wfn.org | WCC FEATURE: Climate change: how theology can help save the world

["WCC Media" <Media@wcc-coe.org>]

World Council of Churches - Feature

Contact: + 41 22 791 6153 +41 79 507 6363 media@wcc-coe.org

>For immediate release - 22/12/2009 08:56:10

HOW THEOLOGY CAN HELP SAVE THE WORLD FROM CLIMATE CHANGE

By Juan Michel (*)

Free photos and audio recordings available, see below

What does the Bible say about climate change? What are the
theological insights churches can offer to a world facing an
unprecedented ecological crisis?

These questions, addressed at a public seminar on "Creation and
the climate crisis" attended by church representatives to the UN
climate summit in Copenhagen on 15 December, seem even more
urgent after the summit’s failure to reach the fair, ambitious
and legally binding agreement that millions around the world had
hoped for. 

"There is no evident relation between the gospel and climate
change", said Jakob Wolf, head of the Department of Systematic
Theology of the University of Copenhagen, which co-hosted the
seminar with the National Council of Churches in Denmark. 

However, to the extent that climate change is a consequence of
human activity, it falls within the imperative of ethical
principles, because human beings are responsible for their
actions. The ethical demand to love one’s neighbor applies here,
as "planet Earth has become our neighbor", said Wolf, and one
that is "vulnerable to human activity". 

According to Wolf, a theological view of the planet and of the
life in it as God’s creation confers them an intrinsic value,
therefore raising "respect and love". "The more we love life on
Earth the more we are ready to act unselfish", Wolf said. 

Here lies the contribution of Christian faith and theology to
fighting climate change: a motivation that is comprehensive, deep
and "much more vigorous" than if it were based on "cool
calculations and cold-hearted duty". This is crucial, because
humanity has "all the tools at hand" to take action on climate
change. "It is only the will that lacks." 

>Not apocalypse but hope

Biblical scholar Barbara Rossing, professor at the Lutheran
School of Theology of Chicago, United States, agreed with Wolf in
that "the Bible does not say anything about climate change". But
she believes Christians can base their response to climate change
on the Bible. 

Rossing's point of departure is the question: "Where is God in
this crisis?" She rejects the notion that God is punishing
humanity and rather sees God "lamenting with the world". 

According to her reading of the Book of Revelation, "God is
mourning on behalf of the earth rather than cursing it". The
famous plagues are not predictions, but threats and warnings,
wake-up calls, projections in the future of the logical
consequences of human actions if their course remains unchanged.

However, for Rossing, the Book of Revelation does not announce
the end of the world, but the end of the Empire. So in spite of
the current unsustainable patterns of consumption and
carbon-based economy, Rossing finds in it a message of hope:
"Disaster is not necessarily inevitable; there is still time to
change." 

This "vision of hope for today" is an essential contribution
that Christian theology and faith can make to global efforts to
address climate change. 

>The ecumenical dimension of climate change

"In a very threatening and very disturbing way, the climate
crisis brings us together as one humanity, as one fellowship of
believers, as one church", said Olav Fykse Tveit, general
secretary-elect of the World Council of Churches (WCC). 

"We are called to show a sign of what it means to be one
humanity, of what it means that God loves the whole world", Tveit
said. As churches come together to offer this sign, addressing
climate change "is uniting us in a very special way: as churches,
as believers". 

The message that God loves the world and every creature on earth
"has been the heart-beat of the ecumenical movement facing
climate change", said Tveit, recalling the long history of WCC
concern with ecological matters. 

In an ecumenical perspective, the concern for creation has
always been linked to the concern for justice and peace. "It is
not a matter of saying this is a planet for some of us", said
Tveit, "this is a planet for all of us". 

This point was also stressed by Jesse Mugambi, from the
University of Nairobi and a member of the WCC working group on
climate change. "The world is a world in which we are all
relatives, but somewhere along the line we decided […] to treat
each other as strangers", he said. 

Mugambi explained that in Africa climate change is already
causing both severe droughts on the one hand, and flooding on the
other.. With the help of maps he showed that those parts of the
continent rich in water and cultivable land are also the areas of
greatest conflict. Such a conflict "has nothing to do with
ethnicity, it has to do with resources."

For Mugambi, the role of Christian faith and religion in general
– through its leaders, theologians and ethicists – is that of
"bringing us back to the norms" that can contribute to address a
challenge like climate change. 

"We are not talking about 'helping' African countries", Mugambi
said. "It is not a matter of 'help', but of survival for all of
us." 

>[812 words]

(*) Juan Michel is WCC media relations officer.

Audio recordings of the event are available at:
http://www.oikoumene.org/?id=7462 (
http://www.oikoumene.org/?id=7462#c29742 )

High resolution photo of the seminar (from left to right:
Barbara Rossing, Jakob Wolf, Jesse Mugambi, Olav Fykse Tveit; ©
WCC/Peter Williams):
http://www.oikoumene.org/fileadmin/images/wcc-main/news/2009/dec/COP15/091215-053.JPG

>Photo gallery:
>http://www.oikoumene.org/?id=7461

>WCC work on climate change:
>http://www.oikoumene.org/climatechange

Department of Systematic Theology, Faculty of Theology,
University of Copenhagen:
http://www.teol.ku.dk/english/dept/ast

>National Council of Churches in Denmark:
>http://www.danskekirkersraad.dk

Opinions expressed in WCC Features do not necessarily reflect
WCC policy. This material may be reprinted freely, providing
credit is given to the author. 

Additional information:Juan Michel,+41 22 791 6153 +41 79 507
6363 media@wcc-coe.org

The World Council of Churches promotes Christian unity in faith,
witness and service for a just and peaceful world. An ecumenical
fellowship of churches founded in 1948, today the WCC brings
together 349 Protestant, Orthodox, Anglican and other churches
representing more than 560 million Christians in over 110
countries, and works cooperatively with the Roman Catholic
Church. The WCC general secretary is Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia, from
the Methodist Church in Kenya. Headquarters: Geneva, Switzerland.