Tenth International Conference on Religion & Spirituality in Society

Abstract

This article examines the ecumenical collaboration between the Church and one international environmental organization, A Rocha Kenya (ARK) in ecological conservation in the Coastal region. A Rocha International (ARI) was started back in 1983 in Portugal towards environmental conservation. Until its entry in Kenya, the Church has been engaged in environmental discourses through pulpit sermons with less practical community engagement. Therefore, the coming of ARK marked a shift on the Church’s environmental teachings, as they had to blend both theological reflections with practical conservation measures. This article argues that the activities of ARK and teachings on environmental stewardship had a significant impact on the Christian community in terms of conscientization on the integrity of the creation and adoption of eco-friendly farming methods. In spite of its landmark contribution to environmental conservation, there is much to be done for sustainability purposes. This article argues that for holistic ecological conservation, the Church and ARK need to appropriate Indigenous Knowledge (IK) by engaging in a constructive dialogue with African Traditional practitioners. Consequently, such a dialogue would lead to an ‘Integral Eco-theology’ that can inspire holistic conservation and do justice to the earth.