Caring for Creation

Brian Davis

Description

Caring for Creation – one of the most important York Courses ever – is ideal for Lent or any time of year
In this 5 session course, Brian Davis vividly reminds us that the human race is facing its greatest challenge: global warming, leading to climate change.

This, along with the damage we have done, and are still doing to the environment, God’s wonderful creation, means that we all have to make radical changes to our whole way of life.

Many of us who care about this issue are sometimes understandably quite pessimistic about the future. That's where faith in God should make a difference. Hope for the future is not the same as being optimistic. Being optimistic suggests always looking on the bright side. A hope based on faith in God should enable us to open our eyes and see what is actually happening to our planet today, and still believe there is much that we can do, individually and together, with God to guide and strengthen us.

This York Course is available in the following formats:
Course Book (Paperback 9781909107311)
Course Book (eBook 9781909107496)
Audio Book of Interview to support Caring for Creation York Course (CD 9781909107403)
Audio Book of Interview (Digital Download 9781909107489)
Transcript of interview to support Caring for Creation Course (Paperback 9781909107328)
Transcript of interview (eBook 9781909107502)
Book Pack (9781909107410 Featuring Paperback Course Book, Audio Book on CD and Paperback Transcript of Interview)
Large print (9781909107427)

The five sessions focus on:

SESSION 1: The Environment
SESSION 2: Global Warming and Climate Change
SESSION 3: The Age of Humans – The Anthropocene Era
SESSION 4: Coming out of Denial and Facing Crisis
SESSION 5: Faith, Hope and Love

The course audio features Ruth Valerio, Environmentalist, theologian, social activist, Tearfund Director and author of Saying Yes to Life (SPCK, 2020); Dave Bookless who specializes in biblical theology and biodiversity conservation and is Director of Theology for A Rocha International; Kuki Rokhum, who is on the Leadership Team of Renew our World and involved in the Lausanne Creation Care network; and David Clogh, who launched CreatureKind and DefaultVeg projects, and is concerned with the place of animals in Christian theology and ethics.

Sujets

• Religion
• Christianisme
• Christian Living
• Philosophie et théologie
• Devotional
• Devotion
• Christianity

Informations

• Publié par: SPCK
• Date de parution: 20 août 2020
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781909107496
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 4 Mo

Extrait

CARING FOR CREATION
written by Brian Davis
An ecumenical course in 5 sessions suitable for group discussion or individual reflection
Accompanying audio and transcript available
(All course materials available as digital downloads)
HOW TO GET THE MOST OUT OF THIS COURSE
SUGGESTIONS FOR GROUP MEMBERS
1. THE MATERIAL
We’re deliberately not prescriptive, and different leaders prefer to work in slightly different ways, but here are a few tried and trusted ideas …
1. THE ROOM Encourage people to sit within the main circle – so all feel equally involved.
2. HOSPITALITY Tea or coffee and biscuits on arrival and/or at the end of a meeting is always appreciated and encourages people to talk informally. (Even in Lent, hospitality is okay!)
3. THE START If group members don’t know each other well, some kind of ‘icebreaker’ might be helpful. For example, you might invite people to share something about themselves and/or about their faith. Be careful to place a time limit on this exercise!
4. PREPARING THE GROUP Explain that there are no right or wrong answers, and that among friends it’s fine to say things that you’re not sure about – to express half-formed ideas. If individuals choose to say nothing, that’s all right too.
5. THE MATERIAL It helps if each group member has their own personal copy of this booklet. Encourage members to read each session before the meeting. There’s no need to consider all the questions. A lively exchange of views is what matters, so be selective. The quotation boxes in the margins are there to stimulate discussion and – just like the opinions expressed by the audio participants - don’t necessarily represent York Courses’ views or beliefs.
6. PREPARATION It’s not compulsory for group members to have a Bible, but you will want one. Ask in advance if you want anyone to lead prayers or read aloud, so they can prepare.
7. TIMING Aim to start on time and stick fairly closely to your stated finishing time.
8. USING THE AUDIO There’s no ‘right’ way - do whatever’s best for you and your group! Some groups start by playing the 15-minute piece. Others play it at the end – or dip in and out. Track markers on the audio (and in the Transcript) help you easily find any question put to the participants.
9. THE TRANSCRIPT is a written record of the audio material with track markers for each new question and is invaluable as you prepare. Group members also benefit from having their own copy.
RUNNING A VIRTUAL HOUSE GROUP & SHARING AUDIO ON ZOOM
Various software programmes allow virtual group meetings. Zoom is popular and many people have installed its software already. The Group Leader should ‘host’ the meeting (and control the audio element - though this could be taken on by a confident volunteer).
If you have the course CD: Mute everyone else and play the CD as close to your computer microphone as possible.
If your computer has a CD player or you have the downloaded course audio on your computer: At the bottom of the screen click on the ‘Share Screen’ icon, then at the top of the next screen click on ‘Advanced’, then click the option ‘Music or Computer Sound Only’. The first time you try to share audio you may be asked to ‘Install Zoom Audio Device’; follow the instructions to install. Play the audio track on your computer using your preferred media player and everyone will be able to hear it. To stop sharing audio, click ‘Stop Share’ at the top of the screen.
We suggest Group Leaders check the audio set-up with a helpful friend before hosting their first virtual meeting.


Session 1: The Environment
Dominion or responsibility?
Then God said, ‘Let us make humankind in our image, according to our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the wild animals of the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth.’ So God created humankind in his image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.
God blessed them, and God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living thing that moves upon the earth.’ (Genesis 1.26-28 NRSV.)
Let’s begin at the beginning. Right away we have a problem when we read in Genesis that humankind has been given ‘dominion’ over all living things. ‘Dominion’ suggests ‘domination’, and even ‘exploitation’.
Many have argued that the biblical attitude to the environment, based on this reading, has not been good news for our planet. But this is to misunderstand scripture. As human beings we have been made in the image of God – so we are meant to care for God’s creation as God cares for it. Compare the traditional translation of Genesis 1.26-28, (shown above) with the free translation shown below from The Message (MSG), which translates ‘dominion’ as ‘responsibility’. God has made us responsible for creation; we are accountable to God.
‘God spoke: “Let us make human beings in our image; make them reflecting our nature, so they can be responsible for the fish in the sea, the birds in the air, the cattle, and yes, Earth itself, and every animal that moves on the face of the Earth.” God created human beings; he created them godlike, reflecting God’s nature. He created them male and female.
God blessed them: “Prosper! Reproduce! Fill Earth! Take charge! Be responsible for fish in the sea and birds in the air, for every living thing that moves on the face of the earth.”’
Our planet with all its teeming life, its complex web of intricate relationships between elements, minerals, plants, animals and people, is God’s precious gift to us. However, all this is seriously under threat owing to the actions of humans: contamination of the soil, air and water depletion of the resources needed to sustain life destruction of the rain forests (the ‘lungs of our planet’) rapid decrease in bio-diversity
We could go on and on. All these finely-balanced eco-systems that are so fragile are being irreparably damaged. We desperately need to reduce our human impact on the earth. And over and above everything is global warming leading to climate change. If the climate changes drastically, it affects all living creatures, even the very life of the planet. We cannot go on as we are doing. But for this session, let’s stick to the environment.
Verse 1 of Psalm 24 says ‘ The earth is the Lord’s and all that is in it, the world, and those who live in it. ’ Yes, God our Creator gave us this world, but placed it all in our hands; we can care for it - or destroy it. More than that we are partners in creation, working with the Creator. We have an awesome responsibility. But God is with us, as he promised, to strengthen and help us, to face this crisis that is now upon us. As Isaiah 43 reports God saying, ‘ Do not be afraid, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine.’
A green and pleasant land?
As we travel around the British countryside, we see trees and hedgerows, and green grass everywhere. But this can be very misleading! As Mark Cocker’s challenging book OUR PLACE – Can we save Britain’s Wildlife before it is too late? points out: The grass is mostly rye grass and devoid of wildflowers which are so vital to the bees, and birds. 99% of all flower-rich meadows have disappeared in the last 70 years, most by 1985, along with half of ancient woodland, three quarters heathland. Three quarters of the country’s ponds, with the inevitable result: plunging wildlife populations from bugs to birds. Lapwings, once so common, are now in sharp decline - half lost in Europe over last 40 years. There has been a loss of 44 million breeding birds from the British countryside (State of the Nation Report 2013). Since 1945 the human population of the world has more than doubled, while the number of birds worldwide has halved. Intensive farming since the end of World War II has done great damage to the environment, with over grazing pastures, and excessive use of pesticides and fertilizers. The result is that much of our countryside is almost devoid of bio-diversity - even in protected areas such as national parks. There is often more wildlife in suburban gardens than there is in the countryside! The good news is that more and more farmers are determined to bring back wildlife.
Re-connecting with the natural world
Globally most people now live in cities or suburban areas. Fewer and fewer people are involved in agriculture - in the UK and North Ameri ca it is less than 2%. Our modern way of living insulates us from the changing seasons, from heat and cold, and from where our food comes from.
Our worship ought to help us re-connect with the natural world: God’s creation. Using special prayers, visual aids, music or bird song can help to recapture the wonder of creation. Worshipping outdoors, especially in the countryside - what better place to experience God’s presence, with the sights and sounds of creation all around us?
Creation is crying out because of the harm we have inflicted on her. We need to come to God in penitence and faith, and remember, as Martin Luther said, ‘The Gospel is not only found in the pages of the Bible but is written in the trees and the flowers, in nature all around us.’
The importance of trees
Most of the world’s natural vegetation on land has been cleared or drastically changed by human activity. Forest cover has been decimated. Forests are vital to the health of the planet. Most importantly they capture greenhouse gases, but they also provide fuel, create rain clouds, make paper, limit soil erosion and the spread of desert. But across the world, beginning in Europe and Asia, then spreading to North