Into the Wild: Early Modern Protestant Missionaries and Their Views on Animals
Christianity and the environment have a tense relationship. Although in recent years an eco-theology of stewardship has taken flight, according to theologians as well as philosophers the historical track record of Christians with regard to nature in general and animals in particular leaves much to b...
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| Type de support: | Électronique Article |
| Langue: | Anglais |
| Vérifier la disponibilité: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | En cours de chargement...
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| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Publié: |
Brill
2022
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| Dans: |
Exchange
Année: 2022, Volume: 51, Numéro: 3, Pages: 287-320 |
| RelBib Classification: | KAH Époque moderne NCG Éthique de la création; Éthique environnementale RJ Mission |
| Sujets non-standardisés: | B
New Netherland
B Ceylon B Ecotheology B Protestant mission B Animal Rights B Greenland B early modern mission |
| Accès en ligne: |
Volltext (kostenfrei) Volltext (kostenfrei) |
| Résumé: | Christianity and the environment have a tense relationship. Although in recent years an eco-theology of stewardship has taken flight, according to theologians as well as philosophers the historical track record of Christians with regard to nature in general and animals in particular leaves much to be desired. However, this view has never been empirically tested. In this article three early modern accounts of Protestant missionaries who lived in Greenland, New Netherland (North America) and Ceylon (Sri Lanka) are analysed in order to uncover attitudes towards animals. The accounts describe local fauna, reflect upon the way in which animals are treated and discuss ‘pagan’ attitudes towards animals. The concepts of tropicality and arcticality are used to help to frame the missionaries’ views on animals in terms of othering non-European fauna. The article concludes that the critique of Christianity’s track record is essentially justified, but also that it was more nuanced and complex than has hitherto been thought. As such, the early modern missionary accounts’ focus on wildlife may well serve as a source of inspiration for present-day missionary organizations. |
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| ISSN: | 1572-543X |
| Contient: | Enthalten in: Exchange
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1163/1572543x-bja10006 |