Saving the Creation: Christian Environmentalism in the United States

Abstract

In the mid 1980s, religious environmental activism in the United States increased dramatically. Based on field study of this emerging movement, this paper proposes three models or ethics of Christian-related eco-theology: Christian stewardship, eco-justice, and creation spirituality. As a portrait of the boundaries of this movement, the paper focuses in detail on Christian stewardship and creation spirituality. It then examines religious environmentalism through the cultural shift/change frameworks of McLaughlin, Swidler, Inglehart, Beckford, and Robertson.