Although it would be difficult to trace the very beginning of human exploitation of the planet, it is somewhat less difficult to trace the beginning of serious reflection in North America on the human penchant for distruction of the earth. Such analysis has spawned a movement of sizable interdisciplinary proportions. One of the areas most profoundly touched by study of the ecological crisis is theology. Members of the Judeo-Christian tradition in particular have been blamed for a good deal of the present ecological crisis. This blame has been placed on these believers primarily because of their scriptural claims as well as their subsequent actions and traditions. Conversations both implicating and absolving biblical traditions have expanded considerably during the past several decades.
