Theological foundations for an ecotheology and an ecospirituality in a pneumatological key

Abstract

In recent decades we have realized that the progress and economic development of techno-scientific civilization have been configured together with a process of irreparable damage to nature. But what does faith in God the Creator have to do with the progressive and irreparable destruction of nature? Generally, our evangelical communities have understood this relationship in terms of opposition. The alternatives: heaven-earth, church-world, rule the imaginary and control understanding. In our opinion, among the multiple causes we can identify a theological deficit with a long history: the false dichotomy between church and world, Spirit and matter. This tension has hindered reflection and dialogue between theology and ecology and has given rise to a Christian spirituality that excludes nature as a sphere of experience of God. In the following lines we will outline an ecological theology in the light of pneumatology, which discovers the sanctity of life and the divine ministry of creation. With this, we seek to cooperate with the processes of awareness and sensitization of the churches for the care of the environment.