For those who are UNE students, a warm welcome back for Semester 2 (even if it’s not all that warm outside). I’d like to share something that caught my attention this morning.

A former colleague of mine, Cheryl Lawrie, works for the Uniting Church Synod of Victoria and Tasmania as the project worker for their alternative worship project.  She blogs at  hold :: this space and yesterday”s blog  reproduces a piece that she wrote for Melbourne’s Age newspaper, where she’s a semi-regular contributor of opinion pieces.

In it, she reflects on her experience of visiting Port Phillip men’s prison, where she works with the chaplains to conduct worship. In it she says:

Every visit to the prison converts me. I’m reminded that the assumptions by which I live my life outside are the product of privilege. What I so glibly think is achievable, for both humans and any God I can imagine is beyond hope inside. Sometimes love doesn’t conquer all. Sometimes justice doesn’t come. There are some places hope can’t exist.

It’s made me an awkward Christian – bad company, I fear, in the circles of faith. If truth be known, by most definitions, I couldn’t be called a Christian. I’m not at all convinced by the being of God, though the event of God – the actions and transformations that have been traditionally attributed to God – entice me. But much as the label ‘Christian’ doesn’t fit, I’m loathe to give it up. It’s not for nostalgia, it’s certainly not because I’m superstitious, it’s not even because I have a need to belong or be part of a group. It’s because I need to be held to an expectation that is way beyond myself, and I’m compelled by the expectation that Christianity has of me: that I will live as though everyone can begin again, and that I will act as though the impossible might one day be true.

I’d encourage you to visit the site and read the rest of the article, which isn’t very long. And if you’re a Christian, to think about what that means for you.

Welcome to the UNE Uniting Church Chaplaincy blog for 2008. If this is your first year at UNE, welcome especially.

This year, the blog will keep you up to date with activities on campus and in Armidale and useful justice, peach and sustainability resources. Again this year, I am encouraging people to become involved in Lent Event – the Uniting Church in NSW’s opportunity to prepare for Easter by giving up some little luxury and putting aside the money you save to help some of the world’s poorest people. We will have a bible study group operating on Tuesdays 1-2 pm in the Catholic Chaplain’s office – Old Lodge (building E21). We’re working together because we both want to look at Lent from a social justice perspective and thought it would be good to get to know others who have a slightly different Christian perspective.

I can also provide Lent Event brochures and study material for anyone who wants to work through it by themselves. Email me at jredman at une dot edu dot au. You can also join the email list une_lentevent through the web or by sending an email to  une_lentevent-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

Hope the new academic year is a good one for you.

Soundings

A forum for analysis and debate on issues of religion, ethics and public policy in Australia and internationally

No. 61 : 30 August 2007

A biblical foundation for climate change action

by John McKinnon

Was it Al Gore’s film? Was it the drought? Whatever the catalyst, climate change is now headline news every day. Is it just a distraction from our true mission, or is it an integral part of our Kingdom mandate?

At least in living memory, Christianity and environmentalism have not been close partners. In 1967, Professor Lynn White wrote an influential article, “The historical roots of our ecological crisis,”[1] which accused Christianity of providing the foundation for environmental exploitation and degradation by viewing creation’s purpose as simply to serve humankind.

Christianity has often viewed the material world as less valuable than the spiritual world. James Watt, US Secretary of the Interior in the Reagan government, expressed a popular belief when he wrote that the earth is “merely a temporary way station on the road to eternal life – The earth was put here by the Lord for His people to subdue and use for profitable purposes on their way to the hereafter.”[2]

The Bible presents a different story. Creation is a demonstration of the glory of God, to be cared for and nurtured. It eagerly awaits its own renewal when Christ returns. Furthermore, to love our neighbours, as Jesus commanded, surely implies that we share the world’s resources with others, both present and future. Environmentalism, therefore, goes to the heart of God’s demand for justice.

Creation

In Genesis 1 we read that “God saw all that he had made, and it was very good”. Psalms 8, 19 and 104, among others, speak of God’s glory displayed by the heavens and the earth. God’s dramatic reply to Job, in Job 38-41, demonstrates emphatically how the creation reveals God’s existence, power and character. In Romans 1:20, Paul declares that this “natural revelation” so reflects God’s glory that no-one can remain ignorant of God.

Perhaps the most remarkable element of creation is the man Jesus Christ. In the incarnation, in which God assumes physical form and lives in this world, we have a remarkable validation of creation. Furthermore, the resurrection, first of Christ, and at his return, ours, in transformed physical bodies, is further validation of the physical world. According to Romans 8:20-22, when Jesus returns, all creation will be renewed.

Paul refers to this renewal in his other New Testament letters. Ephesians 1:10 and Colossians 1:20 speak of all things being brought together and reconciled under Christ. God has not abandoned creation to decay or destruction, but through Christ has planned for its renewal. Christ’s resurrection is our assurance of this promise of renewal, what Paul called the “firstfruits”. The entire physical creation is part of God’s plan.

Christians have been called to live out the values of God’s Kingdom in this world, even though its consummation awaits Jesus’ return. This includes our treatment of his creation. In our personal holiness, our relationships, our pursuit of justice, and in our care of creation, we anticipate God’s future rule.

What about Genesis 1:28, which speaks of “subduing” and “ruling” over the Earth? Creation still belongs to God. We are never more than stewards, charged with using God’s resources to His glory and to serve others. Selfish exploitation of the creation was not God’s intention.

So creation is good, reflecting God’s glory, revealing God’s character and power, and is destined for renewal as part of God’s all-encompassing Kingdom. We serve our King and anticipate his future rule by not only caring for his creation but working towards its healing.

Justice

God reveals himself throughout the Bible as a God who “defends the cause of the fatherless and widow.” On the verge of entering the Promised Land, the people were told: “There will always be poor people in the land. Therefore I command you to be open-handed … towards the poor and needy in your land” (Deuteronomy 15:11). Sharing the world’s resources to alleviate poverty is no optional extra, but a fundamental outworking of God’s character.

Sadly, the impact of environmental degradation falls most heavily on the poor. Living in the most vulnerable places, farming the least fertile land, occupying the most polluted land, it is the poor who suffer, often forced through their poverty to further degrade the land on which they live.

Since environmental degradation is largely the product of industrial society, the Bible does not explicitly addressed it. However, there are several elements in the Levitical law that highlight God’s intention that his people demonstrate justice by sharing, caring for and preserving natural resources.

The Sabbatical year (Leviticus 25:1-7) allowed the land itself to be rested every 7th year, rather than ruthlessly exploited for short term gain. The Year of Jubilee (Leviticus 25:8-55) takes this principle much further. The 50th year redistribution of land demonstrates that property ownership is not absolute; merely a temporary stewardship of what belongs to God. Natural resources must therefore be managed in such a way that they remain available and useful to future “stewards”.

God’s justice demands that the poor and most vulnerable be cared for; that the world’s resources are shared among all people, of this and future generations, and that we act to prevent environmental damage from further oppressing those already suffering under heavy burdens of poverty and marginalization.

Climate change

Climate change is the major environmental issue of our day. It threatens the lives of millions of the world’s poorest and most vulnerable people. They will suffer lower economic growth, direct impacts on their livelihoods and assets, decreased food and water security, increased incidence of diseases such as malaria and tuberculosis, and increased risk of disasters.

Those of us in wealthy nations, through our continued consumption of electricity produced by fossil fuels, our polluting transportation, our continued land clearing and meat consumption, are causing this problem. As consumers, proprietors and employees, we are among the beneficiaries.

As God’s people, we are called to live the values of God’s Kingdom here and now. This involves loving our neighbours, demonstrating justice for the poor, and working for the renewal and healing of creation. Human-induced climate change represents degradation of creation and a gross injustice against the world’s poor. Climate change is therefore our responsibility, and tackling it is part of our God given mission.

What has climate change got to do with Christians? Everything! It is our problem and we are called to be part of the solution. We must examine our own lives as well as speaking up on behalf of those most affected, but with the least voice. As Isaiah urged his people, so his words challenge us to action:

Learn to do right! Seek justice, encourage the oppressed. Defend the cause of the fatherless, plead the case of the widow (Isaiah 1:17).

Mr John McKinnon is the NSW State Co-ordinator for Tear Australia. This article first appeared in TEAR’s Target magazine, August 2007.

References:

1. Lynn White, Jr., “The Historical Roots of our Ecologic Crisis,” Science 155, 1967, pp. 1203-1207.

2. James Watt, “Ours is the Earth,” Saturday Evening Post, January/February 1982, pp. 74-75.

Soundings is a publication of the Centre for Christian Ethics, edited by Rod Benson. Soundings welcomes submissions of up to 1200 words that contribute to analysis and debate on issues of religion, ethics and public policy in Australia and internationally. Previous columns give a good indication of the topical range and tone for acceptable essays. Columns may be quoted or republished in full, with attribution to the author of the column, Soundings, and the Centre for Christian Ethics, Morling College, Sydney Australia. Views expressed in Soundings articles are not necessarily those of the Centre for Christian Ethics, Morling College or the Baptist Churches of NSW & ACT. For general enquiries, comments and submissions, contact ethics@morling.edu.au To subscribe, email ethics@morling.edu.au with “subscribe to Soundings” in the subject line. To unsubscribe, type “unsubscribe to Soundings”.

Unfortunately, Phil Glendenning, Director of the Edmund Rice Centre, is unwell and has had to cancel his visit to Armidale on 19 June at 5.15 pm. The Simply Sharing meal will still take place at 6.30 pm in the Catholic Dining Room and will now include information about the work of Simply Sharing. Monetary donations from this annual ecumenical event will go to the Australian Council of Churches’ work in the Pacific. those attending are encouraged to donate what their evening meal would have cost them. All welcome.

World Council of Churches – Update

“Our sharing of experiences revealed that water supply, sanitation and protection of the environment should never be separated, but worked on in a holistic approach,” says the final statement of the “Churches for Water in Africa” conference, held on 21-25 May in Entebbe, Uganda.

The conference gathered nearly 70 participants including church leaders, theologians, water experts and project coordinators. They came from 19 African countries as well as from Europe and Latin America to discuss the role of churches in the face of the water crisis in Africa. It was organized by the Ecumenical Water Network (EWN) in cooperation with the Uganda Joint Christian Council (UJCC), the All Africa Conference of Churches (AACC) and the Uganda-based Agency for Corporation and Research in Development (ACCORD).

Participants at the conference urged governments and multilateral institutions to respect the human right to water and meet their obligations regarding its provision. “One important step is to prioritize the just and sustainable provision of water to the poor and the most excluded, and to make water and sanitation a strong component of national budgets and other financial allocations, including development aid,” says the conference’s final statement, read by Bishop Elisa Buberwa of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania.

The participants noted that, in spite of promises made in the context of the Millennium Development Goals, in rural Africa 65% of the population lack access to sufficient and safe water supply and 73% to adequate sanitation.. This hinders the chances of achieving those goals. “Poverty can never be overcome, if the issue of water and sanitation is not adequately addressed,” says the statement.

In his closing speech, Metropolitan Jonah Lwanga, from the Uganda Orthodox Church, criticized the current trend to commodify and privatise common goods. He encouraged conference participants to “continue the debate with enthusiasm upon related issues in the country and region”.

Participants were troubled by the impact of climate change, which causes unpredictable rainfall, prolonged droughts, devastating floods, desertification and drying up of water sources. “The existence and future of millions of people is jeopardised,” the statement says.

They affirmed that access to water is a fundamental human right, protection and control of water resources is a central public responsibility and that water must not be treated as a commodity, but as an essential social good for the present and future generations. “Provision of water for all is possible. The way towards it passes through the prioritisation of the poor and most excluded in water policies and funds allocation,” says the statement.

Participants from churches and faith organizations affirmed water as cradle and source of life, and an expression of God’s grace in perpetuity for the whole of creation. They asserted that faith based groups were called upon to exercise responsible stewardship, preserve and share it, for the benefit of humanity and creation.

The conference’s programme included interaction with local communities. Participants visited an informal settlement in Kampala City and rural communities in the Masaka western region and in Busoga in the East.

The conference stated that the participation of rural communities and disadvantaged communities at all stages of intervention on water issues is not only a democratic imperative, but also a precondition for sustainability and a prerequisite for peace.

Participants welcomed the opportunity to learn technologies and approaches used in other African countries that they could apply in their own work. The need to further deepen the exchange on best practices was highlighted.

The Ecumenical Water Network (EWN) will facilitate continued dialogue among the conference participants, and broaden it to include other churches and church-related organizations. A number of follow-up workshops are planned for 2008.

The EWN is an initiative of Christian churches, organizations and movements who advocate for water as a human right and work to promote people’s access to water through community-based initiatives around the world.

Media contacts:
Maike Gorsboth +41-76-459-7727
Dunstan Ddamulira +256-772-457726

The full text of the EWN conference statement is available at:
http://www.oikoumene.org?id=3633

Ecumenical Water Network:
http://water.oikoumene.org

See also our press release of 17 May 2007:
http://www.oikoumene.org/en/news/news-management/all-news-english/display-single-english-news/article/1634/ecumenical-water-network.html

This material may be reprinted freely.

Additional information: Juan Michel,+41 22 791 6153 +41 79 507 6363 media@wcc-coe.org

The World Council of Churches promotes Christian unity in faith, witness and service for a just and peaceful world. An ecumenical fellowship of churches founded in 1948, today the WCC brings together 347 Protestant, Orthodox, Anglican and other churches representing more than 560 million Christians in over 110 countries, and works cooperatively with the Roman Catholic Church. The WCC general secretary is Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia, from the Methodist Church in Kenya. Headquarters: Geneva, Switzerland.

News

$ The World Bank reports an 80 million drop in the number of people living in extreme poverty (less than US$1 a day) between 2002 and 2004. This means that Millennium Development Goal 1 can be reached. BUT the good news is entirely due to rapid economic growth in China and India. The Bank says that many countries will not reach Goal 1 and the boom in China masks an increase in extreme poverty in sub-Saharan Africa.

$ The Budget will be announced next Tuesday May 8. There will be a preliminary report on our overseas aid commitments on the website on Wednesday, so keep an eye on what happens. There SHOULD be more money to help meet the Government’s 2005 commitment to increase aid. This will be welcome news but will the money be going to the people who need it most? And will we be doing enough to keep our eye on the goal of halving global poverty by 2015?

Opportunities to be involved this month

1. POSTCARDS

Order the new 07:07:07 postcards for your whole church, school or group. This is an easy and effective step to take and if we can send 100,000 postcards, it will have a huge impact. If we want to see the hungry fed, the vulnerable secure and the homeless with shelter, your voice is needed. Click on the link for an order form:

http://www.micahchallenge.org.au/pages/content.asp?plid=151

1. VOICES FOR JUSTICE

Come to Voices for Justice 07 in June. Early bird discount till May 16. This promises to be an exciting time of worship, learning and speaking to politicians. It is an amazing opportunity. Come and be inspired by Bishop Alexis Bilindabagabo from Rwanda, The Idea of North, workshops, art, prayer and politicians.

See http://www.micahchallenge.org.au/pages/content.asp?plid=49

1. 07:07:07

Order an 07:07:07 sports kit with everything you need to know about running a half-time sports event with your club, at school or in the community. There’s a half-time dvd and whistle in every kit! Contact pippa.cave@micahchallenge.org.au

1. CREATE TO ADVOCATE

Entries for Create to Advocate 07 close on May 18, so don’t delay. A bigger exhibition space this year plus Ken Duncan is contributing a work to the exhibition. Info and application forms at http://www.micahchallenge.org.au/pages/content.asp?plid=148

1. WHAT CAN ONE PERSON DO? DVD

Fantastic NEW resource available NOW. Take part in 7 weeks of prayer and action. Show the new video, use the new cartoon explaining poverty, plus other new resources. Order the DVD – What can one person do? at http://www.micahchallenge.org.au/resource/DVDorderform.pdf

Prayer

Lord, we thank you that we have a voice in our nation, the freedom to speak and act for those in need. Don’t let us slip into apathy.

We pray for Christians in nations where there is no freedom. Don’t let them be fearful.

Fill us all with your Spirit of boldness so that voices everywhere are raised for right, for peace and for truth. Amen

Quote of the Month

“I want you to say that I tried to love and serve humanity…that I was a ‘drum major’ for justice, peace and righteousness.”

Martin Luther King Jr, speaking of how he wanted to be remembered.

Because of all the resources we are producing this year, we urgently need $20,000. If 400 people give only $50 each we will cover our expenses. Can you help? You can download a donation form at our website or donate over the phone (02 9453 1586). We believe this year is a time to have a huge impact and we need funds. Please help if you can. Amanda, National Coordinator

News

Prayer: 1,000 Christians gathered recently in Canberra and other centres in a powerful weekend of intercession. 21 hours of prayer! One of the 6 main themes was justice – justice for the global poor, for indigenous people and in our political process. There was a strong sense that the church needs to be humble and repent of its materialism and division.

Remembering our Christian heritage: This weekend marks the 200^th anniversary of the end of the slave trade, thanks to the efforts of a group of Christians led by William Wilberforce in Parliament and Rev Thomas Clarkson. The campaign to end slavery which ran for over 20 years used many ground breaking ideas: graphic displays of slavery equipment and conditions, personal stories of ex-slaves, careful research into the conditions endured by slaves, Biblical teaching, pamphlets, prayer, a logo and a successful promotion of sugar ‘produced by the labour of freemen’.

We can be inspired by the faith and energy of the anti-slavery campaigners. AND we can act today to end the slavery of poverty and the slavery that millions still endure in forced labour, the sex trade and child labour.

For more on the 200^th anniversary see http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/slavery/index.htm; http://www.theamazingchange.com/whois.html

Opportunities to be inspired

Sydney: There is still a chance to hear David Batstone at the Liberating the Captives conference in Sydney on Saturday March 24^th at the Wesley Centre.

Melbourne: David Batstone is at St Hilary’s Church, Kew on Saturday March 31

More info about both these events is at http://www.micahchallenge.org.au/pages/content.asp?plid=44

March 25

Pray on March 25 that the example of Wilberforce and his group of campaigners will inspire us to speak out for the poor and to act with compassion.

What to Do before Easter

1. order the new 07:07:07 postcards for your whole church, school or group. This is an easy and effective step to take and if we can send 100,000 postcards, it will have a huge impact. Our last postcard campaign in 2005 saw the Prime Minister announce a big increase in aid. But more needs to be done if we want to see the hungry fed, the vulnerable secure and the homeless with shelter. See http://www.micahchallenge.org.au/pages/content.asp?plid=151
2. come to Voices for Justice 07 in June. This promises to be an exciting time of worship, learning and speaking to politicians. It is an amazing opportunity. Come and be inspired by Bishop Alexis from Rwanda, singers, role play, forums, art, prayer and politicians.

See http://www.micahchallenge.org.au/pages/content.asp?plid=49

1. Order an 07:07:07 sports kit with everything you need to know about running a half-time sports event with your club, at school or in the community. There’s a half-time dvd and whistle in every kit!

Contact pippa.cave@micahchallenge.org.au

Prayer for March 25th

Lord God, we pray for children in Siera Leone and Sri Lanka who are forced to be soldiers.

We pray that you will father the children from Bangladesh and Mexico who have been sold into forced labour to pay family debts.

We pray for girls and women who are tricked into prostitution.

We cry out for your justice.

We know Lord that you have created all human beings with dignity and that slavery is an injustice. Empower us, who are not enslaved, to fight for the rights of those who are.

Help us to pray and empower us to speak for those who have no voice. Amen

Quote of the Month

Around 27 million people are currently enslaved worldwide.

During Lent, may we remember God’s abundant mercy to us and act with mercy, righteousness and compassion in our needy world. Amanda, National Coordinator

World Vision Australia Connect

World Vision Australia – Connect – Take action allows you to send an e-card to politicians, or download and sent a printed version. It appears that there is a different issue each month. In March, it’s water. The site also provides a large amount of other information about things you can do and should know.

World Council of Churches – News Release

The World Council of Churches (WCC) has endorsed a groundbreaking climate change statement, fruit of an unprecedented consensus among high-level representatives of the corporate world as well as civil, religious and educational institutions.
This statement is “carefully drafted and urgently needed”, wrote WCC general secretary Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia in a letter endorsing “The Path to Climate Sustainability: A Joint Statement by the Global Roundtable on Climate Change” on behalf of the WCC. The Council “will continue to participate in the process of bringing the concerns this statement addresses to the world”, he added.

Endorsed by an unprecedented group of companies and organisations from around the world, the statement calls on governments to set scientifically informed targets for greenhouse gases and carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. It also urges them to place a price on carbon emissions and to set forth policies aimed at addressing energy efficiency and de-carbonisation in all sectors.

Calling climate change “an urgent problem,” the statement lays out a bold, proactive framework for global action to mitigate risks and impacts while also meeting the global need for energy, economic growth and sustainable development. It outlines cost-effective technologies that exist today and others that could be developed and deployed to improve energy efficiency and help reduce CO2 emissions and other greenhouse gases.

“The Path to Climate Sustainability” statement has been released today at a press conference in New York chaired by Jeffrey D. Sachs, head of the Global Roundtable on Climate Change (GROCC) and director of the Earth Institute at Columbia University.

Endorsements come from critical stakeholders, including leading corporations from all economic sectors to smaller firms with very different perspectives and concerns; they also include an array of civil, religious, environmental, research and educational institutions as well as a distinguished list of world-leading experts from the fields of climate science, engineering, economics and policy studies. [See a list here]

“The WCC is anxious to encourage large companies like those included in the Global Roundtable to take action in their own businesses and provide leadership in the private sector that will result in limiting the polluting emissions that are causing climate change”, said Dr. David G. Hallman, advisor of the WCC Climate Change Programme.

Media Contact:Clare Oh +1-212-854-5479 coh@ei.columbia.edu

The Global Roundtable on Climate Change
The Global Roundtable on Climate Change is an initiative of the Earth Institute at Columbia University and brings together more than 100 high-level, critical stakeholders from all regions of the world – including senior executives from the private sector and leaders of international governmental and non-governmental organizations – to discuss and explore areas of potential consensus regarding core scientific, technological, and economic issues critical to shaping sound public policies on climate change.

The full text of the statement is available on the GROCC website:
http://www.earthinstitute.columbia.edu/grocc

Additional information: Juan Michel,+41 22 791 6153 +41 79 507 6363media@wcc-coe.org

The World Council of Churches promotes Christian unity in faith, witness and service for a just and peaceful world. An ecumenical fellowship of churches founded in 1948, today the WCC brings together 348 Protestant, Orthodox, Anglican and other churches representing more than 560 million Christians in over 110 countries, and works cooperatively with the Roman Catholic Church. The WCC general secretary is Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia, from the Methodist Church in Kenya. Headquarters: Geneva, Switzerland.

An invitation from Alan Jones:

Armidale *TEAR Support Group

Our first meeting for 2007 will be on Friday March 2 at 7.30pm in the Uniting Church Hall Youth Centre Lounge, 114 Rusden St (opposite Civic Video – the Youth Centre Lounge is most easily found from the car park which is entered via a drive-way next to Grant McCarroll Kia) . We hope as many of you as possible can come along to be involved in supporting TEAR in its advocacy campaigns. particularly in a federal election year. If you know of others who might be interested please bring them along. Some of the items to be covered include:

1. Information update and action on the Micah Challenge and Millennium Development Goals (Make Poverty History Action in Australia in 2006). Introducing the Stop the Traffic Campaign and a very short DVD clip on the campaign. Action to be taken this year see Make Poverty History website
2. I hope someone might be interested in compiling a list of web resources – we could discuss the value of this.
3. View TEAR DVD – Seechange – this would be available if people wanted to borrow it for their own groups or churches.
4. Future plans – involving other churches, lobbying (Federal election later this year), etc.

Hoping to see you a week Friday at 7.30pm,
Alan Jones

* TEAR is a non-denominational Christian organisation devoted to transformation, empowerment, advocacy and relief for people in the world’s poorest nations. For further information , see their website