Since the United States was colonized and established, commoditization of land and people has profoundly harmed our relationship with God’s creation and one another. In this workshop, our panel will critically examine the ideological origins of our thing-oriented society and our modern concepts of property. We will look at the Doctrine of Discovery, Manifest Destiny, and the slave trade. We will also examine how patterns of greed and racism play out in local communities fighting environmental injustice. We will conclude with a group discussion to explore Christian faith-rooted pathways for moving beyond a society shaped by what Dr. King. called “extreme materialism.” All participants in this workshop will receive a copy of Creation Justice Ministries’ 2017 Christian education resource “Environmental Justice with Indigenous Peoples.”

Speakers: