Tag Archives: Communities

Vocabulary for a New World – Eco-Communalism

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At its core, eco-communalism holds a mindfulness (almost reverence) for sustainable development, a belief in human goodness, which often manifests itself through conflict resolution or multiculturalism. Also apparent is a longing for society to advance past reckless industrialism towards a more localized, environmentally palatable system.

Eco-communalism is often associated with eco-socialism, which emphasizes a movement away from capitalism and toward a less materialistic society. The word communalism itself is a term that describes social movements and theories which emphasize the centrality of the community, and eco-communalism ultimately sees the community as the catalyst to help propel the move away from greed and corporate irresponsibility. In 1983, E.F. Schumacher published Small Is Beautiful, a collection of essays in which he expressed the unsustainability of the modern world’s consumption behavior and the need for a new outlook to prevent otherwise inevitable environmental collapse: “Ever bigger machines, entailing ever bigger concentrations of economic power and exerting ever greater violence against the environment, do not represent progress: they are a denial of wisdom. Wisdom demands a new orientation of science and technology towards the organic, the gentle, the non-violent, the elegant and beautiful.”

These are the ideas espoused in the philosophy of eco-communalism – rather than a world of capitalist states and their often exploited workers driven by their own greed, eco-communalism envisions a world in which government is decentralized, settlements are integrated with larger cities, local farming is the primary source of produce, and ecological thinking and interconnectedness are the new human values (44-45). As John Bellamy Foster describes in “Organizing Ecological Revolution,” eco-communalism will be the achievement through revolutionary struggle of a more egalitarian society.” It will be one in which “a vigilant civil society would foster more responsible corporate behavior and new values would change consumption and production patterns.” (19) The GSG gives eco-taxes, social subsidies, and green accounting as examples of how eco-communalism could be practically applied (61).

Read more about Eco-Communalism

The Common Root launched!

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Via Jesus Manifesto

Last week, thecommonroot.org was launched. The Common Root is a network for communities committed to Jesus’ radical way of shalom. This network used to be called “Submergent,” but we changed the name for a couple reasons. First, folks kept assuming that we were a sub-group of Emergent for Anabaptists. Secondly, the name didn’t convey the “vibe” we were looking for.

We are called “Common Root” because, together, we are rooted in the life of Christ. The word “radical” comes from the Latin word “radix” which means “root.” A radical movement is one that seeks to challenge the status quo by seeking change by getting to the root of the issue. This movement is made up of denominational Anabaptists (like Mennonites, Brethren in Christ, and Church of the Brethren), neo-Anabaptists, peace-minded liberationists, Catholic Workers, and other theological exiles and refugees. We aim to be a diverse mix of people whose common “root” is the radical way of Jesus Christ lived out in a post-Christian, post-colonial world where the Church is slipping into the margins and is, we hope, able to regain its prophetic voice.

These our our convictions:

  1. The way of Jesus is nonviolent at its core.
  2. Jesus calls communities to continue in the way of life he set for us.
  3. The way of Jesus is prophetic, creative, and dynamic.
  4. The Spirit of Jesus is stirring a creative, prophetic church that resists Empire wherever it is found.
  5. Repenting of our desire for power and control, our movement embraces the diverse groups of people that share in these convictions.

In these violent days, the Spirit is stirring a prophetic, nonviolent movement of communities committed to embracing the way of Jesus in creative and sustainable ways. In light of this, these are our current aims:

  • Connecting communities committed to our convictions.
  • Providing resources for peacemaking, hospitality, simplicity, prayer, and mission.
  • Fostering new communities that creatively embody Christ in their context. In particular, we want to foster new intentional communities, neighborhood-based communities, and other alternative church expressions.
  • We want to tell the stories of faithful individuals and communities that exemplify the way of Jesus in the shadow of empire.

If the Common Root seems like something you want to be a part of, consider yourself invited.

If you are interested in starting a new community (church, intentional community, etc.) that shares in the convictions outlined above, please go here and make contact. We’re currently working on a gathering in February for those interested in being a part of a new planting initiative being supported by the Mennonites (which doesn’t require you to become Mennonite).

Holy Cooperation!

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    I’m excited to share a brief description of a book that I have been really looking forward to it’s publication.  This book is written by my friend Andrew McLeod whom is not only an expert on co-ops but he is also a practitioner. It will be published by Wipf & Stock as part of their New Monastic Library Series.


    Holy Cooperation!: Building Graceful Economies

    by Andrew McLeod

    Christians have played key roles in the development of this movement, but the theological basis for this participation is not widely understood. Holy Cooperation! is an examination of what the Bible teaches about social organizing, and an exploration of some of the cooperative ways that Christians have worked together. Through cooperation we may act as our brother’s and sister’s keepers, while staying true to Jesus’ teachings of liberation.

    The first Christians immediately set about creating a social structure based on democratic control of their collective resources, which were shared freely. While this was a voluntary system, it carried great spiritual weight and was a continuation of values that were clearly encouraged in the stories of the Old Testament.

    This style of organizing can also be found in the modern cooperative movement, which is made up of thousands of democratically controlled businesses serving millions of members worldwide. This movement touches the lives of nearly half of Americans, and has grown into a comprehensive economic system in other parts of the world.