The Spiritual Roots of the Ecological Crisis

Book excerpt: Many Christians are tempted to dismiss concerns over the environment and the catastrophic effects of climate change. After all, prominent voices who most vociferously warn us about this crisis tend to also advocate a wider worldview antithetical to Christian teachings. In this text, noted philosopher and scholar Jean-Claude Larchet finds the roots of the global ecological crisis in a rejection of a truly Christian cosmology. Explaining the relationship between man and nature ordained by God in the beginning, Larchet bases the degradation of the creation ultimately in the primordial fall and outlines how we have arrived at the present crisis point. Finally, the author proposes principles and actions deeply rooted in his Christian ethos that would allow mankind to restore and reinvigorate its relationship with nature.