Catholic Energy Ethics: Commitments and Criteria

Diverse religious worldviews and values construe foundational defenses of life, health, and wellbeing through the richness of their traditional texts, symbols, and rituals, offering a “thick description” of human meaning and purpose that empowers comprehensive ethical direction. The values and commitments that shape a Catholic energy ethic flow from the doctrine of creation, which views all relationships within a covenantal economy of creation and salvation. A Catholic theology of energy is theocentric, oriented to God’s plan of creation, salvation and the wellbeing of creation. A Catholic energy ethic is covenantal, acknowledging that humanity’s unique dignity confers mutual rights and responsibilities to all persons as brothers and sisters. A Catholic energy ethic is social, recognizing that the integral development of persons occurs in the integral ecology of family, community, society, and earth

Editor’s Introduction

In our era of burgeoning knowledge and multiplying sub-specializations, to attempt interdisciplinary research is no small task. Complex global issues, new interstices of research and trends in higher education all demand inquiry across traditional departments. As many have commented, hunger, global warming, discrimination and war do not have corresponding "departments" in the academy, yet they are issues that call for the broadest possible interdisciplinary research to challenge our preconceptions and imagine new models of understanding and enact positive and sustainable practices. Like the spaces of a great cathedral, seemingly open to the infinite but firmly contained by stone pillars, the architecture of each discipline structures its particular questions and field of focus. Whether by tradition or the compatibility of specific tools to specific problems, some issues never emerge from the shadows. Philosophical differences about the nature of knowledge are among the most significant barriers to interdisciplinary research. At the same time, by crossing these barriers, traditional disciplines may expand their own field of view while lending clarity and fresh approaches to the investigations of other specialties

The hermeneutics of sacrifice: A study of sacrifice and Christian identity through the work of Paul Ricoeur and Edward Schillebeeckx

Within the traditional understanding of Christian discipleship shaped by the language and symbolism of sacrifice, there is a paradoxical relationship between self-realization and self-sacrifice. This paradox is summarized in the gospel call to “lose one\u27s life to save it.” Feminists have criticized the idealization of self-denial and the excessive glorification of suffering, and challenged the viability of sacrificial language today. However, the traditional value of sacrifice, and the insight that one finds one\u27s identity by giving of oneself for others, merit a critical evaluation of the language and symbols used for sacrifice. Scriptural exegeses demonstrate the rich variety of images for sacrifice that describe the life and death of Jesus Christ, and also show that dedication to God and humanity, not suffering, provides the core meaning of sacrifice. Feminist scholarship further analyzes distortions in theological reflection upon the cross, self-love, and sin that impede an authentic view of sacrifice for contemporary understanding. Paul Ricoeur\u27s philosophical anthropology demonstrates how self-giving positively constructs identity. He views selfhood as an interpretation gained through giving to the other, by which one recognizes one\u27s esteem and agency. One\u27s identity is primarily established by keeping promises over time. Ricoeur also defends the equal primacy of self and other before the demands of the other. Edward Schillebeeckx, OP, offers a theological vision of humanity that is fundamentally oriented by the doctrine of God as Creator, who wills the salvation of all and entrusts humanity with responsibility for history. Suffering is inevitable in the struggle for wholeness and liberation, yet it is never willed by God. Schillebeeckx views the suffering that results from sacrificial commitments to others as a seal on one\u27s identity, forced by the extreme times of trial and persecution. Schillebeeckx\u27s view of creation faith as critical and productive enables both the acceptance of human finitude, which makes sacrifice inevitable, and a religious offering of one\u27s sacrifices in hope for the coming of the Reign of God. Lastly, reflection by kenotic theologies on the self-limiting nature of divine creativity illustrates the inner relationship between self-giving and new life, a paradoxical mystery of which Christian sacrifice partakes