THE CHURCH AND THE ENVIRONMENT: ON BEING DOWN TO EARTH IN A CONSUMERIST ERA
Abstract
Based on the premise that both anthropocentricism (humans over the environment) and patriarchy (men over women and children) operate as hierarchies to oppress and subjugate ‘others’, this article makes a connection between patriarchy and prosperity preaching by arguing that in both instances, biblical texts are used to ‘sanctify’ and sustain hierarchies of power. In order to develop my argument as it relates to hierarchical power, I engage insights gained from Feminist theology. Two case studies are presented as examples from popular current religious/ spiritual movements to illustrate how a hierarchy of power ‘presents itself’ as ‘naturally right’. I then explore the relationship between prosperity preaching and consumerism, and between BRICS2 and consumerism, respectively. Finally, an argument is made for the church to take seriously the fact that hierarchies such as patriarchy and anthropocentrism are made ‘palatable’ by a theology of prosperity - by exploring theologies that will bring Christians ‘down to earth’.Authors retain copyright and grant the Journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this Journal.
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