Six Principles of Ecological Hermeneutics 

(Norman C. Habel, Introducing Ecological Hermeneutics, 
in: Exploring Ecological Hermeneutics, ed. by Norman C. Habel and Peter Trudinger, SBL N°46, 2008, p.2)

1. The principle of intrinsic worth: The universe, Earth and all its components have intrinsic worth/value.

2. The principle of interconnectedness: Earth is a community of interconnected living things that are mutually dependent on each other for life and survival.

3. The principle of voice: Earth is a subject capable of raising its voice in celebration and against injustice.

4. The principle of purpose: The universe, Earth and all its components are part of a dynamic cosmic design within which each piece has a place in the overall goal of that design.

5. The principle of mutual custodianship: Earth is a balanced and diverse domain where responsible custodians can function as partners with, rather than rulers over, Earth to sustain its balance and a diverse Earth community.

6. The principle of resistance: Earth and its components not only suffer from human injustices but actively resist them in struggle for justice.



and from the same article: 
(Norman C. Habel, Introducing Ecological Hermeneutics, in: Exploring Ecological Hermeneutics, ed. by Norman C. Habel and Peter Trudinger, SBL N°46, 2008, p.3): 

...A revised ecological hermeneutic requires a radical reorientation to the biblical text. The task before us is not an exploration of what a given text may say about creation, about nature, or about Earth. In this context, Earth is not a topos or theme for analysis. We are focusing on ecology and creation or ecology and theology. An ecological hermeneutic demands a radical change of posture in relation to Earth as a subject in the text. (Here the term “Earth” refers to the total ecosystem, that is, the web of life – the domain of nature with which we are familiar, of which we are an integral part, and in which we face the future.

A radical ecological approach to the text involves a basic hermeneutic of suspicion, identification, and retrieval. This progression bears obvious similarities with several approaches of well-known feminist hermeneutics. The difference, of course, is that we are not reading from the worldview of women, but first and foremost from within the orientation of an ecosystem called Earth. We are reading as creatures of Earth, as members of Earth community in solidarity with Earth.

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