provides a strong argument against anthropocentrism. She understands human beings as part of the natural order. A weakness with McFague's anthropology is it does not provide a strong argument for human particularity. It was argued the body of God anthropology tends towards reductionism and is not theocentric, thus placing it in disagreement with points two and three of the study's anthropological criteria. The researcher suggested the integration of
supervenience theory, transpersonal psychology and biblical anthropology with the body of God anthropology to overcome reductionism. The researcher believes the greatest strength with McFague's anthropology is its affirmation of points four, five and six of the study's anthropological requirements. It has a notion of sin that includes the natural order. The body of God model provokes human beings to develop a loving eye or attention epistemology vis-a-vis nature. This means appreciating the natural order for its intrinsic value and not as a resource for human benefit. The body of God model functions as a powerful transformative metaphor in this regard. McFague's orientation towards an ecological ethic stresses human responsibility for the natural environment. The significance of this is human beings are discouraged from blaming God for environmental degradation. McFague takes ecojustice issues seriously. She has a concrete understanding of sin and salvation and thus appropriates insights from liberation theology. Moreover, the body of God anthropology is orientated towards space rather than time. It is therefore a form of ecoeschatology. The researcher believes these insights justify the body of God anthropology as an adequate resource for a Christian ecological theology.
The researcher argued the body of God model appears to be a form of pantheism. It does not seem to provide a strong argument for divine transcendence and agency due to its disavowal of the mind-body analogy and an overemphasis on divine immanence vis-a-vis creation as
procreation-emanation. McFague's conjecture that creation ex nihilo causes a dualism between God and world was shown to be unwarranted. McFague's over identification of God with the world makes it contrary to point one of the study's theological criteria. The researcher is undecided about the applicability of the body of God model's pneumatology vis-a-vis pom?
two of the theological criteria. McFague's separation of the spirit from the Holy Spirit compromises a Trinitarian reflection. The body of God Christology was accepted, because of its focus on christopraxis. This degree Christology is not clear about Christ's two natures, but does stress the cosmic scope of Christ and is thus compatible With point three of the
theological criteria. McFague's focus on christopraxis links up with her anthropology, because Jesus Christ is understood as the paradigm for human action towards the natural environment.
This provides a strong Christian basis for the body of God model. It was discovered the body of God model has minimal Trinitarian reflection and is in opposition to point four of the theological criteria. The researcher believes the body of God model needs more theological development vis-a-vis the doctrines of God, creation, pneumatology and Trinity.
After consideration of these three areas ofMcFague's thought, the researcher believes the body of God model is a necessary resource for a Christian ecological theology. Its strength is a clear orientation towards ethics that takes Jesus' praxis as its departure point. In this manner the historical Jesus is taken seriously. The body of God model functions as a transformative metaphor that takes into account the social reality that affects the health of planet earth. It is inclined towards reductionism, but there are sufficient resources from other theorists that can be integrated into the body of God model in order to overcome this charge.
The researcher believes the body of God model is relevant for the South African context. South Africa is a country with its own unique history. A significant part of that history was the policy of apartheid. This system of forced race separation had dire socio-economic consequences for the majority of South Africans. It caused injustices in relation to ownership of land and led to racial prejudice. The body of God model addresses these three issues.
In regard to the socio-economic issue, the body of God model with its emphasis on ecojustice is important for the South African context. South Africa is part of the global economy and has thus become a consumer society. Its macro-economic policy has been designed for
globalisation and is a form of centralised economics where government invests in a small number of corporations (Boult, Cunningham and Popenoe 1998: 381). This economic policy is known as GEAR (Growth, Employment and Redistribution) and highlights the need to create jobs and distribute income to the poor (: 382). GEAR is an attempt to overcome the economic
poverty caused by apartheid, however it encourages a consumer society (and thus the economic growth model) and endorses the mechanism of globalisation.
The body of God model is directly critical of consumerism and implicitly critical of
globalisation. It is opposed to consumerism, which results in a utilitarian view of the natural order and believes natural resources are unlimited. Moreover, a consumer society places resources in the hands of a select few. In other words, consumerism culminates in injustice for
both humankind and the natural environment. Globalisation on the other hand does not appear to eradicate economic poverty or benefit the natural environment. Transnational corporations (TNC's) control the world economy by situating their operations in countries where there are low wages and minimal controls on the natural environment and employment (Page 2006).
This forces governments to lower wages and employment standards in order to maintain contact with these TNC's. This does not benefit the poor. Globalisation may result in the deterioration of the natural environment. An increase in trade requires more transport and therefore higher levels of pollution, which increases greenhouse gas emissions. Moreover, raw materials are sold at a lower cost then their true worth to corporations. The body of God model argues for an economic strategy that focuses on the well-being of human and non-human beings. In other words it insists on the notion of economics orientated towards ecology rather than consumerism or globalisation.
The body of God model challenges GEAR to affirm number 24 of the Bill of Rights in the South African constitution (Act 108 of 1996) which states,
Everyone has the right-
(a) to an environment that is not harmful to their health or well-being; and (b) to have the environment protected, for the benefit of present and future
generations, through reasonable legislative and other measure (1996: 11).
The body of God model has relevance for the South African context in terms of the land issue.
From June 1913 and through the apartheid era, thousands of people were forcibly removed from the land that they owned. The post-apartheid government has put into place land reform programs to restore these people to their land. These programs include the restitution program, redistribution implementation system and the tenure reform program . The body of God model would support such programs, because of its focus on space. Space is ajustice issue, because when space is neglected then the availability of land becomes a concern. The danger with this is that human beings are threatened, because their access to space is limited.
Government programs such as those mentioned attempt to give all human beings access to space. However, the body of God model stresses that non-beings also need access to land on which they can flourish. The South African government has implemented the National
Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP), which attempts to conserve biodiversity, use South Africa's biodiversity in a sustainable manner and encourage the sharing of resources
77 This information was retrieved from http://land.pwv.gov.za/land_reform on 11 November 2006.
derived from this biodiversity . This plan assesses South Africa's species and the status of the ecosystem by identifying threats to the dwelling places of various species. The body of God model affirms such an approach.
The body of God model also addresses the issue of racism. According to A. Nolan there is a link between racism and treatment of the natural environment (in Warmback 2005: 188). He believes those who understand themselves as superior to other human beings have a tendency to misuse all of God's creation. Nolan maintains it is when human beings develop a respectful attitude towards nature that they are able to respect one another. The body of God model encourages human beings to develop a loving eye towards creation. This sentiment translates into a society where respect for diversity is paramount. A loving eye is relevant for South Africa, because it opposes racism and promotes love for the natural order. Moreover, the body of God model is postmodern by nature and therefore takes cultural and religious diversity seriously. This is important for South Africa, which has several religious and cultural systems.
Sallie McFague's entire theological oeuvre may be summarised in the following quotation from her book, Models of God,
I have suggested that a new sensibility is required, one characterised by the felt awareness of our intrinsic interdependence with all that lives, a holistic, evolutionary, ecological vision that overcomes ancient and oppressive dualisms and hierarchies, that encourages change and novelty, and that promotes an ethic of justice and care, one characterized as well by a profound acceptance of human responsibility for the fate of the earth... and therefore by the willingness to think differently, to think in metaphors and models that support a unified, interdependent understanding of God-world and human-world relationships (1987: 27).
This information was retrieved from http://www.environment.gov.za/ on 11 November 2006.