PARTICIPATORY ECOLOGICAL THEOLOGY
The Ecological Theological Perspective of John B. Cobb Jr.
Abstract
John B. Cobb Jr., a well-known theologian, philosopher, and environmentalist in the United States, has developed his participatory ecological theology from process philosophy to process theology. Some scholars believe it belongs to a distorted form of anthropocentrism, while others suggest it belongs to biocentrism. This study seeks to explore how participatory ecological theology from the perspective of John B. Cobb, Jr. based on a participatory ecological approach to the discourse of environmental ethical methods, especially from a theological perspective. However, through Cobb’s attention to and exploration of environmental crises and interactions with other environmentalists, his ecological theology is shown to be a new form of participatory ecological theology that recognizes the intrinsic value of all existence and affirms the participatory ecological order of nature. He challenges the traditional Christian doctrine of “dominion”. He points to a more responsible concept for humanity, that is, to serve all parts of the natural world as responsible creations, just as serving God.
Downloads
References
Birch, C. and John B. Cobb, Jr. The liberation of life: From the cell to the community. Texas: Environmental Ethics Book, 1982.
Brennan, A. and Y.S. Lo. Understanding environmental philosophy. Durham: Acumen, 2010.
Cobb, J.B. Jr. Is it too late? A theology of ecology. Texas: Environmental Ethics Book, 1972.
Cobb, J.B. Jr. Sustainability: Economics, ecology and justice. Maryknoll: Orbis, 1992.
Cobb, J.B. Jr. The Earthist challenge to economism: A theological critique of the World Bank. London: Macmillan Press, 1999.
Daly, H.E. and John B. Cobb, Jr. For the common good: Redirecting the economy toward community, the environment, and a sustainable future. Boston: Beacon Press, 1994.
Ehrlich, P. The population bomb. New York: Ballantine Books, 1968.
Frederick, F. “Book review: Sustainability: economics, ecology, and justice by John B. Cobb, Jr.” Environmental Ethics, 15, no.4 (1993): 359-362, https://doi.org/10.5840/enviroethics19931548.
Lai, P-C. “Inter-religious dialogue on ecology: A view from China.” Religions, 7, no.1 (2012): 91–92. https://doi.org/10.5339/rels.2012.environment.7
Leopold, A. A sand county Almanace and sketches here and there. New York; Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1949.
Northcott, M.S. The environment and Christian ethics. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2000.
Prediger, S.B. and P. Bakken. Evocations of grace: The writings of Joseph Sittler on ecology, theology, and ethics. Michigan; Cambridge: William B. Eerdmans, 1996.
Santmire, H.P. The travail of nature: The ambiguous ecological promise of Christian theology. Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1985.
Savransky, M. "Ecological uncivilisation: Precarious world-making after progress." The Sociological Review, 70, no. 2 ((2022): 367-384, https://doi.org/10.1177/00380261221084782.
Sayem, A. “Building eco-theological and bio-central approach to environmental ethics: John B. Cobb’s perspective.” Religió: Jurnal Studi Agama-agama, 11, no.1 (2021): 23–43. https://doi.org/10.15642/religio.v11i1.1681.
Sayem, A. “Evaluation of John B. Cobb, Jr.’s ecological model, with the focus on its workability in the context of Bangladesh.” Studia Ecologiae et Bioethicae, 21, no.2 (2023): 15-25. http://doi.org/10.21697/seb.2023.16.
Soneson, J. “Doing public theology: John B. Cobb, Jr.’s reconstruction of the concept of “World” and “God” in the context of the environmental Crisis.” American Journal of Theology & Philosophy, 15, no.2 (1994):154–155.
The Institute for Postmodern Development of China. “About us.” April 27-28, 2018. Available at: https://postmodernchina.org/CN/home.html#about-us. Accessed:16 March, 2023.
Trickett, D.G. “Book review: The liberation of life: From the cell to the community by Charles Birch and John B. Cobb.” Environmental Ethics 5, no.1 (1983): 93.
Vromans, K. (ed.). Environmental ethics: An introduction and learning guide. Sheffield: Greenleaf, 2012.
White, L. Jr.” The historical roots of Our ecologic crisis.” Science 155, no.3767 (1967):1203– 1207.
Whitehead, A. N. Religion in the Making. New York: Fordham University Press, 2005.
Yang, G., Liu Yuexin, Qian Jianli, Guo You, and Hu Yingshan. "Improving ecological security pattern based on the integrated observation of multiple source data: A case study of Wannian County, Jiangxi Province[J]." Resources Science, 42, no.10 (2020): 2010-2021, https://doi.org/10.18402/resci.2020.10.17.
Yuanyuan, P., Ma Xiaodong, and Xia Zhilin. "Xi Focus: Xi leads green development as world's largest horticultural expo opens." Xinhuanet, April 4, 2019, http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2019-04/29/c_138019499.htm.
Copyright (c) 2024 Renzhong Cui
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
- Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).
