The Green Bible: Religious faith with a sustainable message
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A couple of weeks ago, Christina Clark noted that Harper Collins had made plans to release The Green Bible in October. Now that the good book is on shelves, it's interesting to see how HC has worked to produce a text that really highlights sustainability, both in its package and its message. In addition to using recycled content paper, soy-based ink, and a cotton/linen cover, the publisher has ensured that the sources for its materials hew to the highest standards available. All of the book's virgin wood pulp is sourced from "well-managed forests," and the cover is produced by factories that purify both their wastewater and air before releasing them into the environment. The goal, clearly, is to produce a text that relieves purchasers of any sense of enviro-guilt, even as it sets a standard for clean publishing.In terms of content, The Green Bible is equally audience-oriented. Rather than use the dense St. James version of the Bible, or another inaccessible translation, Harper Collins has chosen to go with the New Revised Standard Version, an easy-to-read version, with simple language that conveys effectively to a broad audience. While many editions use red ink to indicate Jesus' words, The Green Bible uses green ink to draw attention to verses that address the environment. This should be particularly useful to anyone who is trying to come up with the perfect Biblical anecdote to illustrate an environmentalist point.
Over the past few months, the Vatican has made a concerted effort to increase worldwide environmental awareness; it's moves have included the decision to go carbon neutral, the acknowledgment of environmental sins, and the Pope's claim that the earth has been plundered. This green tendency has highlighted a larger move toward what religious eco-activist J. Michael Sleeth calls "creation care," a theology that puts environmental activism on the forefront of man's relationship with God. It remains to be seen if the positioning of waste as a basically immoral act will have a lasting effect on humanity. In the meantime, The Green Bible makes a pretty good argument that Judeo-Christian spirituality and environmental awareness aren't mutually exclusive!
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