Creation and Ecology
The Political Economy of Ancient Israel and the Environmental Crisis
- Biblical Studies & Commentaries
- Ethics, Culture & Social Issues
- Publisher: Cascade Books (Wipf and Stock)
- Published: 2020
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Publisher's Description
In this book Ronald A. Simkins addresses the current environmental crisis and what the Bible might contribute in response to it. The environmental crisis includes loss of biodiversity, degradation of the soil, and especially climate change. If left unchecked, these trends will bring about the collapse of human civilization. These environmental problems are interrelated and share a similar cause: the exploitation of the natural world through an economy structured by capitalist relations of production and powered by the burning of fossil fuels. Through our economic relations, we have depleted natural resources, polluted natural environments, and altered natural processes. These problems are a product of our political economy, which entails not only our politics, ideology, and religion, but primarily our economic system. Because the crisis is economic at its core, Simkins first sets the Bible within its own economic context, exploring how the biblical ideas of creation--an understanding of the human relationship to the natural world--were the product of the ancient Israelite political economy. Then Simkins places the biblical tradition in conversation with the current environmental crisis. The result is a far richer view of creation in the biblical tradition and a better understanding of what is at stake in the current environmental crisis.
Endorsements (7)
“This is an excellent, well-conceived, very timely book in every way. Simkins brings together (1) a deep and thorough critical knowledge of biblical texts, including the historical contexts, perspective, and agenda of whole books as well as the function of particular passages; (2) a clear history of the development of the climate crisis and how it has been interrelated with the development of capitalism and theories of political economy that have rationalized both; (3) incisive criticism of the severely problematic neoliberal ideology that still prevails in public discourse; and (4) a remarkable critical grasp of how the political economy evident in biblical texts provides resources for imagining an alternative to the relentless growth inherent in capitalism that is driving the climate crisis. A must-read for clergy, students, laity, and all climate activists.”
“What does it look like to read the Hebrew Bible with both socio-economic sophistication and theological depth, while also reckoning with the human and planetary realities of the Anthropocene Epoch? This book may be the first serious attempt to answer that complex question. Simkins makes the bold and timely proposal that Israel’s Scriptures in their social specificity offer an alternative vision to guide our own ineluctably economic existence.”
“This pioneering work, in the face of climate change, forces us to relate ecology, economics, and the Bible in a radical new way, that might be called eco-economic hermeneutics. Especially challenging is the claim that the ancient Israelite political economy might contribute to a positive new approach to our natural world, even though Simkins admits that the circumstances of climate change challenge biblical cosmology. I recommend this volume as a way to—as Simkins says—redeem creation.”
“Unlike many books on this topic, which relate biblical texts directly to the topic of ecology, this profound, learned, important, and disturbing book insists—convincingly—that cogent reflection on our ecological crisis requires critical analysis of forms of political economy, ancient and modern. Only by radically changing our capitalist system, Ronald Simkins argues, do we have any hope of avoiding the coming collapse. This demands our urgent attention.”
“Creation and Ecology’s interdisciplinary work at significant intersections—the ancient and contemporary, economy and ecology—is vital for facing the civilizational threat of climate change. This book uniquely bridges the hermeneutical gap, while respecting the significant differences between antiquity and today, with rigor and integrity. It unflinchingly sees beyond the sacred veneer of an economy that values wealth above the lives of people and the planet and outlines meaningful pathways for addressing the current crisis.”
“Creation and Ecology is as exceptional as it is timely. Synthesizing ecological hermeneutics with the most recent research on biblical economics, Simkins offers readers much-needed guidance in both understanding the economic nature of our environmental crisis and also in formulating effective biblical responses to the ecological and social consequences of climate change.”
“Ron Simkins has integrated his interests in political economy and creation. Simkins presents a compelling case that careful reflection on biblical texts can inspire better approaches to the current environmental crisis. Scholars will find the content both sophisticated and engaged with ongoing research. Lay readers will find the arguments as cogent and accessible. This work will reward all readers with enriched understandings on creation and ecology during a most crucial time.”
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