From From Biblical Eco-Theology to Contextual Eco-Ecclesiology: Answer to Peet van Dyk's Second and Third Challenges

The modern ecological crisis stems from Judeo-Christian theological hermeneutics that emphasizes dominative anthropocentrism and creates a desacralization of nature. The criticism, spearheaded by Harvey Cox and Lynn White Jr., is amplified by the drumming of Peet van Dyk's challenges that question why environmental issues are not addressed in biblical theology and how to avoid erroneous anthropocentric interpretations without tarnishing the true view of Scripture. This essay describes and analyses the history of the Catholic Church's responses, from the Church Fathers, especially Basil the Great and Augustine, to the Magisterium, especially the teachings of the Popes from the 1960s, from John XXIII to Francis. The framework of the answers given is beyond the pattern. This study shows that the source of the ecological crisis is not from the text of Scripture, but from moral-spiritual issues and technocratic views. In fact, the Church has since its inception offered a relational and integral, moral and ecological framework, which rejected human domination over the universe. The implication of the findings of this study is that Christianity must transform from a corrective effort to biblical hermeneutics to a church model that is responsive to ecological issues. Contextual Eco-Ecclesiology becomes the transformative-missionary command of the Church to realize integral ecological repentance and universal solidarity as a prophetic response to the socio-ecological crisis.