Sharing God's Planet
'We are not consumers of what God has made,' writes Rowan Williams in his foreword to the Church of England report Sharing God's Planet, which has just been published to coincide with the implementation of the Kyoto Agreement. 'We are in communion with it.' This is supported with biblical and theological reflection, some of which may raise new issues for those Christians who understand the gospel essentially in terms of human sin and salvation.
The biblical picture of God's majestic purposes, from beginning to end, presents humanity as intrinsically connected with the rest of creation. The poetic structure of Genesis 1 doesn't reach its climax with the creation of human beings, but with God looking at everything that he had made, and pronouncing it "very good". And, looking forward to the consummation of all things, the apostle Paul predicts that 'the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God' (Romans 8.21).
Sharing God's Planet describes some of the ways in which human activity, instead of working with the rest of creation, has distorted it, often for selfish gain. As part of God's creation, our destiny is intricately connected with the rest of the ecosystem; as creatures made in the image of God, we have a unique responsibility for its protection.
A book of only 58 pages can but skim the surface of such a complex subject. The report's purpose is not to take a political or economic stance, or to beat a particular drum - such as opposition to free trade - but to highlight the intrinsic worth of the whole creation and the duty of the Church to be active, at all levels, in protecting the environment.
Many useful suggestions for action are given, for churches and local communities as well as individuals. These range from the Christian Ecology Link's Operation Noah, by which individuals can lobby the Government for the control of carbon emissions, through the project Eco-Congregation, which helps churches to undertake an ecological self-assessment, down to the Archbishop's final plea: 'Receive the world that God has given. Go for a walk. Get wet. Dig the earth.'
Helen Parry
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