These resources explore moral and ethical challenges related to the environment, human health, and the planet’s health. We explore God’s creation order and God’s vision for relationships between human beings, and also between human beings and the created world.

Plantation Capitalism vs. Jesus’ Jubilee Economy, Session 2: Plantations vs. Planet; Producer vs. Consumer

We examine Jesus’ teaching on the relationships of Plantations vs. Planet, and Producers vs. Consumers — the first 2 of the 12 relationships we will cover. And: Why do we take a public good, common good approach to Christian faith and public policy? Because Jesus’ teaching & story require us to be concerned about other-harm. He carries forward Israel’s wisdom impacting Gentiles in uplifting the poor and oppressed (we look at 5 examples).

3:40 Romans 13 and Four Interpretations.

4:58 The Public Good, Common Good Interpretation, and Why.

9:05 Five Examples of Israel Influencing the Gentiles in Policy

9:15 Example 1: Abraham pulls a "Saving Private Ryan" with Lot and the people of Sodom and Gomorrah

10:55 Example 2: Joseph provides for the Israelites and the Egyptians

11:24 Example 3: Daniel tells King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon to care for the poor

11:36 Example 4: Esther and Mordecai help the Jews overcome a plot to kill them

11:53 Example 5: Psalm 72 says the Davidic King will influence the Gentiles to care for the poor

13:30 The New Testament addresses structures and systems, in Luke 3:12 - 14 and 19:1 - 10

18:32 Plantations vs. Planet: soil depletion; whale decimation; ecological warfare and bison killing. 20:43 Jesus' response to the exploitation of the planet; Jesus' use of temple-mountain imagery; Jesus' claim to own the planet; Jesus' care for nature

28:15 Producers vs. Consumers: "do not steal," "do not lie," limited liability vs. full responsibility. 31:45 Jesus' intent to make an honest, responsible people. 33:15 British evangelicals opposed corporate limited liability law.

Plantation Capitalism vs. Jesus’ Jubilee Economy, Session 5: Labor vs. Capital; Privatizers vs. Common Goods

We examine Jesus’ teaching on the relationships of Labor vs. Capital and Privatizers vs. Common Goods. Jesus asserted his claim on all creation and all people. So he extended the relational vision of God for human flourishing, where human health and land health, along with human rights and labor rights took clear priority over the rights of capital and the ability of elites to use money to make more money. How does Walmart do?

relationship 9: Labor vs. Capital

5:20 The Dominance of Capital Rights in the Colonies and Early U.S.: Banks Financialized Slave Bodies; Enslaved Black Women Used for Breeding More Slaves

8:42 Economic Capital Consolidation by Rich Whites, and the Condition of Poor Whites

The Dominance of Capital Today

10:50 Patterns of Public Disinvestment

16:45 WalMart as Example of Elites Extracting Wealth and Health

18:24 Wage Theft

22:55 Tipping

23:44 Externalities -- Shifting Costs to the Environment and People

Jesus' Jubilee Economy on Labor Over Capital

26:15 Jewish Law and Jesus' Claim on All Creation

39:11 The Priority of Labor over Capital

42:14 The Tax Excessive CEO Pay Act

45:46 More Examples in the U.S.

relationship 10: Privatizers vs. Common Goods

52:28 Privatizers, English Law, and John Locke's Theory of Private Property Absolutism

59:15 God Gave Creation in Common to Humans

1:06:21 Examples of Early Christian Thought on the Commons: Ambrose of Milan and John Chrysostom of Constantinople

Out of Eden: A Christian Study and Action Guide to Food and the Environment

A practical Study and Action Guide for use by small groups discussion or personal reflection. The guide covers topics that are actionable on the personal and policy levels: sugar’s impact on our bodies and sugar corporations’ truth-telling and accountability, corn and corn subsidies creating over-supply, plastic and its biological impact on animals and humans, the true cost of meat in terms of soil depletion and air pollution, and food waste and the practices which can diminish it.

Byron Borger, Great Books. Old and New on Creation-Care, Biblically-Informed Views on Ecology. Hearts and Minds Books, Jul 28, 2021.  Lists outstanding books on this topic.

Orthodox Church of America, Holy Wonderworkers and Unmercenaries Cosmas and Damian of Mesopotamia. Orthodox Church of America. Christian physicians in Asia Minor and Arabia from the third century.

Evangelical Environmental Network (website)

Care of Creation (website)

John Chryssavgis, The Green Patriarch. Ecumenical Patriarchate website.

Rachel Carson, Silent Spring. Mariner Books | Amazon page, 1962.  Carson grew up in a Christian home, although she did not explicitly present herself as a Christian later in life. As a researcher and writer, Carson widespread concern about pesticides and humanity’s use of chemicals. She sparked the environmental movement.  See also NRDC, The Story of Silent Spring. National Resources Defense Council, Aug 13, 2015.  Re: Rachel Carson vs. big chemical companies.

S.I. McMillen, M.D., None of These Diseases. Fleming H. Revell Company | Amazon page, 1963 originally.  On comparative medical anthropology

John Philip Newell, Listening for the Heartbeat of God: A Celtic Spirituality. Paulist Press | Amazon page, 1997.  Emphasizes the ongoing goodness of God’s creation, which serves as a Christian resource for creation-care. See also John Philip Newell, Celtic Treasure: Daily Scriptures and Prayer. Eerdmans | Amazon page, Oct 2005.  For a readable daily prayer guide.  See also John Philip Newell’s website Earth & Soul (website).

Stephen Bede Scharper, Redeeming the Time: A Political Theology of the Environment. Continuum | Amazon page, Jun 1998.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, A Goal of Service to Humankind. NPR, Jul 25, 2005.  Dr. Fauci’s recognition that public health is a global health issue, rooted in principles from his Jesuit education, is impressive and corresponds with biological reality over political dynamics.

Alister McIntosh, Hell and High Water: Climate Change, Hope and the Human Condition. Birlinn | Amazon page, Jun 1, 2008.  

Ellen F. Davis, Scripture, Culture, and Agriculture: An Agrarian Reading Of The Bible. Cambridge University Press | Amazon page, Nov 2008.

Alemayehu Wassie Eshete, Ethiopian Orthodox Church Forests: Opportunities and Challenges for Restoration. VDM Verlag | Amazon page, Jun 26, 2008.  Jeremy Siefert, The Church Forests of Ethiopia. Emergence Magazine, Jan 3, 2020. An excellent and beautiful 10 minute video discussing why each church building should be surrounded by trees: It resembles a miniature Garden of Eden. See also Addison Nugent, Ethiopia's Sacred Forests Are Shrinking. Can He Save Them?  Ozy, Oct 15, 2017.  For a scientific article, see also Lori Abiyou Tilahun, Hailu Terefe, Teshome Soromessa, The Contribution of Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahido Church in Forest Management and Its Best Practices to be Scaled up in North Shewa Zone of Amhara Region, Ethiopia. Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries | Science Publishing Group, Jun 2015. For more context, see Leaf of Life, How They Transformed Desert Into Fertile Farmland & Forests. Leaf of Life, Jan 21, 2024.

Father Ernesto, On Healthcare and the Church. OrthoCuban blog, Aug 9, 2009.

Lee Fang, Glenn Beck Brings ExxonMobil-Linked Religious Front Group To Tell Christians Not To Believe In Climate Change. Think Progress, Oct 15, 2010.

Norman Wirzba, Food and Faith: A Theology of Eating. Cambridge University Press | Amazon page, Jul 2011.

Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew and John Chryssavgis, On Earth as in Heaven: Ecological Vision and Initiatives of Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew. Fordham University Press | Amazon page, Oct 3, 2011.

Fred Bahnsen and Norman Wirzba, Making Peace with the Land: God's Call to Reconcile with Creation. InterVarsity Press | Amazon page, Apr 2012.

Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew and John Chryssavgis, Orthodox Christian Perspectives on Environment, Nature, and Creation. Fordham University Press | Amazon page, 2013.  An excellent collection of articles on the Orthodox tradition on ecology - theological, historical, economic, sociological.

Bruce Wydick, The Taste of Many Mountains. Thomas Nelson | Amazon page, Aug 2014.  On the global coffee trade and Christians working for change.

Don Cheadle, Katharine Hayhoe: An Environmental Evangelist. Time 100 Most Influential People, Apr 23, 2014.  See also Dan Zak, One of America’s Top Climate Scientists is an Evangelical Christian. She’s on a Mission to Persuade Skeptics. Washington Post, Jul 15, 2019.

Chris Mooney, Why Should Evangelical Christians Care About Climate Change. Slate, May 3, 2014.

Kieran Corcoran, From Half-Time to Harvest: How NFL Center Gave up $37 Million Football Contract to Farm Cucumbers and Sweet Potatoes. Mail Online, Nov 15, 2014.  See also Jim Davis, CBS Loves NFL Veteran's Potato Farm; His Christian Beliefs, Not So Much. Get Religion, Nov 17, 2014.

Pope Francis, Laudato Si - On Care for Our Common Home. Our Sunday Visitor | Amazon page, 2015.

Patriarch Bartholomew, On Pope Francis' Climate Encyclical. Time, Jun 18, 2015.  "Therefore, the Pope's diagnosis is on the mark: "We are not faced with two separate crises, one environmental and the other social, but rather one complex crisis which is both social and environmental."  Indeed, as he continues to advance, we require "an integrated approach to combating poverty, restoring dignity to the underprivileged, and at the same time protecting nature."  It is also no surprise, then, that the Pope is concerned about and committed to issues like employment and housing."

Jack Quirk, Thoughts on Laudato si', Part 6: No Market Solutions. Christian Democracy, Jul 20, 2015.

Paul Douglas and Mitch Hescox, Caring for Creation: The Evangelical's Guide to Climate Change and a Healthy Environment. Bethany House Publishers | Amazon page, Oct 4, 2016.

Creation Justice Ministries, Christian Communities Support Standing Rock Sioux Protection of Land and Water from Dakota Access Pipeline. Creation Justice Ministries, Sep 6, 2016.

Shaena Montanari, VP-Elect Mike Pence Does Not Accept Evolution: Here's Why That Matters. Forbes, Nov 10, 2016.

Katharine Hayhoe, The Bible Doesn’t Talk About Climate, Right? Global Weirding, Jan 4, 2017.

Rick Rojas, A Pastor Pushes Forward as a Drought Threatens His Town and His Church. NY Times, Oct 7, 2018.  Re: Wee Waa, Australia.

Looper, The Ending of the Matrix Trilogy Finally Explained. Looper, Feb 28, 2019.  If we understand the computers as the non-human world of nature, this becomes an intriguing parable; explores the significance of love in humans and machines.

Henry Karlson, We Are Responsible To the Future. Patheos | A Little Bit of Nothing, May 7, 2019.  Karlson offers a Catholic perspective, citing a Jewish parable about planting trees for future generations; Henry Karlson, Mother Earth and Christian Environmentalism. Patheos | A Little Bit of Nothing, Aug 1, 2019.  Karlson offers quotations and reflections from Christian tradition like Francis of Assisi.

Veronica Squires and Breanna Lathrop, How Neighborhoods Make Us Sick: Restoring Health and Wellness to Our Communities. InterVarsity Press | Amazon page, Jan 8, 2019.

Sandra L. Richter, Stewards of Eden: What Scripture Says About the Environment and Why It Matters.  InterVarsity Press | Amazon page, Feb 2020.  Richter is an excellent historian and biblical scholar.  She makes very meaningful and appropriate connections to today’s environmental concerns.

Mari Joerstad, The Hebrew Bible and Environmental Ethics. Cambridge University Press | Amazon page, Sep 2021. This is a unique study of the way Scripture personalizes the non-human creation such as land, trees, rivers and waters, etc. Joerstad makes excellent observations and draws out very helpful ethical implications as to God’s love for the creation into which humans are called to participate.

Michael Frost, Why Should We Care for Creation if Doomsday is Just Around the Corner?  Michael Frost, May 11, 2022.  A five minute read about Antarctica, sea-level rise, and Christian creation care.

Phil Vischer, Skye Jethani, and Christian Taylor, Episode 525: Why Don’t Evangelicals Care About the Climate? & American Extremism w/ Bob Roberts Jr. Holy Post, Sep 7, 2022.