A CHARITABLE HEART: ORTHODOX SPIRITUALITY IN AN AGE OF GLOBAL WARMING.

The title of the paper recalls a well-known statement by Saint Isaac the Syrian about charity. It is widely assumed that charity and compassion are properly directed towards our fellow human beings. This paper explores their extension to all of creation by St Isaac and other Fathers and saints (both ancient and modern) and outlines a theological rationale for this extension. Contemporary Orthodox accounts of our responsibility towards the non-human creation often focus upon our role as priests of creation. In this paper, I argue that such a sacramental approach is necessary but not sufficient. Without careful qualification, the priesthood metaphor (like the dominion and stewardship metaphors) is too anthropocentric to offer a viable basis for genuinely compassionate care for creation. For Saint Isaac, compassion for all creatures was expressed primarily through prayerful concern. I argue that such prayerful concern entails righteous action. Finally, I briefly explore the practical meaning of righteous action in relation to an environment compromised by anthropogenic climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]