Stewardship, Integrity of Creation and Climate Justice: Religious Ethics Insights - Earth Stewardship: Linking Ecology and Ethics in Theory and Practice - page 373

depletion of natural resources and ecological destruction. However, although it is
controversial (Hargrove 2015 ), the concept of stewardship has been clearly defi ned
to offer an interpretation which does justice both to the contemporary scientifi c
debate and the message conveyed by the Bible.
How has Earth stewardship been understood by Christian and other religious
organizations? I will focus my contribution to this topic on the work done by the
World Council of Churches (WCC) to be able to deepen some of the contents of this
understanding. This means that the contents will refl ect a Christian understanding
(that is shared by many other Christian organizations) which is closely linked to
Jewish and Muslim perspectives on creation. Although other religions differ on
basic concepts like God, creation, salvation, etc., they share some of these insights
as I will briefl y show with some examples later.
The WCC is the broadest and most inclusive among the many organized expres-
sions of the modern ecumenical movement, a movement whose goal is Christian unity
(WCC 2014 ). The WCC brings together churches, denominations, and church fellow-
ships in more than 110 countries and territories throughout the world, representing
over 500 million Christians and including most of the world's Orthodox churches,
scores of Anglican, Baptist, Lutheran, Methodist, and Reformed churches, as well as
many United and Independent churches. While the Roman Catholic Church is not a
member of the WCC, there are working relations with it in many domains, including
ecology and climate related work. While the bulk of the WCC's founding churches in
1948 were European and North American, today most member churches are in Africa,
Asia, the Caribbean, Latin America, the Middle East and the Pacifi c. Thus, for many
years, WCC's perspective has included a strong Southern perspective in its views.

25.1 Earth Stewardship as the Care

for Creation and Climate Justice

In 2008 the WCC adopted a Minute entitled “Be stewards of God's creation” (WCC
2008 ). The Minute builds on previous statements by the WCC, especially a state-
ment adopted a year earlier (WCC 2007a ). From a Christian theological perspec-
tive, Earth stewardship should be understood as an expression of two biblical
imperatives: the integrity of creation and the commitment to justice. The WCC 2007
statement on the “Tenth Anniversary of the Kyoto Protocol” stressed that:
The Bible teaches the wholeness of creation: Life is created, sustained and made whole by
the power of God's Holy Spirit” (Genesis 1; Romans 8). God creates human beings out of
the dust of the earth (Genesis 2). Sin breaks relationships among humankind and with the
created order (Genesis 3 and 4; Jeremiah 14, Hosea 4,1-3). Bearing the marks of human sin,
'creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the children of God' (Romans 8:19).
God provided all creatures with the conditions to live life as it is meant to be, in a specifi c
relation towards one another. When creation is threatened by climate change we are called
to speak out and act as an expression of our commitment to life, justice and love (WCC
2007a , 1).