Poverty, environment and church : a Christian contribution to the earth crisis as a key to poverty eradication : a Zambian perspective.

Abstract

Thesis (M.Th.Dev)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2004.

The environmental crisis and the poverty crisis, are among the major challenges the

Church in Zambia is facing. In this work I argue that poverty and the ecological crises

are interrelated. However, a major problem has been that many programmes carried

on by the Churches or church-based organizations seem to focus on poverty

alleviation not recognizing the linkage between poverty and the ecological crisis. For this reason, this study represents

the situation of poverty in Zambia and indicates its

links to the environmental crisis.

The aim of this dissertation is to remind the Free Methodist Church in Zambia and the

Church in Zambia in general, that as Christians we are mandated to respond to these

social issues of poverty and ecological degradation. We have the theoretical and

theological contributions necessary to address the above two challenges, if we are

keen to transform and build up the community we are ministering to. What is needed

is to put into practice our beliefs. I argue that unless adequate environmental

awareness is carried out, and that Christians understand the relationship between

poverty and the ecological crisis we will not manage to break the cycle of poverty in

the community. The Church efforts to carry out environmental awareness based on

biblical and theological foundation teachings are a unique contribution that Christians

can offer to respond to the earth crisis as well as to contribute to poverty eradication.