Creation’s house rules: take only your share; clean up after yourself; and keep the house in good repair for others. Sallie McFague, “Intimate Creation” (see below)

This post provides background and extended reading for the presentation that I did at the 2009 Armidale Sustainable Living Expo. There are also links to useful webpages.  I decided that this would be a better way of doing things than printing out pieces of paper which might or might not be used.

If you have not done any reading in this area before, I would suggest that Barry Leal’s book the Environment and Christian Faith is a good place to start.  It’s part of  the St Paul’s Press “Windows Into…” series and doesn’t assume particular familiarity with either the field or theological language.  Then try Sallie McFague’s “Intimate Creation”, which provides a good, short overview of the various models of God that have been prevalent in Christianity and the problems they cause for human relationships with the world we live in.

• Birch, Charles. 1993. Regaining compassion for humanity and nature. Kensington, NSW, Australia: New South Wales University Press. Birch is a former Challis Professor of Biology at the University of Sydney, now an internationally recognised process theologian.
• Carmody, John. 1983. Ecology and religion: toward a new Christian theology of nature. New York: Paulist Press.
• Church of England. 1986. Our responsibility for the living environment: a report of the General Synod Board for Social Responsibility GS718. London: Church House.
• Edwards, Denis, and Mark William Worthing (eds). 2004. Biodiversity & ecology: an interdisciplinary challenge. Interface (Adelaide, Australia), v.7 no.1. Adelaide, Australia: Australian Theological Forum Press. - Australian editors with international range of contributors
• Galvin, Ray. 1993. Christ and the good earth: an introduction to ecological theology. Red Beach, Orewa, New Zealand: Colcom Press. - A New Zealand author.
• Granberg-Michaelson, Wesley. 1984. A worldly spirituality: the call to redeem life on earth. San Francisco: Harper & Row.
• Granberg-Michaelson, Wesley. 1987. Tending the garden: essays on the Gospel and the earth. Grand Rapids, Mich: W.B. Eerdmans Pub. Co.
• Granberg-Michaelson, Wesley. 1988. Ecology and life: accepting our environmental responsibility. Issues of Christian conscience. Waco, Tex: Word Books.
• Habel, Norman C., and Peter L. Trudinger. 2008. Exploring ecological hermeneutics. Atlanta: Society of Biblical Literature. Norman Habel is an Australian Lutheran biblical scholar who has worked internationally but is now resident in Adelaide.
• Habel, Norman C. 2009. An inconvenient text: is a green reading of the Bible possible? Hindmarsh, S. Aust: ATF.
• Habel, Norman C., and Peter L. Trudinger. 2009. Water: a matter of life and death. Hindmarsh, S. Aust: ATF.
• Leal, Robert Barry. 2004. The environment and Christian faith: an introduction to ecotheology. St. Paul’s windows into, 3. Strathfield, N.S.W.: St. Pauls. - a good place to start if you have never read in this area. An overview by an Australian author. The Uniting Church chaplaincy owns a copy which Armidale people or UNE students could borrow.
• Leal, Robert Barry. 2006. Through ecological eyes: reflections on Christianity’s environmental credentials. Strathfield, NSW: St Pauls. - an expansion on the previous book
• Ledger, Christine, and Stephen Pickard (eds). 2004. Creation and complexity: interdisciplinary issues in science and religion. Adelaide: ATF Pres.- again, Australian editors with international contributors.
• McFague, Sallie. 1987. Models of God: theology for an ecological, nuclear age. Philadelphia: Fortress Press. Not as specifically ecotheological as The body of God but an excellent critique of traditional models of God from the perspective of a feminist with a respect for creation.
• McFague, Sallie. 1993. The body of God: an ecological theology. Minneapolis: Fortress Press. - ecotheology from a feminist perspective - an expansion on  Models of God
• McFague, Sallie. 2001. Life abundant : rethinking theology and economy for a planet in peril. Minneapolis: Fortress Press.
• McFague, Sallie. 2002. “FEATURES - Intimate creation - God’s body, our home”. The Christian Century. 119 (6): 36. - looks at different models of God and why they are problematic for sustainability, then outlines one in which the creation is seen as God’s body. This is available electronically through the UNE library if you are a student or member of staff.
• Santmire, H. Paul. 1985. The travail of nature: the ambiguous ecological promise of Christian theology. Theology and the sciences. Philadelphia: Fortress Press. - one of the classics in the field.
• Santmire, H. Paul. 2000. Nature reborn: the ecological and cosmic promise of Christian theology. Theology and the sciences. Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press.
• Scullion, John J. et al. 1981. God’s creation and human responsibility for the earth. Melbourne: Polding Press- four Australian Jesuits present biblical, theological and ethical perspectives on the role of human beings in caring for the earth.
• White, Lynn. 1967. “The Historical Roots of Our Ecological Crisis”.  Science 155: 1203-1207 http://aeoe.org/resources/spiritual/rootsofcrisis.pdf - the famous article that critiques Western Christianity’s use of the environment.  It also shows that there is another strand of Christianity that could be followed.
• The Earth Bible Series - Australian scholars.
  • Habel, Norman C. 2000. Readings from the perspective of Earth. The Earth Bible, v 1. Cleveland: Pilgrim Press.
  • Habel, Norman C., and Shirley Wurst. 2000. The earth story in Genesis. The earth Bible, v 2. Sheffield: Sheffield Academic.
  • Habel, Norman C., and Shirley Wurst. 2001. The Earth story in wisdom traditions. The Earth Bible, v 3. Sheffield: Sheffield Academic Press.
  • Habel, Norman C. 2001. The Earth story in the Psalms and the Prophets. The Earth Bible, v 4. Sheffield, England: Sheffield Academic Press.
  • Habel, Norman C., and Vicky Balabanski. 2002. The Earth story in the New Testament and apocalyptic. Earth Bible, v 5. London: Sheffield Academic Press.

Web resources

There are a number of places on the web where you can find extensive reading lists.  The Forum on Religion and Ecology at Yale University has a downloadable resouce brochure and Earth Ministry also has a very, very extensive resource section. Uniting Earth Web has some more practical Australian resources.  The Uniting Church in Western Australia’s Green Church website and Maroubra Junction Uniting Church’s Project Green Church webpages provide more Australian and practical resources. The World Council of churches also has some useful and interesting resources.  Go to their website and search for “ecology” and “ecological” and/or scan down the list of news items for their most recent statements and most recent news of their projects.

University of Queensland’s on-line news recently carried a news item about Rev Clive Ayers, whose doctoral research is on the role of religion in tackling issues such as climate change.

In part, the article says:

While science and religion have sometimes had a difficult relationship, Dr Ayre believes caring for the environment is one issue both sides agree on.

“With faith and science, I’ve argued that the main problems occur because there are fundamentalists on both sides of the equation who see their views as the only one, and they tend to distort the position of the other,” he said.

“But the relationship between religion and science is a very productive one, and extending it to other faiths is a further step.”

You can read the full text here.

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”.

Uniting Church Chaplaincy and Armidale Uniting Church are hosting a forum on faith and climate change on Thursday, 23 August. The same session will be run twice - once at 3.00 pm in the Youth Centre Lounge at the Uniting Church, 114 Rusden Street (opposite Civic Video) and once at 7 pm in the Drummond and Smith College Main Seminar Room.

Update 27 July

Note that the afternoon session time has changed from the originally advertised 2.30 pm.

Speakers

Emeritus Prof Barry Leal, Coordinator, Earth Ministry, Uniting Church in Australia, based at Denistone Uniting Church and Macquarie University, will speak on God and Climate Change.

Barry is a former Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic) at Macquarie University and Vice-Chancellor, University of Southern Queensland. He has a PhD in Theology and is the author of three books on faith and the environment:

• Wilderness in the Bible. Towards a Theology of Wilderness with Particular Reference to place (New York, Peter Lang, 2004).
• The Environment and Christian Faith. An Introduction to Ecotheology (Strathfield, St Pauls, 2004.)
• Through Ecological Eyes. Reflections on Christianity’s Environmental Credentials (Strathfield, St Pauls, 2006.)

Glen Klatovsky, National Carbon Business Manager for Greening Australia, will speak on Carbon Trading - what it is, why we do it and what role individuals might take in carbon trading.

Glen has fulfilled a range of roles in the environment movement in Australia, including Conservation Director (Advocacy) for WWF-Austalia; Sustainable Landscapes Manager for WWF-Australia; NSW Manager for The Wilderness Society and National Forests Campaigner for The Wilderness Society. He has worked closely with the Wentworth Group of Concerned Scientists and was a member of the Premier’s Native Vegetation Reform Implementation Group in NSW. He is also a graduate of UNE.

Entry to both sessions is free and open to all interested people, there will be an opportunity to ask questions of the speakers both during the formal proceedings and informally over tea and coffee afterwards.

The Washington Post and Newsweek have a joint weekly on-line feature called On Faith at which they pose the general question “in a time of extremism — for extremism is to the 21st century what totalitarianism was to the 20th — how can people engage in a conversation about faith and its implications in a way that sheds light rather than generates heat?” They say: “At The Washington Post and Newsweek, we believe the first step is conversation-intelligent, informed, eclectic, respectful conversation-among specialists and generalists who devote a good part of their lives to understanding and delineating religion’s influence on the life of the world.” On Faith provides a such a forum. It has twelve regular panelist from a range of religious traditions. There are sometimes guest panelists as well, and there is always the opportunity for readers to comment.

Recently, it posed the question “International scientists have raised a new alarm about the dangers of global warming. Should care for the environment be a major priority for people of faith? Why or why not?” and here are the responses of the panel members.

You can browse the archives and set up an RSS feed so that you are alerted to new topics as they are posted.

The Uniting Church Assembly has just put up the World Environment Day “issue” of its Transit Lounge website. The site presents a faith perspective on the theme which allows you to read articles, discuss issues with other people and think about how to put faith into action. Why not visit and see for yourself?

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.

For Creed and Creation is a new booklet published by churches in London which is full of ideas about how to have a “greener” church.

The guide provides advice on everything from basic ways of reducing heating bills, such as fitting insulation and installing energy efficient lighting, through to introducing car sharing schemes for church services, setting up recycling programmes and encouraging local children to learn about the environment and take an active role in protecting it.

The guide will be distributed free to over 4000 churches in London. It is hoped that the guide will ultimately be adapted to encompass other religions and faiths and supported by a telephone advice-line.

Funding for the guide has been provided by The City Bridge Trust as the first part of a three-year grant to The Conservation Foundation to develop and manage an environmental programme for London’s faith groups.

Cherishing Creation is the new Uniting Church national website that provides information and resources on climate change. It contains:

The National Assembly’s Response
Information on Climate Change
Worship Resources for Congregations
The Wider Uniting Church Response