Graciously Green (the thinking!)
I am aware that at
times I am a bit of a bull in a china shop. I don't mean to be, and I certainly
don't mean to hurt or demean others. The problem is I am passionate. It is the
very thing that drives me forward.
One passion that I
have felt for as many years as I can remember is a passion to see us care for
God's creation more carefully. When we built the beacon, I harboured the dream
that we could become a 'Carbon Neutral church.'
I don't think anyone
can have watched David Attenborough's recent films and documentaries without
feeling appalled at the damage we are doing to God's world. Some might argue
that we've always lived off the resources in God's world, and that is of course
true. The problem is that we are now doing so in 'industrial' proportions,
without corresponding 'industrial' levels of care going into the consequences
of our actions. Also rubbish in the past decomposed, plastic doesn’t! The
question that I wish to pose over the next few months, especially during our
Church Weekend away at Hill House (28-30th June) is whether there is a
reasonable even a 'gracious' Christian response?
One of the reasons
that I have a passion for this subject is that whilst I was training to be a
minister I was privileged to have regular tutorials with the Revd. Dr Arthur
Peacocke MBE. He was one of those brain the size of a planet people, he had at
least 3 doctorates, in science and theology, and yet he could still sum things
up rather simply. I always remember him commenting as the ecological movement
was developing in the late 1980's that we as Christians should be far more
passionate than others because we believe that creation is a gift that God has
given to us all. In effect he would say, how dare we neglect the planet, it
isn't ours to neglect, it's a precious gift to be cherished. He was a bright
cookie, and was rightly made the President of the Science and Religion Forum
from 1995 until his death.
So I'm passionate, but
I get that passions put some people of, so I get that we need to be gracious!
However the problem with this issue is that it is also a matter of justice. The
people that suffer from our wilful neglect and woeful response to the issue of
climate change, and indeed plastic pollution, are not the rich and powerful. As
always it is the weak and vulnerable who suffer. (This isn't even to mention
the devastation that we are inflicting on animal species and the biodiversity
of nature itself.) In light of this a Christian response can never be to simply
walk by on the other side of the road, and pretend it isn't happening, we are
called to 'get of our donkey' and see what we can do.
This of course is
where it gets tricky. What can we do? The very nature of society embeds us
within its tangled worldview and practices so that we imagine ourselves only as
powerless consumers. In effect although we know that stuff is happening, we
feel unable to change things. This is of course false. As we've seen from the
recent actions by Greta Thunberg and the extinction rebellion movement, we can
create movements which makes the powers that be sit up and listen. Small
actions change cultures, whether that is in a family, or in our workplaces, or
as a whole society. As consumers we can act in ways which make change more
likely. I think of the way Tradecraft has effectively helped the whole marketplace
to understand its responsibilities to workers and the environment. We can see increasingly ethical opportunities
opening up, which if we choose to follow them will undermine other less
enhancing models of working. Of course truly radical change often does require
governments to legislate or intervene. But governments respond ultimately to
the pressure that we place upon them. If we do nothing, so will they!
So what can you do?
Well this is where Mel's now regular articles about plastics have been heading.
A plethora of little shifts that we can make. We all make decisions every day,
with better information many of us would make different decisions. I'm also
aware that joy is a far better motivator than guilt. When we begin to teach on
this area our starting place will be to Rejoice. Worship and awe are the
richest motivators. The first thing we must do is open our eyes, ears, noses
and taste buds, to see and taste the goodness which surrounds us. Only after
that place of wonder will we advocate the great Christian discipline of
repentance: an acknowledgement that we have missed the mark, and also that we
want to take steps to rediscover ways to live in harmony once again. Rejoicing
in beauty motivates us. Repentance isn't then about feeling guilty, it is the
active acknowledgment that we need to change our ways.
After rejoicing and
repentance comes the realisation that new responsible pathways need to be
discovered. We will explore many
possible personal responses, I hope offered graciously not as a bull amidst
your fragile china! As a whole church I hope we can also make some decisions.
Maybe even to consider that we might realise my dream of 'carbon neutrality.'
Since we installed solar panels several years ago, some of our energy is
already carbon free, but by no means all of it. We have sought to reduce with
better insulation, and more complex timers to avoid unnecessary heating.
Another step we could take is to consider carbon offsetting. That is to invest
some money to 'neutralise' our lifestyles. At its most basic carbon offsetting
is about planting trees, but a Christian charity like 'Climate Stewards' also
offer us opportunities to invest in other carbon reducing projects. One that I
like the sound of is a 'cookstove' project. For the poorest families cooking with
firewood is a laborious and often dirty occupation. A new stove will halve the
amount of fuel needed, less time wasted collecting fuel and less carbon
produced. It also radically changes an unhealthy living environment. A win on
so many fronts, a simple but effective intervention. I'm hoping to do some
maths and challenge Zion as an organisation to go carbon neutral at least for a
year by buying new cooking stoves for Ghana, it'll probably cost less than you might
think...I will try to present the idea graciously! I do hope that as a church
we will consider this as one of the steps God is leading us to make. I also
hope and pray we will all learn to rejoice in creation more alongside a
repentance that leads to an active search for those truly holy and fulfilling
lives that God has prepared for us.
Your brother in Christ
Stephen
