A Search for the Spiritual Roots of Sustainable Development …
325
The continued process was continued in a section of WCC called Justice Peace
and Creation, which later was renamed Theology of Life. It was part of the UNCED
conference in Rio in 1992, but later lost in importance.
The concept of Integrity of Creation has however been adopted by numerous
other churches and remains a vital concept for very many around the world. The
understanding is very simple: just as a person’s integrity can be violated so can the
integrity of creation be violated. It is what is happening now with all environmental
impacts, overuse of resources, climate change and, not the least, large scale loss of
biodiversity. It is at the centre of sustainable development that this processes come to
an end and the respect of the creation is restored. The concept lives on in e.g. societies
of catholic women, such as Society of the Sacred Heart,
7 the Society of the Holy
Child Jesus
8 and the International Union of Superiors General.
9 The Franciscans
emphasise the role of ecology.
10
5 Stewardship and the Integrity of Creation
When the 6th General Assembly of the World Council of Churches gathered in
Vancouver in 1983 an import approach to the new concept of the integrity of creation
was the concept of steward and stewardship, strongly emphasised by Douglas John
Hall during the meeting (Hall 1989). It was done with the background of a strong
position of stewardship and stewards established in western Christianity, especially
the Lutheran churches, since the nineteenth century, with roots back to first Luther
himself and his Catechism and further down to the New Testament (Brander 2002).
Stewardship in its nineteenth century understanding, strongly established in the
Lutheran World Federation (LWF), was referring to how the priest was taking care of
his congregation, that is, his work to support individual members of the congregation
to fulfil their human potential, both economically and in the capacity of humans and
Christians. The original Greek understanding of stewardship was more referring to
the household and the duties of the master of the household. An important part of
the concept was economic management (Brander 2002).
During the discussion at the WCC Assembly several new approaches to the concept of stewardship helped to widen the concept and making it relevant for adopting
the concept of integrity of creation. One is that stewardship also had a spiritual meaning since it included taking care of the communion and its use in the congregation. A
second widening which became increasingly important after the Vancouver meeting
7 Society of the Sacred Heart. https://rscj.org/.
8 The Society of the Holy Child Jesus. http://www.shcj.org/.
9 UISG (International Union of Superiors General). http://www.internationalunionsuperiorsgeneral.
org/.
10 Irish Franciscan Province Caring for the Integrity of Creation through Ecology. http://www.
franciscans.ie/caring-for-the-integrity-of-creation-through-ecology/.
325
The continued process was continued in a section of WCC called Justice Peace
and Creation, which later was renamed Theology of Life. It was part of the UNCED
conference in Rio in 1992, but later lost in importance.
The concept of Integrity of Creation has however been adopted by numerous
other churches and remains a vital concept for very many around the world. The
understanding is very simple: just as a person’s integrity can be violated so can the
integrity of creation be violated. It is what is happening now with all environmental
impacts, overuse of resources, climate change and, not the least, large scale loss of
biodiversity. It is at the centre of sustainable development that this processes come to
an end and the respect of the creation is restored. The concept lives on in e.g. societies
of catholic women, such as Society of the Sacred Heart,
7 the Society of the Holy
Child Jesus
8 and the International Union of Superiors General.
9 The Franciscans
emphasise the role of ecology.
10
5 Stewardship and the Integrity of Creation
When the 6th General Assembly of the World Council of Churches gathered in
Vancouver in 1983 an import approach to the new concept of the integrity of creation
was the concept of steward and stewardship, strongly emphasised by Douglas John
Hall during the meeting (Hall 1989). It was done with the background of a strong
position of stewardship and stewards established in western Christianity, especially
the Lutheran churches, since the nineteenth century, with roots back to first Luther
himself and his Catechism and further down to the New Testament (Brander 2002).
Stewardship in its nineteenth century understanding, strongly established in the
Lutheran World Federation (LWF), was referring to how the priest was taking care of
his congregation, that is, his work to support individual members of the congregation
to fulfil their human potential, both economically and in the capacity of humans and
Christians. The original Greek understanding of stewardship was more referring to
the household and the duties of the master of the household. An important part of
the concept was economic management (Brander 2002).
During the discussion at the WCC Assembly several new approaches to the concept of stewardship helped to widen the concept and making it relevant for adopting
the concept of integrity of creation. One is that stewardship also had a spiritual meaning since it included taking care of the communion and its use in the congregation. A
second widening which became increasingly important after the Vancouver meeting
7 Society of the Sacred Heart. https://rscj.org/.
8 The Society of the Holy Child Jesus. http://www.shcj.org/.
9 UISG (International Union of Superiors General). http://www.internationalunionsuperiorsgeneral.
org/.
10 Irish Franciscan Province Caring for the Integrity of Creation through Ecology. http://www.
franciscans.ie/caring-for-the-integrity-of-creation-through-ecology/.