2. The Earth Bible An important approach to reading biblical texts from the perspective of Earth has been developed in the Earth Bible project. This project is based in Adelaide, Australia, and was initiated by Norman Habel, a biblical scholar. The project's studies tend to be critical of anthropocentrism and to reject the idea of stewardship. They treat Earth (with a capital E) as a character, not unlike Lovelock's Gaia ecosystem. Their use of the term 'mutual custodianship' expresses the idea that the earth sustains humans just as humans should try to sustain the earth. The project has produced a set of six ecojustice principles. These were formulated in dialogue with ecologists and again include some similarities with Lovelock's proposals. For example: The principle of interconnectedness: Earth is a community of interconnected living things that are mutually dependent on each other for life and survival. The principle of mutual custodianship: Earth is a balanced and diverse domain where responsible custodians can function as partners, rather than rulers, to sustain a balanced and diverse Earth community. The principle of resistance: Earth and its components not only suffer from injustices at the hands of humans but actively resist them in the struggle for justice.1 1Norman Habel (ed.), Readings from the Perspective of Earth (Sheffield: Sheffield Academic Press, 2000), p. 24
2. The Earth Bible An important approach to reading biblical texts from the perspective of Earth has been developed in the Earth Bible project. This project is based in Adelaide, Australia, and was initiated by Norman Habel, a biblical scholar. The project's studies tend to be critical of anthropocentrism and to reject the idea of stewardship. They treat Earth (with a capital E) as a character, not unlike Lovelock's Gaia ecosystem. Their use of the term 'mutual custodianship' expresses the idea that the earth sustains humans just as humans should try to sustain the earth. The project has produced a set of six ecojustice principles. These were formulated in dialogue with ecologists and again include some similarities with Lovelock's proposals. For example: The principle of interconnectedness: Earth is a community of interconnected living things that are mutually dependent on each other for life and survival. The principle of mutual custodianship: Earth is a balanced and diverse domain where responsible custodians can function as partners, rather than rulers, to sustain a balanced and diverse Earth community. The principle of resistance: Earth and its components not only suffer from injustices at the hands of humans but actively resist them in the struggle for justice.1 1Norman Habel (ed.), Readings from the Perspective of Earth (Sheffield: Sheffield Academic Press, 2000), p. 24
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