Anglicans mobilise for climate change,
seek common reconciliation theology
Posted on: September 22, 2015 11:18 AM
Photo Credit: ACNS/Ilona Sābera
Related Categories:
acen,
Anglican Alliance,
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Coventry,
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environment,
Reconciliation,
theology
Participants from various Church
of England dioceses, ecologists, political campaigners, educators and
technology experts gathered at the conference, “Reconciling a Wounded Planet” on 18-19 September in Coventryto coordinate responses to environmental crisis and develop a common theology.
Participants recognized the Church as a “trusted convener” for
facilitating theologically grounded action on climate change. Various
discussion groups tackled political and community engagement, health,
education, technology, natural resources and biodiversity topics.
Speaking at the political engagement session, Ben Niblett, Tearfund
campaigns team leader, proposed ways of mobilising the Church community
in order to convince policy makers to include climate change in their
agenda. “The Church is a home of values, a place of social capital. A
group of people that come together to prepare and act. Massive changes
can happen – you need to prepare to grab the opportunities,” he said.
One of the main issues raised by the speakers was a need to break
through fear to address the environmental crisis and “normalise” its
discourse. “We need people’s values to change first, so the policies can
change,” said Richard Gower, director of Foresight Economics
consultancy firm, speaking about the reasons some popular movements
succeed in shaping public opinion and achieving systemic change.
In light of the recent fossil fuel divestment decision by the Church
of England, Gower said every Christian should understand “it is just not
acceptable for your pension fund to be in fossil fuels.”
Participants also acknowledged the role of financial systems and
global trade in the current climate crisis, while pointing out climate
change should not be considered “a leftist issue” as it affects
everyone.
Sir Ghillean Prance, professor of botanics and conference keynote speaker encouraged Christians to lobby at UN Climate Change conference taking place in Paris in December: “If we truly want to reconcile, we need to expand. Let's be a voice in Paris!”
A variety of dispersed local initiatives, lack of coordinated action
and a theological imperative was pointed out by several speakers.
“Creation care is not a good thing – it's our mandate from the God. It
is an integrated God's mission in reconciling all things. It is not
about equipping theologically, but challenging theologically. This is
God's will for us,” said Sam Berry, professor of genetics and former
Church of England General Synod member.
The Revd Margot Hodson, vicar of the Haddenahm Benefice in
Buckinghamshire, referring to the Paul's letter to the Colossians, spoke
about the responsibility of all Christians to care for the Earth as
God's creation: “Often we say we are the body of Christ and yet we don't
think about it. […] God holds the creation as a father holds a wounded
child. Christ is the head of the Church and we are his body. Surely in
some way we are holding it too and that's why it hurts.”
Tweets from the “Reconciling a Wounded Planet” conference are available at the Anglican Communion reconciliation initiative @LiveReconcile.
Visit the Living Reconciliation website for bible studies and reconciliation stories from around the Anglican Communion.
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