Christianity and Environmental Action: It’s a Small World After All

The potential for religion to play a significant role in shaping the environmental thought and action of religious adherents is evident in, amongst many others, calls made at the 2008 International Union for the Conservation of Nature’s World Congress for environment conservation that draws inspiration from, and coordinates activities with, representatives from the various spiritual traditions in the world.

That both religious and environmental discourse and action have the ability to take on a transnational form has been well-documented in the literature. Moreover, much research has focussed on the development of nongovernmental organisation engaging in environmental action and there is increasing attention on faith-based organisations. Yet, how can we better understand the development of organisations that are focussed on environmental issues and whose actions are underpinned by religious motivations?

In my research project, I focus on a transnational environmental Christian organisation as it tries to establish a chapter in Singapore. I seek to understand how the organisation attempts to embed itself in Singapore as it begins operations. Focussing on the vertical and horizontal partnerships the transnational environmental Christian organisation makes, I will examine how this organisation leverages on such partnerships to gain legitimacy and challenge existing values and practices.

Finally, I will also examine how the transnational environmental Christian organisation engages and negotiates multiple interests and expectations to organise across local, national and transnational scales.