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Beyond Stewardship: Toward an Agapeic Environmental Ethic Marquette University e-Publications@Marquette Dissertations, Theses, and Professional Dissertations (1934 -) Projects Beyond Stewardship: Toward an Agapeic Environmental Ethic Christopher J. Vena Marquette University Follow this and additional works at: https://epublications.marquette.edu/dissertations_mu Part of the Ethics in Religion Commons, Philosophy Commons, and the Religious Thought, Theology and Philosophy of Religion Commons Recommended Citation Vena, Christopher J., "Beyond Stewardship: Toward an Agapeic Environmental Ethic" (2009). Dissertations (1934 -). 16. https://epublications.marquette.edu/dissertations_mu/16 BEYOND STEWARDSHIP: TOWARD AN AGAPEIC ENVIRONMENTAL ETHIC by Christopher J. Vena, B.A., M.A. A Dissertation submitted to the Faculty of the Graduate School, Marquette University, in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Milwaukee, Wisconsin December 2009 ABSTRACT BEYOND STEWARDSHIP: TOWARD AN AGAPEIC ENVIRONMENTAL ETHIC Christopher J. Vena, B.A., M.A. Marquette University, 2009 One of the unfortunate implications of industrialization and the rapid expansion of global commerce is the magnification of the impact that humans have on their environment. Exponential population growth, along with growing technological capabilities, has allowed human societies to alter their terrain in unprecedented and destructive ways. The cumulative effect has been significant to the point that the blame for widespread environmental degradation must be pinned squarely on human shoulders. Because of our dependence on these systems for survival, the threat to the environment is a threat to human life. The root of the ecological crisis is found in human attitudes and behaviors. In the late 1960’s it was suggested that Christianity was a key source of the problem because it promoted the idea of human “dominion” over creation. This spurred a variety of responses designed to show that Christian faith was compatible with environmental care. A key theme emerging from this debate was the image of humans as Stewards of God’s creation. Since then, environmental Stewardship has assumed a prominent place in the church and theology as a model of normative human behavior toward nature. And yet the crisis remains. In recent years Stewardship has been subject to severe critique on a number of fronts. In this dissertation, I focus exclusively on the assumptions of human nature and responsibility implicit in the paradigm, particularly notions of separation from and control over non-human species. These assumptions are critically assessed in light of insights derived from contemporary ecological science and found wanting. The nature of ecosystems and human embeddedness within them renders managerial control impossible. In light of this, I offer an alternative Christian response to environmental problems rooted in agape love, following Christ’s command to love God and others. A robust interpretation of agape serves as a conceptual bridge between an ecologically sensible relational anthropology and a theologically faithful environmental ethic. My purpose is not to build a new environmental ethic, but to present a new and better theological understanding of Christian love, self, and phronesis in environmental ethics. i ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Christopher J. Vena, B.A., M.A. The long and arduous path that has culminated in the production of this dissertation has indeed been a labor of love. I want to take this opportunity to acknowledge and thank those whose contributions made this possible. To my Seminary mentors, David Clark and LeRon Shults: your passion for theology and teaching inspired me to pursue doctoral work in the first place. Your encouragement, example, and teaching opportunities while serving as your teaching assistant set the stage for my own journey to become a professor. Thanks also to Jim Beilby for that conversation that convinced me to apply to Marquette in the first place. To my fellow graduate students at Marquette: one of the great unsung venues of learning is the Department of Theology’s student lounge, and much of my later theological education was formed in countless conversations over lunch and coffee. Michael Lopez-Kaley, John Jones, and Ian Bell among others helped set the tone for these dialogues. Thanks to Bill Oliverio, Megan DeFranza, Aaron Smith, and Paul Heidebrecht for continuing the tradition. To my professors at Marquette: thank you for broadening the horizons of a Protestant Evangelical by introducing me to the world of Jesuit, Roman Catholic education. Special thanks go to Pol Vandevelde, Jame Schaefer, Deirdre Dempsey, and Bryan Massingale for serving on the dissertation committee. To my colleagues at Toccoa Falls College: thank you for your prayers and encouragement to persevere in the process while teaching full-time. I especially want to recognize Barbara Bellefeuille, Kevin Burris, and Brian Shelton for timely advice and ii friendly challenges to produce quality scholarship. Thanks also to Carson and Sarah Clark for editing the final stages of the work and providing helpful insights. To my 3A brothers: especially Rob Worsley, Andrew DeFranza, Matt Orth, Seth Stevens, and Scotty MacKenney. Mighty theologians and dear, life-long friends, you continue to influence my life and faith. To Fr. Tom Hughson: your contributions, both professional and personal, are too numerous to count. As teacher, teaching mentor, and dissertation director you have prepared me for a career in academics. As a friend you have demonstrated what it means to do those things as a vocation, and not just as a job. Your example in and out of the classroom is one that I will take with me through my career. Thank you for all the lunches/coffees, for sharing insights into the previously-mysterious world of Roman Catholicism, for giving me opportunities to grow as a teacher in the classroom, and for encouraging me to pursue the topic of environmental anthropology and ethics. Thanks especially for your patience through a writing process that took much longer than most. I owe you a deep debt of gratitude. To my parents, Julio and Cathy: for a life-long love of learning, for opening your home, for continual interest in my academic pursuits, and for setting an example of academic excellence. There is no doubt that your influence had led me into the “family business.” To my family: last, but not least, I must honor those who sacrificed the most to make this possible. To Cadie, Jordan, and Maggie—yes, it is done! Your enthusiasm at my return home each day energized me in ways you cannot yet understand. To Christy: through three states, long hours away from home, constant study, intentional poverty, and trials too many to recount you have stood with me with steadfast iii resolve. Without your love and support (emotional and financial) I would never have finished this journey. It is to you that I dedicate this project. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGMENTS………………………………………………………………………………………………………i INTRODUCTION: Why Love Matters in a Planetary Ecocrisis…………………………………….1 I. CHAPTER ONE: A Survey of Perspectives on Environmental Responsibility........28 1.1. Ecology……………………………………………………………………………………………………………..30 1.2. Environmental Philosophy……………………………………………………………………………….37 1.3. Environmental Theology………………………………………………………………………………….56 1.4. Conclusion: Toward a theological solution…………………………………………………….66 II. CHAPTER TWO: Stewardship in the Church and Theology………………………………….69 2.1. Stewardship in the Church………………………………………………………………………………70 2.2. Stewardship Theologies…………………………………………………………………………………..87 2.3. Conclusion……………………………………………………………………………………………………..107 III. CHAPTER THREE: Stewardship—Critiques and Alternatives…………………………...109 3.1. Challenges to Environmental Stewardship……………………………………………………..110 3.2. An Ecological Anthropological Critique of Stewardship…………………………………116 3.3. Analysis of Anthropological Assumptions in Stewardship……………………………..121 3.4. Human Being in Ecological Perspective…………………………………………………………124 3.5. Moving Beyond Stewardship: Some Alternative Models………………………………..143 3.6. Shortcomings of the Alternative Models…………………………………………………….….151 3.7. Conclusion……………………………………………………………………………………………………..156 IV. CHAPTER FOUR: Concepts of Love and Agape in Ecotheology………………………….158 4.1. Why love?...............................................................................................................161 4.2. Theological appropriations of Agapeic Love………………………………………………….167 4.3. Love and ecotheology……………………………………………………………………………….......177 4.4. Conclusion……………………………………………………………………………………………………..192 V. CHAPTER FIVE: An Agapeic Environmental Ethic………………………………………………..194 5.1. Responsibility and Participation…………………………………………………………………….196 5.2. Contours of an Agapeic Environmental Ethic…………………………………………..……199 5.3. Case Study: Bishnumati River, Kathmandu, Nepal…………………………………….….235 5.4. Conclusion…………………………………………………………………………………………………….238 CONCLUSION……………………………………………………………………………………………………………..…240 BIBLIOGRAPHY…………………………………………………………………………………………………………….246 1 INTRODUCTION: WHY LOVE MATTERS IN A PLANETARY ECOCRISIS “I believe that the fundamental cause of our collective inability to confront the global environmental crisis is our deep-seated unwillingness to change our consumption-intensive habits and embrace greener lifestyles. The problem is a matter of the heart, not the head. The problem is not that we do not know how to avoid our current plight, but rather that we no longer experience our co-belonging with nature in such a way
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