaeus: “The glory of God is every creature fully alive.”

B. Economics: not just about money, but about who lives and who dies.  Economics is the most basic of all human studies.  Planetary economics is about the just sharing among all of basic, needed resources in a sustainable way.

Three most important economic rules:

1. take only your share,
2. clean up after yourself,
3. keep the house in good repair for others

Central difference between ecological and neo-classical economics: first says that for all creatures to have the good life, sharing and limitation are necessary; second says that the good life reserved for the few who can control the most resources–justice and sustainability are secondary.

 Both are economic models, not descriptions: “Be careful how you interpret the

world; it is like that” (Erich Heller)

 Assumptions of two models:

• Neo-classical: we are selfish individuals
• Ecological: we are interdependent, needy creatures

Parable of the Feast.  John Dominic Crossan: everyone has a right to the basics of existence

 Eucharistic banquet: a faint reflection of the ecological model of planetary living

 NGO motto:     “a different world is possible.”

 Summary: “Probably the most challenging task facing humanity today is the creation of a shared vision of a sustainable and desirable society, one that can provide permanent prosperity within the biophysical constraints of the real world in a way that is fair and equitable to all of humanity, to other species, and to future generations” (Robert Costanza et al, An Introduction to Ecological Economics, p. 179

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 A reminder from Nellie McClung:

“Let us do our little bit with cheerfulness and not take the responsibility that belongs to God. None of us can turn the earth around. All we can ever hope to do is to hit it a few whacks on the right side.”