ECO-REFORMATION

In 2017 Christians around the world will mark the five hundredth anniversary of the Reformation. In the midst of many appeals for reformation today, a growing number of theologians, scholars, and activists around the world believe Reformation celebrations in 2017 and beyond need to focus now on the urgent need for an Eco-Reformation. The rise of industrial, fossil fuel-driven capitalism and the explosive growth in human population endanger the fundamental planetary life-support systems on which life as we know it has evolved. The collective impact of human production, consumption, and reproduction is undermining the ecological systems that support human life on Earth. If human beings do not reform their relationship with Gods creation, unspeakable suffering will befall many--especially the weakest and most vulnerable among all species.   The conviction at the heart of this collection of essays is that a gospel call for ecological justice belongs at the heart of the five hundredth anniversary observance of the Reformation in 2017 and as a--if not the--central dimension of Christian conversion, faith, and practice into the foreseeable future. Like Luthers Ninety-Five Theses, this volume brings together critical biblical, pastoral, theological, historical, and ethical perspectives that constructively advance the vision of a socially and ecologically flourishing Earth. Five hundred years ago, the Reformation shook European societys foundations by challenging a corrupted religious order. In recent decades, Protestant churches have joined those who care for the earth, aiming to shake the foundations of our hyper-capitalist, technocratic world order that violates the integrity of creation on a titanic scale. These essays, from leading voices from within the Protestant eco-reformation, issue the challenge and inspiration we all need to hear.  --Fletcher Harper, Executive Director, GreenFaith In the footsteps of the religious reformer Martin Luther, who called attent