Wind, Sun, Soil, Spirit: Biblical Ethics and Climate Change Book

Preface ix

Part 1 Climate Change Policies: These Are Moral Matters

Chapter 1 Climate Change and Climate Treaties: The Context for Deliberation 3

Introduction 3

Climate Change Protocol 5

Flexibility Mechanisms the Treaty Allows for Meeting Obligations 15

Chapter 2 Moral Dimensions of Climate Change: Four Formulations 21

The Consequences of Not Curtailing Emissions Will Be Catastrophic 22

It Is Not Obvious That Choosing 1990 as the Base Year for Assigning Emission Allowances Is Fair 28

Forward Movement Is Possible Only When Nations Stop Jockeying over "Responsibility" 33

Moral Responsibility Is Relevant for Achieving Justice 36

Summary 43

Chapter 3 Choosing Our Future: A Fifth Formulation 45

Which Future Should We Value? 45

Sorting through the Scenarios 60

Pat 2 Reading the Bible and Doing Ethics

Chapter 4 The Bible and Ecological Ethics 67

The Scope of the Project of Social Ethics 68

Using Scripture in Ethics 70

The Approach of This Project 79

Chapter 5 Jesus, Torah, and Temple 87

Jesus Was from Galilee 88

Galilee and Judea Had Different Histories 88

The Second Temple Was Associated with Herod 90

The Legitimacy of the High Priest Was Tainted 91

Jesus Challenged the Temple as the Site of Purification 92

Jesus Recommended to Peasants an Alternative Way to Discharge Their Temple Debts 94

Jesus Emphasized the Debt Code over the Purity Code 101

Chapter 6 The Reign of God: Alternative to Empire 107

Chapter 7 Paul's Challenge to Caesar 119

Paul's Focus on the Cross of Christ Is Intrinsically Political 125

Paul Challenged the Emperor by Organizing Ekkl&emacron;siai as an Alternative to Roman Rule 126

Paul's Missionary Efforts Were Necessary in His Eyes to Bring to Fulfillment the Restoration Envisioned in Isaiah 11:10 and Psalm 117:1 126

Paul's Missionary Efforts Were Authorized by the Delivery of the "Collection" 127

Paul Challenged the Patronage System 128

How Can Paul's Relationships to the Ekkl&emacron;siai be Alternatives to the Roman Empire in Light of His Efforts to Limit the Influence of Women? 129

How Can Paul Challenge the Political Authority of the Lord and Savior Caesar While Establishing His Own Position in an Alternative Hierarchical Order? 131

Paul Had Little Concern to Effect System Change in the City-States Where the "Israelites" Were Living 134

Part 3 Biblical Social Ethics and the Kingdom of Oil

Chapter 8 The Atmospheric Global Commons 141

The Reign of God Requires Healthy Communities in Healthy Ecosystems 145

An Alternative to the Kingdom of Oil 147

Community Wind, Community Sun, Community of the Soil, Enlivened Communities 154

Notes 157

Index 183