Consensus

Volume 41 Article 4
Issue 1 Sustainability and Religion

5-25-2020

Religious Environmental Stewardship, the Sabbath and

Sustainable Futures in Africa: Implications for Sustainability
Discourse
Ben-Willie Kwaku Golo

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Recommended Citation
Golo, Ben-Willie Kwaku (2020) "Religious Environmental Stewardship, the Sabbath and Sustainable
Futures in Africa: Implications for Sustainability Discourse," Consensus: Vol. 41: Iss. 1, Article 4.
DOI: 10.51644/HEHX7880
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 Golo: Religious Environmental Stewardship

Religious Environmental Stewardship, the Sabbath and Sustainable

Futures in Africa: Implications for Sustainability Discourse

Ben-Willie Kwaku Golo1

U
ndoubtedly one the complex challenges facing humanity today is the environmental
problem and how to avert further destruction and/or degradation of the natural
world. Environmental challenges, such as climate change and diminishing natural
resources, and the apprehensions that have attended them are a wake-up call for humankind
to adopt simpler, modest and sustainable lifestyles in order to better relate with the
nonhuman world. In order to enhance the sustainable use of resources so that the needs and
rights of the future generations to environmental goods and services enjoyed by current
occupants of the earth are not compromised, the concept of sustainable development
become the new normal of development processes. This means rethinking the processes of
production and consumption in ways that correlate with the regenerative capacity of the
earth as well as its ability to sustain a flourishing life for future people of the earth. Briefly
explained, this is the core thesis of sustainability and/or sustainable development, which is
defined as "… development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the
ability of future generations to meet their own needs” (WCED 1987, 43).
The content of research and policy processes that inform the United Nations (UN)
agenda towards sustainability is what I refer to in this article as sustainability discourse.
Interestingly however, this discourse, “has often overlooked how religious symbols, rituals,
and ethics imply the need for changes in attitudes toward and actions for creating a
sustainable future” (Histhuizen and Tucker 2015: 372). However, the complex and inter-
linked nature of the environmental challenge and concerns for the natural world mean that
efforts and processes towards the search for sustainability and sustainable development
have interdisciplinary significance. In recent decades, faith communities and scholars in
religion have also been prominent voices in sustainability discourse, exploring the
connections between their faith traditions and the care of the environment. Usually these
voices reflect the norms, virtues and values of religious commitments and their relevance for
motivating sustainable behaviour. Other disciplines, especially those dealing with climate
change and sustainability issues, have recognized the connection between religious and
theological disciplines as well as partnerships between religious organisation and
environmental organisation (Histhuizen and Tucker 2015).
However, there remains a tendency to overlook religion in mainstream sustainable
research and policy frameworks. Sustainability discourse tends to emphasize technological
and technical solutions, usually generated from the natural and social sciences. This article
suggests that the concept of Sabbath, and specifically the values, norms and responsibilities
found within the religious concept of environmental stewardship, holds promise as a viable
and comprehensive moral framework for promoting sustainability discourse in Africa. When
one considers the religiously vibrant context of Africa, there is promise in reframing the

1Dr. Ben-Willie Kwaku Golo, Senior Lecturer Department for the Study of Religions, University of Ghana, Legon,
Accra, Ghana.

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 Consensus, Vol. 41, Iss. 1 [2020], Art. 4

largely secular notion of environmental sustainability with a religious concept of

environmental care – stewardship (Golo and Yaro 2013).
This article demonstrates the value of this concept through informal discussions with
members from two indigenous communities in Ghana. This article first unpacks the concept
of environmental stewardship in secular sustainability discourse. The article then examines
Sabbath as grounds for religious environmental stewardship, and the potential for beliefs,
norms and values to relate to sustainability discourse.

Environmental Stewardship
The term environmental stewardship (ES) is an application of a traditional principle
of stewardship. The term steward has been traced to the etymology of the old English word
stigweard, meaning “a servant who looks after a hall, a manor or landed estate” (Welchman
2012: 299). Over the centuries this term has been “applied to a wide range of occupations
centrally concerned with caring for things or persons on another’s behalf” (Welchman 2012:
299). The term itself “has undergone radical transformation in its practical understanding
and application” (Petersen 1994: 20). During the Enlightenment in Christian West,
Protestant churches of the late 19th century popularised the concept following the medieval
practice of tithing when they called for donations and pledges from congregations as means
to raise revenue for the church. Churches continued this practice into the early 20th century,
and through the social gospel it was popularised as a means of raising adequate funds for
ministries in the surrounding communities (cf. Petersen 1994: 20). Thus, it is evident the
principle was popular in the Protestant West, specifically the United States, Canada and the
British Empire (Welchman 2012). Chirisa (2010) notes that although stewardship relates
fundamentally to the philosophy and practice of managing things for others, the term has
been applied to a host of resources, such as estates and materials assets. However, the
principle is derived from the theoretical belief that humankind was created by the Creator
of the whole universe to dwell and improve the earth on behalf of God (Chirisa, 2010: 1). This
indicates the religious significance of the concept, although it is not clear when the term was
used in this religious context.
The concept found its way into the language and diction of volunteers and organisers’
of grassroots conservation groups and campaigners in the latter half of the 20th century as a
way to conceptualize and re-order their moral relationships to the natural environment
(Welchman 2012; Petersen, 1994), when the despoliation of the earth dawned on
humankind. One the reasons that the concept of stewardship appealed to secular
environmentalists was that it dislodged human relationships to the earth from its old
trapping in which humanity was the owner and conqueror of nature (Petersen 1994).
Rather, stewardship conceptualized humanity’s relationship to the natural world through
four virtues. Welchman (2012: 299) notes,
First, stewardship is a traditionally a form of guardianship: a role whose practice
requires the observance of constraints on the pursuit of personal interest. Second,
stewardship, in contrast to other forms of guardianship, has a longstanding association with
landholdings. Third, stewardship is an ongoing role or relationship maintained over time with
the stewards’ principals and with the lands, things or persons in their care. Fourth,
performance of the role requires the exercise of certain moral virtues. To be a competent
steward, one must possess and act from dispositions such as loyalty, temperance, diligence,

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 Golo: Religious Environmental Stewardship

justice and integrity, as well as intellectual virtues or technical skills such as prudence and
practical rationality
From the above, one sees that stewardship is a virtuous practice (Welchman 2012) in
which the steward works within certain constraints. The steward’s actions are restrained by
“the trust and legitimacy in his or her support from the principal (behind) as well as the
confidence that he or she enjoys from the people receiving his or her services” (Chirisa 2010:
42). Attfield (2003) notes that, though stewardship is of religious origin, according to both
secular and religious beliefs in stewardship, they suggest that human beings are not the
owners of the earth but they hold the earth in trust, not least for future generations. The view
further attests that as a trustee, human beings are not only responsible for the care of the
Earth but they are also answerable for the way they fulfil their roles as stewards.
Brown (1994: 18) suggests that the framework of stewardship “can be, and has been,
grounded without reference to theological beliefs.” Environmental volunteer groups and
campaigners, for instance, appropriated the concept in a secular way without its religious
trappings, as was the case of the Protestant churches at the time. It is for this reason that
groups, such as the United States Forest Stewardship Program (1990), the United Kingdom‘s
Countryside Stewardship Scheme (1991), the Canadian Province of Ontario‘s Stewardship
Program (1995), the Canadian Habitat Stewardship Programme (2000), Australia‘s
Environmental Stewardship Programme (2007) (Welchman 2012) utilized the concept of
stewardship with no religious connotation.
From this stewardship perspective, a sustainable future has been conceptualised as
being possible through responsible environmental stewardship by present generations.
Although the term has endured, the concept of environmental stewardship has a range of
common definitions. Brown (1998:17) defines environmental stewardship as emphasizing
“the obligations that people have to discharge fiduciary duties: to leave the world as good as
they found it. It thus points in the direction of risk aversion in bringing about large scale
ecological changes.” The United Nations Global Compact (2010: 9) defines it as the
“comprehensive understanding and effective management of critical environmental risks
and opportunities related to climate change, emissions, waste management, resource
consumption, water conservation, biodiversity protection and ecosystem services.” The US
EPA (2005: 2) defines environmental stewardship as:

...the responsibility for environmental quality shared by all those whose actions affect
the environment. This sense of responsibility is a value that can be reflected through
the choices of individuals, companies, communities, and government organizations,
and shaped by unique environmental, social, and economic interests. It is also a
behaviour, one demonstrated through continuous improvement of environmental
performance, and a commitment to efficient use of natural resources, protection of
ecosystems, and, where applicable, ensuring a baseline of compliance with
environmental requirements.

For Welchman (2012, 303), environmental stewardship “is the responsible

management of human activity affecting the natural environment to ensure the conservation
and preservation of natural resources and values for the sake of future generations of human
and other life on the planet, together with the acceptance of significant answerability for
one’s conduct to society.”

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In contemporary times, environmental stewardship comes to the fore in discussions

on sustainability and sustainable development (Golo and Yaro 2013; Chirisa 2010). It is even
suggested that, in many ways, the idea of stewardship is the precursor to the discourse on
sustainability and sustainable development (Golo and Yaro 2013). This is evident for
instance, in statements such as “As we explore how to become a more sustainable society, it
is clear that environmental stewardship can help preserve natural resources and achieve
sustainable outcomes” (US EPA 2005: 2). Generally, environmental stewardship is seen as
crucial for preventing further environmental degradation and attaining sustainability. It is
also important to note that environmental sustainability focuses on future generations
whose interest are to be protected (Chirisa 2010, Welchman 2012). These considerations of
inter-generational equality, which emphasize that “each generation should have an equal
right to enjoy, experience, and benefit from nature’ (Brown 1998:17), stewardship places
restraints on present generation’s use of earth’s resources.
Thus, the definitions of stewardship have diverted from its original roots and been
adapted for secular sustainability discourse (cf. Attfield 2003; Welchman 2012 for history).
However, these secular adaptations of stewardship are not without criticism and have not
received consensus among environmental ethicists and philosophers. Therefore, it has the
tendency to be relegated as a religiously oriented concept with little relevance for
environmental ethics and philosophy (Welchman 2012). For instance, even earlier from a
theological perspective, Petersen (1994: 21) considers what he calls the greening of
stewardship as flawed “in its basic understanding between God, humans and the rest of
Creation.” This understanding, itself grows from “the underlying assumption that there
indeed is God, humans and the rest of creation. In such a model, nature is one step removed
from humanity. Thus humans are either foolish lord of the earth with the power to destroy
nature, or humans are benevolent lord with the power to save and preserve nature. Nature
is somehow dependent upon our actions” (Petersen 1994: 21).
However, the recourse to environmental stewardship by environmental groups and
agencies, such as the US EPA and the UN, means that policy-makers and the development
community affirm the relevance of the concept to their situation (cf UNGC 2010).

Religious Environmental Stewardship and the African Context

Faith communities, and religious professionals have awakened to the stark realities
of climate change. The consequences have impressed upon the consciousness of humankinds
a new sense of interdependence that humanity depends on and belong to earth (Abraham
1994: 69). Faith communities have taken a second look at the beliefs, traditions and
doctrines that influence their views of the world and the role of humankind in it. From within
their traditions, religious groups and experts have been engaged in reflections on the status
of the natural environment, and their contributions to mitigate further anthropogenic
destruction of creation. A recurring metaphor in this global resurgence of faith-based
environmentalism is stewardship, and the need to recover responsible earth stewardship .
With this understanding I will look at the issue of religious environmental stewardship and
its potential as a framework for promoting sustainability discourse in Africa.
Comparing the stewardship model to other biblical concepts about the relationship
between humanity and creation the clarity Asante (1984:15) notes that “God, who is the
Creator, is interested in creation. God does not despise creation and so the human has no
right to despise it. The Christian has the moral responsibility to care for creation.” Generally,

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 Golo: Religious Environmental Stewardship

religious environmental stewardship reflects those typically religious beliefs, norms and
values that emphasize human obligations to care for God’s creation. This view affirms that
humans are God’s trustees with the responsibility not only to care for the earth, but are also
answerable for the way they execute their roles as stewards of God’s creation (Attfield 2003).
Thus, religious environmental stewardship affirms that, as stewards, humans are to nurture
and protect the natural world but not to destroy it, because the ‘destruction, desecration, or
waste of resources is an affront to the generosity and beneficence of God’ (DesJardins 2006:
39).
Religious environmental stewardship motivates religious communities to care for
creation, by which “religious people have begun to identify elements of their religious
traditions that might help support the promotion of ecological concern and responsible
action” (French 2005: 469). In a study of a section of the three main religions in Ghana,
believers affirm that “stewardship underscores that humans are to nurture and protect the
natural world while benefiting from it, and they are not to destroy it” (Golo and Yaro 2013:
288). The believers suggested the roots of the problem of environmental degradation is
humanity’s refusal to act as responsible environmental stewards (Golo and Yaro 2013).
Being a steward, therefore suggests that while benefitting from the Earth’s resources and
altering it, humans must do this within defined limits and constraints. Thus, greed and waste
are simply incongruent to the stewardship ethos.
Comparing the above definition of religious environmental stewardship to the secular
version currently used in sustainability discourse, I suggest that with the concept of
environmental stewardship with religious diction provides promise as a moral framework
for a comprehensive sustainability discourse in Africa. This claim is supported by two
contextual reason.
First, the emphasis on the centrality of religious beliefs, norms and values is the
ground for both individual and group social action, such as sustainable development
processes, in many African societies. If one agrees that development of any sort does not
proceed in a vacuum, then one can admit that sustainability discourse and sustainable
development cannot marginalize the religious ontologies of the religiously vibrant context
of Africa. Gerrie ter Harr and Stephen Ellis note:

Most policymakers today accept that sustainable development can be achieved only
if people build on their own resources. Logically, these assets should be considered
to include not only intellectual and social resources, but also spiritual ones, if and
when these are available. It is a fact that large numbers of people, particularly in
developing countries, have a religious outlook on the world. (ter Harr and Ellis 2006:
353).

For this reason, religious environmental stewardship correlates with the African
religio-cultural worldview of the relationship between human and nonhuman beings. This
religio-cultural worldview contradict some secular environmental orientations that are
scandals of (African) religious faith. Ecocentric orientations, are one example, which struggle
to see a qualitative distinction between humans and nonhumans. In African cosmology,
although humans and other nonhuman beings live in harmony, inter-dependence and in
communal relationships, there exist moral distinctions between them. For instance among,
the Akans and Ewes of Ghana, humans occupy privileged positions within creation.

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Therefore, I argue that ignoring the moral and spiritual ontologies that are foundational to
and legitimate individual and social action in most sub-Saharan African societies, in
sustainability discourse is unjustifiable. The Canadian Faith Communities affirm that “the
growing crisis of climate change need to be met with solutions that draw upon the moral and
spiritual resources of the world’ religious traditions” (CFC 2011:1). Histhuizen and Tucker
(2013:368) also affirm: “Scientists, policy makers, economists, and educators can advance
Earth Stewardship by engaging with the environmental perspectives and resources of the
world’s religions.”
Secondly, the context of this paper is sub-Saharan Africa. Here, the legitimacy of
religious claims remains central in both individual and communal lives. Beyond the
consensus among religious respondents in Ghana that religiously inspired concepts of
environmental stewardship are necessary for resolving the environmental problem (Golo
and Yaro, 2013), I remain convinced religious diction remains crucial in defining and
sustaining the duties and responsibilities of environmental stewardship if they will gain
widespread acceptance and legitimacy among the religious. This is because, the world of the
African is not only physical but also largely religious. Religious and cultural values are central
to individual and community values (Ter Harr and Ellis 2006; Amenga-Etego 2016).
Adeyemo (1995: 19) writes, “The African lives in a religious world. Unlike his Western
counterpart, an African perceives, analyses and interprets reality (or events) through his
religious grid.” It worth emphasizing that this religious orientation of the African extends to
the natural world (Golo 2017; Amenga-Etego 2016).
It is therefore encouraging that in recent years the development community has
acknowledged religious communities as viable partners in development, and has expanded
its previously narrow focus on the quantitative dimension of development towards religion
(Freeman 2015; ter Haar and Ellis 2006), which opens up subjective and qualitative
dimensions. Histhuizen and Tucker (2013: 368) also underscore the growing scholarly and
environmental NGO attention to the connections between religion and Earth stewardship in
theological and ecological disciplines. It, however, remains that the turn to religion is often
based on a deficient functionalist, narrow and instrumental understanding of religion (Jones
and Petersen 2011). In order to deepen this understanding, I turn to the Biblical motif of the
Sabbath as a form of religious stewardship.

Sabbath as Environmental Stewardship

Found in Exodus 20: 8-10, and repeated in 23:10-12, the Sabbath entails the notion
of rest for man and creation as well as justice for the vulnerable and landless poor in
community. While the Sabbath motif in Exodus 20:8-10 requires man, land and oxen to rest
on the seventh day, Exodus 23: 10-12 also requires this rest to occur every seven years, at
which time the land lays fallow and animals used in the production process also allowed to
rest the entire year. The land-owners are not allowed to returning to to land for work or
harvest, and must leave the harvest to the landless and vulnerable. Suggesting that Sabbath
entails multi-layers of a faith community’s relationship with God, Cafferty (2015: 35) writes,

At the observable, outward layer, Sabbath refers to consecrated time, the seventh day
of the week, to be kept holy. This day when no work is done is set apart for worship
to God. Sabbath also refers to the day of worship that also provides rest, which renews
for future service. This rest applies as much to the earth as it does for humans. At a

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much deeper level, Sabbath refers to our entire relationship with God where persons
in community rest from human efforts to achieve reconciliation with God. Sabbath is
commitment to the set of principles designed to foster flourishing life. Thus, Sabbath
is a miniature representation of all the principles of a flourishing relationship with
God, namely, his Law.

Cafferty (2015) sees two dimensions of the Sabbath – a creation dimension and a
covenant dimension - that both point to the Earth stewardship of humans. In its creative
dimension, located in Exodus 20:8-10, the Earth is seen as gift and the Sabbath is also a gift,
“designed to foster a deepening relationship between God and humankind, a gift which
represents the reality of a joyful life of peace (shalom) envisioned for all God’s creatures”
(Cafferty 2015: 36). Examining the Sabbath in a homily quoting Norman Wirzba, Martin-
Schram (2011: 1) suggests that central to the Sabbath observance is how “we participate
regularly in the delight that marked God’s own response to a creation wonderfully made.”
He further notes that keeping the Sabbath would mean praising God for the goodness of
creation, a praise in which we learn “to train our desires and to value creation as a gift not a
possession” Martin-Schram (2011: 1). Cafferty suggests that is in Sabbath worship highlights
the relationship between God’s work and humanity’s work, where human beings made in
the image of God “are to be co-workers with God, as responsible servants, to sustain
flourishing life. … Thus, awareness of our role in sustaining the earth is integral to Sabbath
worship” (Cafferty 2015: 37).
In terms of the Sabbath’s covenant dimension, Cafferty (2015: 38) notes that the
requirement of Exodus 20: 8-10 is repeated in Deuteronomy. This repetition frames the
Sabbath as a covenant, which must be seen as a covenant relationship that God has
established between God and humankind as signified in Exodus 31: 13-17. He suggests the
Sabbath would cease to be so “if the principles of covenant were accepted only one day of
the week for worship but ignored or rejected the other days of the week during work.
Accordingly, Sabbath is a sign of loyalty to God” (Cafferty 2015: 38). He suggests that as a
test of loyalty to the relationship with God, “the Sabbath tests the willingness of humans to
lay aside wealth producing behaviours, which, if they do in response to God’s grace by
placing limits the economic dimension of shalom, God makes room to enjoy the other
dimensions of shalom” (Cafferty 2015: 38). The covenant dimension of the Sabbath further
entails managing the land. Cafferty notes that resting the land every seven years (sabbatical)
was not for the utilitarian purpose of increasing productivity but as an inherent right of the
land to be sustained (2015). In relation to the stewardship of humanity, this means that land
“cannot endlessly be exploited. Humans are expected to have dominion over the land, but
also to serve it and not hold the land in bondage” (Cafferty 2015: 39). Reflecting an eco-
justice perspective, Sabbath entails not just a day among seven to rest and worship, but
involves physical justice towards land and the vulnerable poor. “Working together with God,
humans have a responsibility to make right the injustices which have oppressed the whole
created order of all living things” (Cafferty 2015: 39).
While it is evident that the Sabbath is of the Abrahamic tradition because of its Biblical
foundation, it is also evident the major religions in sub-Saharan Africa not only ascribe a
supernatural origin to the created order but also demonstrate Sabbath commitments. The
emphasis here will be on the Indigenous African Religion. While the following draws
examples from the Ghanaian context that are familiar to the author, similar practices exists

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among many indigenous traditions in sub-Saharan Africa. Diverse practices that are similar
to the Sabbath can be found across many Indigenous African religions. For instance, among
some indigenous Fante fishing communities on Ghana’s coastline there are sacred days,
usually Tuesday, set aside as rest day for fishermen. No fishing is allowed on those days. This
gives the sea the time to replenish its fish stock (Awuah-Nyamekye 2009: 266). Similarly, in
many inland communities there are days set aside when some lands are not worked,
providing rest days for earth and wildlife. For instance, among the people of Dormaa
Traditional Area in the Brong Ahafo Region of Ghana it is prohibited to work the land or go
into the bush/forest for any occupational activity on Tuesday. Similarly, among the people
of Matse Traditional Area in the Volta Region of Ghana there are many lands on which
farming or hunting is prohibited after every five days (following the provincial market day).
Awuah-Nyamekye (2009: 265) also reports sacred days of Thursday and Friday for the Akan
and Fante of Ghana, respectively. He indicates that apart from their religious significance,
these days “can serve as giving resting day not only to human beings, but also the animals,
forests, lakes, rivers and all that has something to do with the land” (Awuah-Nyamekye 2009:
265). Thus, one could say the Sabbath motif is already central to the major religions of Africa.

Religious Environmental Stewardship, the Sabbath and Sustainable

Futures in Africa
Humanity’s responsibilities and duties for environmental stewardship become clear
in the covenant traditions. Sabbath practices are one such traditions. Simon-Peter (n.d.: 1)
notes “Sabbath reveals itself as the first environmentally friendly biblical covenant. Sabbath
is good for people and the earth. It is not a stretch to say that faith grounded in the Bible is
green. Sustainability is built into the fabric of creation.” The religious responsibilities of
humans, affirmed further in the Sabbath, requires humankind to be loyal to God in managing
the gift of the nonhuman world so that it does not degenerate into destruction. This gift is to
be managed in ways that sustain life here and now and into the future for inhabitants of the
earth, while maintaining its own integrity and value as a good gift from God. These have
certain promises and implication for the sustainability discourse and sustainable futures in
Africa:
1. Religious Beliefs, Values and Norms as Spiritual Capital for Sustainability
Spiritual capital refers to the immaterial resources religious people use to interpret
and construct their material world. These resources are acquired through experiences and
encounters with the divine or spiritual realm of life. These religious experiences are the
result of people’s vertical encounter and experience of the transcendent, which motivate
them to organise life on their horizontal encounters in the material world. These include
norms, moral frameworks, personal conviction and orientation – inner foundational
impulses that motivate behaviour and action – that the individual and/or community forms,
in response to such encounters. Among individuals, this spiritual capital motivates
subjective personal transformation towards a more integrated response and approach to
realities of life. This “transformation of subjectivity” (Freeman 2015: 5), what Abamfo (2017)
refers to as “spiritual capital” and is one of the central subjective roles of religion in
sustainability discourse. It is this subjective transformation, which faith communities make
in believers, which make faith communities viable partners in sustainable development.

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Considering that environmental degradation and climate change are largely

anthropogenic and spiritual, the claims to the centrality of religious morality in motivating
human beings’ environmental stewardship is not a stretch. Quoting Chapin et al, Histhuizen
and Tucker (2013: 368) submit:

Given the urgent need to promote a flourishing, sustainable future, the world’s
religious communities have much to offer because the attitudes and beliefs that shape
most people’s concept of nature are greatly influenced by their religious worldviews
and ethical practices. The moral imperatives and value systems of religions have the
potential to mobilize the sensibilities of people toward the goals of Earth
Stewardship, here defined as shaping the trajectories of social–ecological change to
enhance ecosystem resilience and human wellbeing” (Chapin et al. 2011)

The environmental crisis is spiritual because it is related to humans’ definition of the self and
place in the world. In Africa, these anthropologies are largely influenced by religious
worldviews. It is also spiritual because, as suggested by the Canadian Faith Communities, the
crisis “is symptomatic of a spiritual deficit: excessive self-interest, destructive competition,
and greed have given rise to unsustainable patterns of production and consumption” (CFC
2011:1). If the “use which man makes of his environment has to do with his attitude towards
nature” (Klostermaier 1973: 133). Then one would expect that which is both the foundation
and interiority for human behaviour and attitudes, would be central to processes towards
attaining sustainability. To many Africans, these are largely their religious beliefs, values and
norms, which ultimately translate into attitudes and actions with which they relate to the
natural world.
Religious ontologies and the subjective dimension of religion serve as the deep-seated
doldrums from which decisions and choices in the daily lives of believers emerge. This
fundamental and subjective dimension of faith communities, which motivate attitudes of
believers, cannot be marginalized in any discourse towards a sustainable future for human
communities, regardless of how subjective they seem. They hold the promise of both
religious and moral contract for faith communities to act in the world and improve on the
condition of the world. As noted by Atiemo, emphasising this subjective religious dimension
does not in any way contradict scientific interpretations and interventions of the world but
rather indicate there are other dimensions – spiritual and/or religious – which contribute to
the material end that science alone may not achieve (Atiemo 2017: 256-7). Religious
language and norms may motivate concerns for climate change and spiritual transformation
especially when framed in moral language.
From the Sabbath perspective, for instance, the views espoused by those interviewed
in Ghana (Golo and Yaro 2013), underscore their belief that obedience to Sabbath norms
maintains a healthy reciprocity between deity and humanity and brings flourishing life while
deviation from these norms brings diminishing life. Especially, among indigenous people,
‘Sabbath’ days are guided by moral obligations and their consequent rewards to indigenes.
Faith communities, therefore, are aware of their moral responsibility to emphasize the
values, virtues, and norms of their environmental stewardship, such as the Sabbath – rest
and living with enough. When faith communities have the conviction that their
environmental commitments are first, directed towards the concerns of God and/or the
supernatural, and then to their own welfare and that of future generations, they become

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motivators for moral restraint at the level of individuals and groups. If state institutions and
the development community appreciate the religious consciousness, norms and values of
environmental care from religious traditions such as the Sabbath, faith communities in Africa
could play very significant roles towards the attainment of sustainable futures in Africa.
What they require is a continuous exploration of their traditions for moral and practical
understandings of the natural world to motivate believers towards living in the world
sustainably.
Similarly, environmental researchers, policy makers and the development
community would have to search for analogues for these subjective and qualitative
dimensions among faith communities if holistic and comprehensive sustainability remain
goals in Africa. This will mean confronting the anti-religious syndrome of the modern secular
mind, which, with a functionally deficient understanding religion, separates religion and
state, thereby marginalising religion in the development process of modern societies.
2. Religious Beliefs and Practices Generating Eco-Dimensionality for Sustainability
A related promise that the religious concept of environmental stewardship holds for
sustainability discourse in Africa lies in the translatability of religious beliefs, norms and
values into practices that correlate with contemporary secular and scientific concepts of
sustainability. Wholesome religious traditions are more effective in generating eco-
dimensionality than others (Bratton 2018:2), religious traditions have the capacity to
encourage environmental sustainability. Eco-dimensionality is defined as “the integrative
expression of environmental values, caretaking norms and sustainable practices in all
aspects of religion, including symbolism, myth, art, ritual, and ethics, that recognizes and
specifically adapts to keystone environmental processes and ecosystemic or geo-physical
diversity” (Bratton 2015:2). Bratton sees what she calls viable religious approaches to
sustainable practices rather than abstract theological ideas and qualities, as eco-dimensional
as “eco-dimensionality offers a bridge for conversations with scientists and policy makers
due to its refined interface with critical environmental variables” (Bratton 2015:2).
While I disagree with suggestions that abstract theological ideas remain at the
communicative level, on grounds that such claims are still beholden to the modern secular
mind, it remains true that the translatability of beliefs and values of faith communities and
their practical analogues strengthen their partnership in the sustainability discourse. In
Africa, and particularly in Ghana, several such eco-dimensional practices abound and
provide promise for sustainable futures. There are several Sabbath practices found among
religious communities in Ghana grounded in beliefs, such as panentheistic notions of places,
and even animal and plant species. For instance, a growing phenomenon among Ghanaian
Christians, and popular in other parts of West Africa, is the sacred mountain phenomenon.
These require the stewardship of believers in restraining themselves when dealing with
these natural spaces and species. Examples are the Abasua Prayer Mountain and the
Mountain Olive Prayer Camps in the Eastern Region of Ghana, where beliefs in the
sacredness of these places restrain worshippers’ sanitation practices, whereby “littering,
spitting, urinating and defecating in the open spaces are deemed serious infractions by the
culprits” (Okyere 2018:208). As earlier noted, while in some cases human intervention and
activities within these sacred spaces are controlled and limited to certain days, some others
are restricted entirely from direct human activities and interventions. Because beliefs, values
and norms regulate practices some of these places still exist as ecosystem habitats for

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wildlife, flora and fauna. It would, therefore, be ridiculous, if not an insult, to suggest that the
interpretations of the supernatural that ground these beliefs, norms and values of faith
communities are without knowledge of practical consequences on real lived experiences of
communities here on earth. What a development researcher or worker needs is the
engagement of the faith communities to unearth the eco-dimensionality embedded in many
of these beliefs and practices.
Within the context of religious environmental stewardship, such as the Sabbath,
present environmental challenges of human societies are reflections of human estrangement
from God and refusal to be restrained by natural limits set by God, even if individuals
consider themselves irreligious. Restraint from burdening nature through the processes of
production and consumption, which the Sabbath requires, correlates with scientific truths
about ecosystem regeneration, hence are eco-dimensional. Human restraint in our
interactions with the earth is necessary for maintaining balance between work (industrial
production) and rest (period of worship of God and physical justice for the earth to
regenerate for a healthy eco-system balance) (Cafferty 2015). Simple indigenous and
subsistent agricultural practices, such as shifting cultivation teach us this simple fact of land
and wildlife regeneration if the land rests. While long periods of fallow, such as a year
stipulated in the Bible, may not fit into current industrial and work schedule, sustainable
production and consumption requires rest and the idea of the integrity and rights of the
earth and communities require restraints. Cafferty suggests, while the concept of the
Sabbath embraced human beings working in the material world, “the aim of such work was
not accumulation of material possessions but rather to enter into rest with God while serving
the needs of others including that of the earth” (Cafferty 2015: 37)
Restraint (obedience) to shared norms of the eco-community, even when it seems
inconvenient, is a virtue that ensures the good and mutual benefit of the entire community
of created beings. Both the secular and religious views of environmental stewardship
emphasize working within restraints that nature imposes on human actors in the natural
world. Hence the key concept ‘restraint’ is practicable in several ways. One does need to a
believer to learn to restrain oneself be or made to. Already, in our legal systems and other
systems of public governance, there are restraints to what individuals and groups can or
cannot do, based on the consequences for the common good of the community. Cafferty notes
that whatever conclusions are drawn about Sabbath, the implicit purpose is the overall well-
being of the community in all its dimensions (Cafferty 2015: 37). What this practically means,
is a set of broader principles, in “keeping in focus the larger purpose of work and, when
necessary, placing limits around work so that a flourishing life can be enjoyed in the larger
community both now and in the future” (Cafferty 2015: 39).
Sabbath orientations mean contemporary societies and individuals could cultivate
the norms of human restraint and avoid certain forms of environmental challenges. Humans
restraining themselves from the arrogance of overcoming constraints, especially those that
work for creation and the common good, would be a better and responsible ethic and what
it means to be human, not the Creator. Martin-Schram (2011) affirms that the Sabbath
tradition confronts the anthropocentrism and industrial mind-set of our society head-on. He
concludes, “We are not independent but radically inter-dependent with all that God has
made. We must let go of our false sense of superiority and live more humbly under the
restrictions and limits God has provided, so that all may flourish” (Martin-Schram 2011:1).

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Consequently, Sabbath norms of environmental stewardship could become publicly

shared for their eco-dimensionality in societies where religious beliefs and institutional
religion are still central to individual lives and visible in the public sphere, such as those in
Africa with liberal secular orientations. This will be their expression of stewardship
responsibilities, which itself can be grounded in theological beliefs (Brown 1998, 18).
Religious institutions, NGOs and experts come to the fore as resources to governments in
working out environmental regulatory and public policy frameworks that can be
implemented in religious contexts, in order to reflect shared beliefs, norms and practices,
even for the strictly secular sectors of such communities. For the sake of the common good
and of reducing risks and threats, these concepts could inform public policies in such a way
that infringing on them comes with negative rewards.

Conclusion
In this article, I pursued the claim that religious environmental stewardship remains
a viable framework that obligates the duties of care that faith communities have towards the
nonhuman world and the natural environment. Admittedly, religious ES may not be able to
solve all our environmental problems in their complexity. However, beliefs and claims that
faith communities make about their religiously embedded environmental stewardship and
which commit them to norms, values and lifestyle changes that are environmentally
sustainable, such as the Sabbath, remain viable spiritual capital and resources of eco-
dimensionality towards a comprehensive sustainability discourse in the highly religious
context of Africa.

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