Whither Religion

In chapter 1 on Recreation and Soteriology, Evan Berry introduces three points that he believes lead to the erosion of the theological conservative view of nature. The first point was a distinction between the depravity of humans and the depravity of nature. Evan Berry believed that nature had a “positive moral status” not a depraved status, like conservative Christians believed (Berry 28). The second point was that the rise of Pelagianism lead to a more personal salvation. Pelagianism is the belief in the freedom of human will and that humans, and nature in this case, do not inherit original sin. Most Conservative Christians, at this time, tended to believe that salvation was on God and God alone. Pelagianism gave humans more control and gave nature a positive look. The last point was an increase in the belief that outside recreation could lead to a spiritual experience. Yoga, running and other things like this were practices that could bring people closer to nature and in turn closer to God. These points that changed the way Christians would see nature, most likely lead to a greater appreciation of nature. An appreciation that most previous generations of Christians did not seem to show. This view could have easily lead to deforestation, pollution of the air and water, and other destructive practices to the environment.

As more American Christians accepted Pelagianism, they began to see themselves as “powerful agents in their own redemption” (Berry 28). This would lead to a higher view of nature as modern Christians were looking for more ways to connect with God. This higher view of nature lead to many groups of people trying to save the environment from the dangers of climate change. Environmental groups can, in theory, thank Pelagius for the increase concern about the environment and the increase of people wanting to save the planet from climate change.