Being “Rich towards God” in the Capitalocene: An Ecological/Economic Reading of Luke 12.13-34

Abstract

In an age termed by some as the “Capitalocene,” Christianity and the biblical text are sources for developing alternative economic imaginations that respond to the contemporary ecological crisis. Noting the economic inequality and ecological destruction common to both first-century Palestine and twenty-first-century global capitalistic societies, this article draws upon world-ecology theory and offers an ecological-economic reading of the parable of the “rich fool” (Luke 12.13-34). I argue that the assumptions of neo-liberal economic ideology often determine our interpretation of this text. In contrast to the rich fool who lives beyond ecological limits and disconnects himself from his community, Jesus offers ravens and grasses as teachers of ecological wisdom: redefining “wealth” and what is required to be “rich towards God.” The article concludes by discussing how translation choices may assist readers to see the economic-ecological dimensions of this text.