We have thought about climate change and see that this is important for humanity and for the future of the planet. On those two counts alone, Christians need to be concerned. But what is the distinctive message that the Christian faith has to offer?
It is not just a matter of expediency, or survival, or of apportioning blame. Climate change reminds us that the earth and its fullness are the Lord’s, as the writer of 1 Corinthians 10: 26 puts it, echoing the opening words of Psalm 24. God created the world and saw that it was good. It was created out of love, not just for us.
God’s work as creator, and Jesus’ work as redeemer, is about the whole of the universe, not just humankind. So over-fishing of oceans, destruction of rainforests, pollution of the atmosphere, are theological questions as well as political. Though human beings are made to bear God’s family-likeness, we betray that image if we assume that we are the centre of everything that matters.
Climate change, painful as it may be, gives us a special opportunity to reassess our relationship with God and his creation.
A pracitcal guide that gives invaluable green tips for individuals, their communities and their churches is How many lightbulbs does it take to change a Christian? by Claire Foster and David Shreeve, Church House Publishing, £4.99. Endorsed by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, it encourages Christians to play their part in helping to stop climate change.
The book’s aim is to counter the idea that stark warnings on the state of the environment are too colossal for individuals to make any real difference. Instead, it argues that Christians not only can have an impact by adapting their lifestyle, but actually have a moral duty to do so.
The Archbishop said: “I commend it to all Christians looking for ideas and inspiration on what they can do to make a positive difference for the environment.” This full-colour 64 page pocket-sized guide suggests a huge range of practical actions to help churches and their members ‘go green’, including:
* Organise a car-sharing scheme for travelling to and from Sunday worship
* Book some holiday time from work – but cut transport emissions by staying locally and rediscover the interesting features of the neighbourhood
* Use the toaster rather than the grill when making toast to conserve energy
* Help a churchyard become a ‘green lung’ for the community by setting aside a ‘wild area’ [I think we’ve already achieved that one!]
* Review any floodlighting the church has and whether the bulbs are energy-efficient and directed at the building rather than the sky
* Sign up to stop receiving wasteful junk mail
The new booklet is part of the Church’s Shrinking the Footprint campaign, a response to the General Synod’s charge to the Church to engage with climate change and work on reducing its carbon emissions by 2008. At the launch of the Shrinking the Footprint in 2005, the Archbishop of Canterbury argued: “For the Church of the 21st Century, good ecology is not an optional extra but a matter of justice. It is therefore central to what it means to be a Christian.”
What is God Saying Through Climate Change?