The search for a common understanding with regard to ecology and justice in the Uniting Reformed Church in Southern Africa

Abstract

The Uniting Reformed Church in Southern Africa (URCSA) has a long-standing commitment to ecology and justice. Since 1994, the URCSA has increasingly engaged itself on the “Justice, Peace and the Integrity of Creation” process. The URCSA is concerned about the impact of climate change, ocean change, lack of access to clean water, and resource extraction on the impoverished and vulnerable living beings. A close reading of the primary sources, namely agendas, Acts of the General Synod, booklets, sermons and media statements of the URCSA, brings various themes on ecology and justice to the fore. This article will take into account that ecology and justice are concepts that have not been traditionally held together. The goal of this article is to explore URCSA’s engagement with ecology under the following subthemes: caring for the earth keeping, URCSA’s response to the water crisis; URCSA’s response to genetic modification of food; URCSA’s response to the challenge of globalism; URCSA’s response to hydraulic fracking and, lastly, the connection between ecology and justice. This article argues that ecology and justice are concepts that should be held together.