5/15 Creation Corner Col.: World Environment Day (WED) June 5, 2015

World Environment Day (WED) June 5, 2015

"Seven Billion Dreams, One Planet, Consume with Care" is the WED theme this year, for those taking part in over 100 countries, urging everyone to take responsibility to care for the earth and become agents of change.

A related theme of a six-month international EXPO in Milano Italy is "Feeding the Planet, Energy for Life" and is meant to focus on the goal of meeting a "Zero Hunger Challenge, United for a Sustainable World."

Followers of The Ten Commandments are urged to observe the Sunday nearest June 5 as The Environmental Sabbath, to give the earth a Sabbath day, a rest, in keeping with the commandment "Remember the Sabbath, to keep it holy."

The web site for the observance allows you to register your activity, choose from many A-Z steps for action, food waste facts are noted, sample pledges and activities are provided, their top ten blogs are shared, as well as other multi-media sources, twitters, videos, global coverage and publicity.  Also seen are profiles of prior WED years, 2000-2014.

"Planet Earth is our shared island, let us join forces to protect it.  Although individual decisions may seem small in the face of global threats and trends, when billions of people join forces in common purpose, we can make a tremendous difference."  UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon.   http://www.unep.org/wed 

Note: This blog by Michael Ochs originated as the "Creation Corner Column" for the monthly newsletter of the United Churches of Lycoming County (UCLC), based in Williamsport PA. The UCLC is the leading organization in north central PA in the movement for Christian unity.  Begun in 1946, it now has 183 member churches in Lycoming County, representing Protestant, Anglican, Roman Catholic and Orthodox traditions.  http://www.uclc.org/ 

Creation Corner Column 4/2015 Beyond Earth Day 2015, for the faith-based reader

Beyond Earth Day 2015, for the faith-based reader

"Humanity is now using natural resources 50 percent faster than Earth can renew, meaning that we are currently operating as if we live on 1.5 Earths.  In the developed world, the news is even worse."

Amy Domini.

The newest effort is this:

Blessed Tomorrow is a coalition of diverse religious partners united as faithful stewards of creation who seek to inspire action today on one of the greatest moral challenges of our era---protecting our shared home (aka the planet, the earth, God's world).  Let us be caring for creation today so there may be a blessed tomorrow.  At http://www.blessedtomorrow.org one can find key talking points about faith and climate, frequently asked questions, partners and leaders in the effort, paths to positive steps (resources, tools, success stories, news, blogs, events), climate change vision, principles and commitment, etc.  Links to the 2015 45th anniversary of Earth Day are also provided.

The partners include Blessed Earth, Catholic Climate Covenant, Center for Environmental Leadership, National Religious Coalition on Creation Care, Interfaith Power & Light, Green Faith, Jewish Council for Public Affairs, Islamic Society of North America, National Latino Evangelical Coalition, World Evangelical Alliance, and others.

Books for the faith-based reader:

Ask the Beasts: Darwin and the God of Love.  Elizabeth A. Johnson.

Can We Survive Our Origins?:Readings in Rene Girard's Theory of Violence and the Sacred. Pierpaolo Antonello and Paul Gifford, editors.

Creation.  David Fergusson.

Creation-Crisis Preaching: Ecology, Theology and the Pulpit,  Leah Schade (forthcoming).

A Faith Encompassing All Creation: Addressing Commonly Asked Questions about Christian Care for the Environment.  Tripp York & Andy Alexis-Baker, editors.

Fields of Blood: Religion and the History of Violence.  Karen Armstrong.

From Nothing: A Theology of Creation. Ian A. McFarland.

The Gift of Creation: Images from Scripture and Earth.  Norman Wirzba and Thomas Barnes.

Good Food: Grounded Practical Theology.  Jennifer R. Ayres.

The Greening of Protestant Thought.  Robert Booth Fowler.
In the Steps of St. Francis.  Ernest Raymond.

Introducing Evangelical Ecotheology: Foundations in Scripture, Theology, History and Praxis.  Daniel L. Brunner et al.

The Nature of Creation: Examining the Bible and Science (Biblical Challenges in the Contemporary World).  Mark Harris.

Jesus Goes to Washington: His Progressive Politics for a Sustainable Future. Douglas J. Miller.
Pollution and the Death of Man.  Francis A. Schaeffer.

Resisting Structural Evil: Love as Ecological-Economic Vocation.  Cynthia D. Moe-Lobeda.

Song of a Scientist:  The Harmony of a God-Soaked Creation.  Calvin B. DeWitt.

Spirit Unleashed: Reimagining Human-Animal Relations.  Anne Benvenuti.

Surprised by Scripture: Engaging Contemporary Issues.  N.T. Wright.

Thomas Berry: Selected Writings on the Earth Community (Modern Spiritual Masters).  Mary Evelyn Tucker and John Grim, editors.

Upcoming:

The 2015 conference on Energy Efficiency: Integrating Technology, Policy, and People.  Sponsored by the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE); see http://aceee.org/conferences/2015/ssi .

This blog by Michael Ochs is now in its fifth year.  A Lutheran layman, he is a member of St. Mark's Lutheran Church in Williamsport PA,  http://www.stmarkswilliamsport.org a parish in the Upper Susquehanna Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, http://www.uss-elca.org . 

Creation Corner 3/15: April Resources for Earth Day, Arbor Day, Soil and Water Stewardship Week

  April Resources: Earth Day, Arbor Day, Soil and Water Stewardship Week

The March equinox in our northern hemisphere marks a seasonal change when nature becomes renewed.  The days and nights are approximately equal, and we celebrate the onset of Spring.

To help us prepare for three major events in April, consider these:

Earth Day, April 22 (1970-2015 this is the 45th anniversary)

Creation Justice Ministries' theme of "Have you anything here to eat?  Sustainable Food in a Changing Climate considers the interplay of how food production and consumption impacts the climate, and how climate change affects the growing and accessing of food.  Denominational versions of this program theme are available, and include Christian Education activities and ideas, Worship Service hymn and song suggestions, and other resources on faith, food and the climate.  Go to http://www.creationjustice.org/ .

A secular site, http://earthday.org , is an international movement to protect the planet and secure a sustainable future. It suggests many actions and urges you to register your pledge for action to protect the environment.  It has received over One Billion Acts of Green!  One partner is Interfaith Power and Light.

Arbor Day April 24 (begun in 1872, always the last Friday in April)

The Arbor Day Foundation inspires people to plant, nurture and celebrate trees.  A guidebook for involvement, education materials, and celebration materials can be found at http://www.arborday.org .

Soil and Water Stewardship Week Sunday April 26-Sunday May 3 (begun in 1955, this is the 60th anniversary)

Celebrating "Local Heroes: Your Hardworking Pollinators" is the theme sponsored by the National Association of Stewardship Districts.  The need to protect the habitat of pollinators, the insects and others that move pollen, is raised up with an impressive array of educational materials suitable for Christian Education, including a church leader's guide, a litany, program insert, and other community outreach stewardship products.  http://www.nacdnet.org/ 

Creation Corner Col. 2/15: An 11th Commandment

An Eleventh Commandment

 "What updates are needed for the Ten Commandments" was a question posed in The Guardian Weekly of Jan. 23-29 "Notes and Queries" section.

Immediately one might recall back thirty-five years to The Eleventh Commandment Fellowship and the names Vincent Rossi and Fred Krueger.  Based on Psalm 24:1, they proclaimed the eleventh commandment as "The earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof; Thou shall not despoil the earth, nor destroy the life thereon."

Their efforts promoting Christian ecological ethics were aided then by The North American Conference on Christianity and Ecology (NACCE), Appalachia Science in the Public Interest (ASPI, Fr. Albert Fritsch), the AuSable Institute (Cal DeWitt), The National Catholic Rural Life Conference, the Ozarks Bioregional Project (David Haenke),the eco-justice working group of the National Council of Churches of Christ, among others.

Before that, In 1939 Soil conservationist Walter C. Lowdermilk (1888-1974)  proposed the following as "The Eleventh Commandment":

"Thou shalt inherit the holy earth as a faithful steward conserving its resources and productivity from generation to generation.  Thou shalt safeguard thy fields from soil erosion, thy living waters from drying up, thy forests from desolation, and protect thy hills from overgrazing by the herds, that thy descendants may have abundance forever.  If any shall fail stewardship of the land,thy fruitful fields shall become sterile stony ground or wasting gullies, and thy descendants shall decrease and live in poverty or perish off the face of the earth."

And going back in time even further, surely the Old Testament verse from Micah 6:8 also comes to mind as having an application to earth stewardship.  "And what does the Lord require of you?  To act justly (thus, our goal of environmental justice), to love mercy (in reciprocity, we need to sustain the environment as it sustains us) and to walk humbly with your God" (curb my hubris and greed so as not to permanently remove what God has generously provided for my beneficial use and enjoyment).

Perhaps the reader can think of an eleventh commandment too.  For example, using the "re-" prefix, "Recycle, Repent, Reduce, Redeem, Replenish, Reuse, Rejoice!" etc.

1/2015 Creation Corner Col. Covenant for Care of Creation

Covenant for Care of Creation

 If your resolve for a New Year's Resolution is to propose to your church council that your church become a Caring for Creation Center, here is a sample covenant to consider for adoption.

 

Covenant for Care of Creation

 

The earth is the Lord's and all that is in it, the world and those who live in it. (Psalm 24:1)

 

The Church's concern for God's creation is shaped by the Creative Word of God, the Love of God hanging on a cross, the Spirit of God daily renewing the face of the earth.  Caring, serving, keeping, loving, and living by wisdom---these translate into justice in political, economic, social, and environmental relationships.

 

As a covenant congregation, Augustana Lutheran Church will

 

• Study and Learn about God's marvelous creation and our responsibility to God and our place in it.
• Pray, Preach, and Worship so that our environmental activities grow out of biblical faith, reverence, and love for God's creation.
• Make Congregational and Individual Lifestyle Changes to better model our concern and care for creation.
• Get involved in Our Communities, Our State, Our Nation, and the World to promote policies that foster justice and wholeness of God's creation.

Through this covenant, Augustana Lutheran Church

 

claims  the promise of "a new heaven and a new earth" (Rev. 21:1).  We dedicate our congregation's life to the care and redemption of all that God has made, for the sake of Jesus Christ who lived, died, and was raised for us to reconcile us and all creatures to God. (See Col 1:20)

12/14 Creation Corner Column: Intro. to Christian Environmentalism book: A needed perspective

 An Intro. to Christian Environmentalism: A Needed perspective

An Introduction to Christian Environmentalism by K. Blanchard and K. O'Brien may be just the book you have been waiting for, especially if you have been hesitant to speak out about controversial topics such as hydraulic fracturing, fossil fuels divestment, and the the like.  The perspective offered here is to go to your Christian values (the moral and theological virtues), speak from your heart while being well-informed on your subject.  

While many denominations have produced environmental stewardship guidebooks for their parishioners, and some commercial and university publishers have issued books of readings on the subject of religion and the environment, as well as titles on Christian ecology topics, this may be the first text relating Christian virtues to environmental problems.

At this date, the book is recently published and thus there are no customer reviews on-line.  But the table of contents invites prospective readers to examine their moral virtues (prudence, courage, temperance, justice) and their theological virtues (faith, hope, love) and asks how they might apply to pressing eco-threats, by seeking a "golden mean" between contemporary extreme arguments in the general discourse of how to address enviro-concerns.  Thus, to apply seven virtues to seven problems in one world, they propose: 

Prudence guides our approach to species survival, between selfless conservation and self-interested stewardship.

Courage (fortitude) is needed to develop energy sources, between fossil fuels, alternative energies, and Sabbath Living.

Temperance (restraint) is applied in how our food is produced and how we personally consume it.

Justice ought to be the goal sought in any approach to environmental injustice (such as toxic pollution), not revolution or reform.

Faith is to be our companion as we encounter climate change, responding in personal and political and technological ways.

Hope is an obligation, and needs to hold our aspirations about our human future, not despair or presumption.

Love (charity) motivates us inasmuch as our earth-keeping advocacy and action is not limited to public protest or personal transformation.

Sub-titled "Ecology, Virtue, and Ethics", and published in paperback (230 pages) by Baylor University Press (www.baylorpress.com 1-800-537-5487), An Introduction to Christian Environmentalism is co-authored by Kathryn Blanchard (Assoc. Prof. of Religious Studies at Alma College) and Kevin O'Brien (Assoc. Prof. of Religion at Pacific Lutheran University).  They conclude their effort with a closing chapter entitled "Practicing Virtue in a 'World of Wounds'."

For earlier examples of books on this subject see this Creation Corner Column of July 2014 and December 2013.

Creation Corner Col., 11/14: Caring for Creation Web Sites

Creation Corner Column for November 2014

 Caring for Creation: A Sampler of Web Sites

"Just 'googling' around" for examples of ministries that take a caring approach to God's creation results in many sites.  Of especial value are these:

 

BioLogos---Science and Faith in dialogue and harmony

BlessedEarth---Serving God, Saving the Planet.  Energy Audits (church, home, business), good steward worksheets, Starting an Ecology Ministry, etc.

Covenant(s) for Care of Creation---google that site for examples

CreationCare---includes the Evangelical Environmental Network Adult Study Guide: Why Christians Should Care about God's Creation, and other resources for laity and preachers

Creation Care: An Introduction for busy pastors (for evangelicals and scientists united to protect creation), from the Harvard School of Public Health, Center for Health and the Global Environment; the pdf can be downloaded at http://www.chgeharvard.org/resource/creation-care-introduction-busy-pastors

CreationJustice---An “umbrella” effort, Ministries for Stewardship of God’s earth and people for and by 37 major U.S. Christian denominations, with an emphasis on justice

EarthCareOnLine---Caring for God’s Creation, Creation Care web sites and statements, Bible verses, church facility management, etc.

EcoPreacher---Ecotheological sermons, essays, reflections, etc. by central PA Lutheran Rev. Dr. Leah D. Schade

GreenFaith---Interfaith partners educate, inspire and mobilize people of diverse backgrounds for environmental leadership.  A “must see” site with varied emphases

WebOfCreation is an “all purpose” site that includes Care of the Earth: An environmental resource manual for church leaders; Green Congregation Program, denominational statements, biblio. etc.

Worship resources and suggestions (with or behalf of creation), creation-celebrating hymns, books on ecology and worship, green congregation training, themes for Sundays of the Season of Creation (land, mountains, animals, river, forest, ocean, storm, universe, humanity, wilderness, outdoor worship, Earth Day, Harvest, Rogation), weekly care for creation commentary on the lectionary, etc. are at LetAllCreationPraise

Other examples of searches you could do are those for Interfaith Power and Light, Green Seminaries, Bible and Ecology, Blessed Tomorrow, Care of/for Creation, etc.

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Three secular sites of value:

EnergyJustice is a network of advocates for grassroots environmental justice causes, providing platforms for action on various fuels and technologies, fact sheets and publications

Religion OnLine provides nearly 50 articles; see ecology/environment under Social Issues

Arguments from global warming skeptics and what the science really says can be found at Skeptical Science  

 

                                                                -30-