For more than just my sins.

If you've been reading this blog for a while then you should have picked up that I'm passionate about the environment and about reducing our impact upon it.

This topic came up in conversation with someone the other day who is a global warming sceptic, so is not going to let anyone advise him, much less make him drive less! [in an earlier version of this post I said who this person was. This caused offense and embarrassment which was not my intention and for that I apologise for any offense caused. It was mean as an example to show that many people are glabal warming secptics and that persuading them otherwise is difficult. Thus was I propose below is meant as a third way, a reason for creation care that does not rely on proof or otherwise of global warming]. The next day Channel 4 showed a "documentary" called, The Great Global Warming Swindle in which the parade a bunch of scientist who disagree with the view that global warming has anything to do with man or the carbon we are pumping into the environment.

For the record, I think we are contributing to the rate of change in the global climate, but even it such a view was to 'scientifically' be shown to be wrong it would not change my attitude to the environment.

For me the issue comes down to a similar logic that Paul employs when he says, "What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means!" (Romans 6:1 - 2) I do not deliberately sin thinking that "well God will forgive me anyway and transform me in the end", yet I've met many people who would use a similar argument to this for their abuse of the environement. "Why should I change my habits, I mean God's going to destroy the earth and make it all new anyway" is how the argument is some times framed.

Yet in Romans 8 Paul clearly links our salvation and transformation to that of the rest of the created order. Jesus did not just die for my sins but for the transformation of all of creation. It is perhaps no surprise in our self obsessed society that salvation is so often framed in solely personal / individual terms, yet throughout scripture we see that God's purposes are much wider than this. Thus just as I desire and know God's grace in my life effecting sanctification, so as agents of God's grace we participate in the sanctification in the transformation of the rest of creation. Fernando quotes the following from the Pope, the Christian people, in giving thanks to God through the Eucharist, should be conscious that they do so in the name of all creation, aspiring to the sanctification of the world and working intensely to that end.

There is so much more that could be said on this but the Pope's words seem good to end on, Amen.

Comments

[Elaine]

Good post Brodie. I saw parts of the programme on C4 - having seen it advertised and wanting to see the other side of the argument. Granted, much of what they said may have been true, but I found myself in a similar place to you (nothing to do with the fact we have talked about it). I was speaking to my brother (also a skeptic) and the line I took was more of a challenging consumption and waste. We ended up talking about the rise of 'disposables', laziness, and how, given the amount of time-saving devices we have, how little time we seem to have. Business has been the biggest reason for political apathy in my dissertation so far. Anyway off to write an interview schedule! See you tomorrow.

[Paul]

Seems like you and Brian McLaren have a lot in common... :)
http://www.beliefnet.com/blogs/godspolitics/2007/03/brian-mclaren-joseph-noah-and-pre.html

[brodie]

Paul - thanks for the link to the McLaren article, and I'll take your comment as a compliment!