Reclaiming Christian Anthropocentrism in Ecological Theology: Human Distinctiveness as a Vocation of Servanthood

ABSTRACT The ecological crisis has intensified scrutiny of Christian claims about the distinctive place of the human person within creation. Since Lynn White Jr.’s critique of Christian anthropocentrism, environmental ethicists and ecotheologians have variously proposed ecocentrism, human non‐exceptionalism, and renewed accounts of stewardship. Feminist ecological theology has further exposed the links among anthropocentrism, androcentrism, and hierarchical domination. This article argues that Christian anthropocentrism need not be abandoned but critically reconstructed. Engaging various scholars in the field of ecotheology and relevant Catholic sources, it interprets human distinctiveness vocationally rather than hierarchically. Human dignity and agency entail responsibility from within the community of creation, not domination over it. Building on established Christological accounts of stewardship, the article proposes servanthood as the governing form of an ecologically responsible Christian anthropocentrism.