Matthew 5:5: Justice and Grace in Fracked Earth

Abstract

The author reminds us that the earth is the Lord's and is intended for the meek.He explores the scriptural roots of the Sermon on the Mount and demonstrates that the Parable of the Wicked Tenants recapitulates this teaching. The resurrection of Jesus Christ, recaptured for us and in us through the means of grace, allows people to live in hope, in the promise that their inheritance and the earth itself will not always be harmed, but will be healed. The author, through the example of fracking in Northern Appalachia, stresses that God's people, strengthened by God's grace, can witness to the unshakable nature of God's promised future in the resurrected Christ.