Eco-Reformation: Grace and Hope for a Planet in Peril ed. by Lisa E. Dahill and James B. Martin-Schramm (review)

This volume comprises essays by Lutheran theologians, ethicists, and biblical scholars which aim to bring the resources of their tradition to bear on the planet-threatening issue of ecological peril. Timed to coincide with the 500^th anniversary of Martin Luther sparking the reformation movements in Europe, this work is neither nostalgic nor antiquarian. Instead it appropriates resources from Luther and the tradition to address the ecological crisis created by the inter-related threats of climate change, the destruction of rain forest, loss of arable land to desert, the deterioration of air quality, and pollution of fresh water and oceans.

Whereas Luther protested “salvation for sale” 500 years ago, these Lutheran scholars identify “creation for sale” as the issue demanding vigorous and on-going resistance today. Editors Dahill and Martin-Schramm state “the conviction at the heart of this collection of essays is . . . a gospel call for ecological justice” as “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 (in collaboration with others among the world’s diversity of religious and spiritual traditions) into the foreseeable future” (xii).

Elements of continuity and change are evident when considering how this call for Eco-Reformation relates to the reformation movements of the 16^th century. A striking change is the attitude toward those who are “other.” As the authors note, 500 years ago the Pope was the enemy of reform. Today these Lutherans find an ally in the Pope Francis I and hope that their volume will do something similar to what the Pope’s Laudato Si’ has done. Similarly, the 16th century reformation led to the splintering of western Christendom with the various traditions claiming to be the “one true church.” This call for eco-Reformation seeks collaboration with other traditions, seeking to work together with all who have concern for the earth.

Continuity between these two reformation moments centers on the way both involve a “Copernican revolution” in lived faith and theological analysis. David M. Rhoads highlights key elements of metanoia (repentance) necessary for Eco-Reformation. Foremost is a shift from being human-centered to being creation-centered. Aana Marie Vigen sees the human-centered way of being as a “pernicious, existential problem” grounded in “the reigning psychological, spiritual, and moral disconnect between human beings and the rest of creation” (237). Rhoades asserts, “We humans need to see ourselves embedded in the rest of nature and find our proper place and role in it—both our responsibilities and our limitations” (5). Such a shift to being creation-centered also includes recognizing the book of nature as “a second scripture, a complementary revelation of God” (5). Finding ways to put this revelation of God into our hearts and minds is a key to Eco-Reformation.

Larry L. Rasmussen’s essay, “Creation—Not for Sale,” contrasts the logic and ethics of western imperialism with a sacramental sense of the world. The logic of imperialism is impersonal, instrumental, and mechanistic. It is master-slave logic and (quoting Jennifer Harvey) the “shared hinge” on which exploitation of the Indigenous and African other and the exploitation of nature turns. “The instrumentalist and impersonal ethics of consistent utility is a destructive master-slave ethics, destructive for nature and for other humans.” (30) In contrast Eco-Reformation promotes a “profoundly personal relationship . . . a deep companion feeling for the other, whether the other is animate or inanimate” (29). This requires a sense of reverence and communion with creation, a relationship marked by reciprocity and mutuality. For Rasmussen, such a sensibility needs to shape policy and become resident in our hearts and minds.

Cynthia Moe-Lobeda picks up the master-slave logic of Western imperialism, pointing out the necessity of recognizing its manifestation as structural sin—the moral weight of our collective lives. She...