This social statement is not too unlike the ELCA’s own statement. It points out that we, as humans, are given dominion over the Earth by God in Genesis. It mentions that there are 1.2 billion people that live in poverty around the world. The statement lays out how we have gotten to this point. Over use and rapid population growth are among those reasons.
There is then a call for God’s forgiveness and confession of the transgressions against His creation. In this they claim that they have forgotten the good news that they are called to proclaim including the promise that Jesus Christ came to redeem all creation.
They say;
“We believe that at the center of the vision of shalom is the integration of environmental, economic, and social justice.
We are called to eliminate overconsumption as a lifestyle, thus using lower levels of finite natural resources.
We are called to seek a new lifestyle rooted in justice and peace.
We are called to establish new priorities in a world where 40,000 children die of hunger each day.
Therefore, we are called to a global sense of community and solidarity leading to a new world system of international relationships and economic/environmental order. In this way, the misery of 1.2 billion poor now living in absolute poverty can be alleviated and the living ecosystem be saved.”
“Principles for a Sustainable Future
The Social Principles of The United Methodist Church remind us that "all creation is the Lord's, and we are responsible for the ways in which we use and abuse it" (¶ 160). Development must be centered in the concept of sustainability as defined by the World Commission of Environment and Development: "to meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs." The Christian understanding of sustainability encompasses this concept. Fundamental to our call as faithful witnesses is the meeting of human needs within the capacity of ecosystems. This ensures the security of creation and a just relationship between all people. Sustainable development, therefore, looks toward a healthy future in three vital areas: the social community, the economy, and the environment.”
Much like the ELCA this statement calls for the people to get involved on an individual level, the churches to get involved at their level and for the big church to get involved. They stress that this is much more than a human issue but an issue about and around God’s creation. Over all it is a good statement, but like ours probably does not go far enough. The old adage of walk the talk, or put your money where your mouth is. In our denomination as well it is easy to do the politics but following through is another matter all together.
All quotes and paraphrases come from:
ADOPTED 1992, AMENDED AND READOPTED 2004
See Social Principles, ¶ 160.
From The Book of Resolutions of The United Methodist Church — 2004. Copyright © 2004 by The United Methodist Publishing House. Used by permission.
http://archives.umc.org/interior.asp?ptid=4&mid=959
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Friday, April 9, 2010
ELCA 1993 Social Statement
Below is a one page rewrite of what the social statement says. I had to summarize it for conference that is on the 19th. If you read it before next week and find I should add something or there is any glaring mistakes please let me know so that can be done. Over all this social statement does a good job of stating why we need to practice care for creation, it gives suggestions on how as a church we should be going forward and more than that it gives some concrete ways that individual churches can get involved. Unfortunately it is a political document and does not quite go far enough and paint the true picture of the situation. Perhaps this is because it is 1993 or perhaps it is ...... Any way we need to be aware of what God is up to and how we can further this care for creation in our own context.
Food and Faith:
Ethical Dimensions of America’s Food System
An ELCA Perspective
“Given the power of sin and evil in this world, as well as the complexity of environmental problems, we know that we can find no ‘quick fix’ –whether technological, economic, or spiritual. A sustainable environment requires a sustained effort from everyone.
“The prospect of doing too little too late leads many people to despair. But as people of faith, captives of hope, and vehicles of God’s promise, we face this crisis.” (Social Statement on Caring for Creation: Vision, Hope, and Justice p. 12, ELCA 1993.)
We as a church take very seriously God’s command for humanity to have dominion over the Earth. This dominion is not dominance rather a responsibility to be good stewards of the land. We are to care for God’s creation in all aspects of our lives. We recognize that we can no longer look at the earth as a boundless warehouse that will continue to provide food and resources forever.
Our captivity and sin lie at the roots of this predicament. We have given into the temptation that more is better and in our push for more we have depleted our resources. Our wants have overtaken our needs. Our desire to have the best food and have it now have driven our economy and food production in such a way that keeping up with the demand has harmed the environment, and our constant push will eventually lead to an unsustainable system.
However, our tradition gives us hope. Hope that there is forgiveness of sins, hope that there is new life and hope that there is salvation. This hope comes through the precious blood of Jesus Christ on the Cross and through his resurrection. In Christ we are justified by grace through faith. This grace is a gift from God freely given out of His love for humanity and requires no effort of our own.
In this we are born into new life. It is with this new life that we find hope in our current situation. We are called to serve and keep the earth, trusting its bounty can be sufficient for all, and sustainable. For this to happen changes need to be made. The ELCA calls for a system of justice through participation, solidarity, sufficiency, and sustainability. We pray that we may be a place where differing groups may assemble and discuss the tough issues and that common good be pursued. We pray also for humility to stand with creation and the wisdom to care for it in proper ways. We pray that we may find the courage to change our ways public and private so that there would be enough. Finally, we pray for the inspiration and fortitude to treat our dominion with care and compassion.
To accomplish this we must commit as a church to act on many levels, as individuals, as worship and learning communities, as a committed community, as a community of moral deliberations, and as an advocate. As individual we can make care of creation choices in our own homes, things such as recycling, or buying locally grown products. As a worship community we must dedicate time to the education of care for creation practices, provide education and communication and provide and support programs throughout the year. As a committed community we will work toward sufficiency and sustainability through audits and evaluations. Through moral deliberation we will provide space and time that will allow differing viewpoints to come together for discussion. Finally, as advocates we will support those who work towards the goal of a sustainable food system both privately and publicly.
(All material and paraphrasing in this document are taken from Social Statement on Caring for Creation: Vision, Hope, and Justice, ELCA 1993)
Food and Faith:
Ethical Dimensions of America’s Food System
An ELCA Perspective
“Given the power of sin and evil in this world, as well as the complexity of environmental problems, we know that we can find no ‘quick fix’ –whether technological, economic, or spiritual. A sustainable environment requires a sustained effort from everyone.
“The prospect of doing too little too late leads many people to despair. But as people of faith, captives of hope, and vehicles of God’s promise, we face this crisis.” (Social Statement on Caring for Creation: Vision, Hope, and Justice p. 12, ELCA 1993.)
We as a church take very seriously God’s command for humanity to have dominion over the Earth. This dominion is not dominance rather a responsibility to be good stewards of the land. We are to care for God’s creation in all aspects of our lives. We recognize that we can no longer look at the earth as a boundless warehouse that will continue to provide food and resources forever.
Our captivity and sin lie at the roots of this predicament. We have given into the temptation that more is better and in our push for more we have depleted our resources. Our wants have overtaken our needs. Our desire to have the best food and have it now have driven our economy and food production in such a way that keeping up with the demand has harmed the environment, and our constant push will eventually lead to an unsustainable system.
However, our tradition gives us hope. Hope that there is forgiveness of sins, hope that there is new life and hope that there is salvation. This hope comes through the precious blood of Jesus Christ on the Cross and through his resurrection. In Christ we are justified by grace through faith. This grace is a gift from God freely given out of His love for humanity and requires no effort of our own.
In this we are born into new life. It is with this new life that we find hope in our current situation. We are called to serve and keep the earth, trusting its bounty can be sufficient for all, and sustainable. For this to happen changes need to be made. The ELCA calls for a system of justice through participation, solidarity, sufficiency, and sustainability. We pray that we may be a place where differing groups may assemble and discuss the tough issues and that common good be pursued. We pray also for humility to stand with creation and the wisdom to care for it in proper ways. We pray that we may find the courage to change our ways public and private so that there would be enough. Finally, we pray for the inspiration and fortitude to treat our dominion with care and compassion.
To accomplish this we must commit as a church to act on many levels, as individuals, as worship and learning communities, as a committed community, as a community of moral deliberations, and as an advocate. As individual we can make care of creation choices in our own homes, things such as recycling, or buying locally grown products. As a worship community we must dedicate time to the education of care for creation practices, provide education and communication and provide and support programs throughout the year. As a committed community we will work toward sufficiency and sustainability through audits and evaluations. Through moral deliberation we will provide space and time that will allow differing viewpoints to come together for discussion. Finally, as advocates we will support those who work towards the goal of a sustainable food system both privately and publicly.
(All material and paraphrasing in this document are taken from Social Statement on Caring for Creation: Vision, Hope, and Justice, ELCA 1993)
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
Orr Book
As I started to read “Earth In Mind” by David Orr all I could think of was, “The sky is falling, the sky is falling!!!!!!” It screamed of alertist rhetoric. All I could think is what have I gotten into, this leftist is going to rant for the next two hundred plus pages. But, I plodded forward none the less and I am glad that I did. Being from the conservative side I can appreciate much of what Orr has to say.
For starters Orr is a big picture guy. He has spent his life looking at the issues and gives an idea of what the world could look like. Orr not only gives a big picture but he also gives some practical ideas that would be important cogs in the system. For example his idea about ranking schools on things other than grad standards or ACT scores we should look at the waste they produce and how environmentally effective they are, this would cause for systematic change and also ensure that the students and teachers are aware of the issues at hand.
Orr posits that the problem with the system is the way that we educate. Not only is the system of education that is implemented not working we need to upset the apple cart and start over, before it is too late. As a former educator I can appreciate what he is saying. As teachers we are given a subject to teach and seem to fall into the textbook and what that says. You get into a grove. You concentrate on classroom management as much as content. Not only that, with things like No Child Let Behind and other state standards teachers are almost forced to teach to the test so that students can perform on the test. This, along with tenure, and what I call laminated lesson plans, leads to a lack of moving with the times.
We certainly have a need for the education to change. Another thing that I appreciated was that Orr points out that most of us live indoors most of the time and do not get out and appreciate God’s creation. Educational experiences like what we experience through Shalom Hill Farm, are exactly what he is talking about. It is interesting reading some of the blogs and how influential and formative our short weekend together was. For those that have not experienced it they will never know. It is why as a kid I always enjoyed when the flat-landers from St Louis churches would come to Colorado and experience back packing in the mountains. There is something to be said for being in God’s creation. I personally am at peace when I can spend some time with God in his place, mountains or prairies. While teaching I always try and remember that there are several learning styles and that those need to be attended to so that all learners can take the information in the most helpful way.
God created with just his words, God spoke and it was. This Creation he handed over to humanity to take care of. We are responsible for it and Orr, I believe, wants his readers to realize that the same old same old is not cutting it. We need radical change, and at the same time be attentive to the long range goals.
Over all a good read and informative.
For starters Orr is a big picture guy. He has spent his life looking at the issues and gives an idea of what the world could look like. Orr not only gives a big picture but he also gives some practical ideas that would be important cogs in the system. For example his idea about ranking schools on things other than grad standards or ACT scores we should look at the waste they produce and how environmentally effective they are, this would cause for systematic change and also ensure that the students and teachers are aware of the issues at hand.
Orr posits that the problem with the system is the way that we educate. Not only is the system of education that is implemented not working we need to upset the apple cart and start over, before it is too late. As a former educator I can appreciate what he is saying. As teachers we are given a subject to teach and seem to fall into the textbook and what that says. You get into a grove. You concentrate on classroom management as much as content. Not only that, with things like No Child Let Behind and other state standards teachers are almost forced to teach to the test so that students can perform on the test. This, along with tenure, and what I call laminated lesson plans, leads to a lack of moving with the times.
We certainly have a need for the education to change. Another thing that I appreciated was that Orr points out that most of us live indoors most of the time and do not get out and appreciate God’s creation. Educational experiences like what we experience through Shalom Hill Farm, are exactly what he is talking about. It is interesting reading some of the blogs and how influential and formative our short weekend together was. For those that have not experienced it they will never know. It is why as a kid I always enjoyed when the flat-landers from St Louis churches would come to Colorado and experience back packing in the mountains. There is something to be said for being in God’s creation. I personally am at peace when I can spend some time with God in his place, mountains or prairies. While teaching I always try and remember that there are several learning styles and that those need to be attended to so that all learners can take the information in the most helpful way.
God created with just his words, God spoke and it was. This Creation he handed over to humanity to take care of. We are responsible for it and Orr, I believe, wants his readers to realize that the same old same old is not cutting it. We need radical change, and at the same time be attentive to the long range goals.
Over all a good read and informative.
Earth Care part 5
Well the earth care has been slow in my house this last week or so. We have been doing a pretty good job of recycling but it seems that we must be using more of the materials that can be recycled because it seems that the kitchen is filling with cardboard boxes, plastic containers, paper and the like faster than it ever did when it was all going into the garbage. My son continues his practice of picking up the school yard and feels proud because of it. He does this in spite of all the people that were helping telling him it was getting boring and that they were going to do something else. He has a great heart and natural ability for these things. My daughter is becoming more and more attentive and does not truly understand still but knows that it is good for the fish in the lakes that we like to catch. This is the one who said to me on Good Friday, "it is ok daddy, Jesus had to die, so he can come alive on Sunday." From the mouths of babes.
Another practice that we soon will be adopting in down sizing and simplifying what we have in our storage and in life in general. I was placed as the next intern at Prairie STaR Ministries in Windom so we will be headed "South" for the next year. It is our hope between now and the time we move there to consolidate our vast network of storage units and take what we pear down with us. Please pray for us as we open boxes that I am sure have not been opened for over 3 years. our hope is to give what we can to families and individuals that need it and discard the rest. We are also committed to trying to be more attentive to care for creation practices. Once we are there we plan to buy part of a holy cow and I know my wife hopes there is a garden she can get her hands dirty in. Speaking of Holy Cows, Deans letter is very good and gets to the heart of the matter and if you have not already agreed to do so you should let him know you will sign on.
This should be my last post on this issue so I thought that I would summarize things. This task of recycling was a good one for us as a family. it provided something tangible that all could participate in. It will help as we move to the Prairie and adopt the care for creation practices there. Unfortunately, I have not expanded as much as I had hoped with this, but life has gotten in the way. Picking up trash around our building was an eye opener in how much waste can accumulate when we are not looking or paying attention. Mostly, it has just opened my eyes to the amount of reusable stuff that goes into the landfills on a daily basis and how relatively easy it is to take the extra step to help out, even my 4 year old can do it, or if you prefer it so easy a caveman can do it. So I sign off for now and hope to have my reviews of social statements and the Orr book review done soon.
Another practice that we soon will be adopting in down sizing and simplifying what we have in our storage and in life in general. I was placed as the next intern at Prairie STaR Ministries in Windom so we will be headed "South" for the next year. It is our hope between now and the time we move there to consolidate our vast network of storage units and take what we pear down with us. Please pray for us as we open boxes that I am sure have not been opened for over 3 years. our hope is to give what we can to families and individuals that need it and discard the rest. We are also committed to trying to be more attentive to care for creation practices. Once we are there we plan to buy part of a holy cow and I know my wife hopes there is a garden she can get her hands dirty in. Speaking of Holy Cows, Deans letter is very good and gets to the heart of the matter and if you have not already agreed to do so you should let him know you will sign on.
This should be my last post on this issue so I thought that I would summarize things. This task of recycling was a good one for us as a family. it provided something tangible that all could participate in. It will help as we move to the Prairie and adopt the care for creation practices there. Unfortunately, I have not expanded as much as I had hoped with this, but life has gotten in the way. Picking up trash around our building was an eye opener in how much waste can accumulate when we are not looking or paying attention. Mostly, it has just opened my eyes to the amount of reusable stuff that goes into the landfills on a daily basis and how relatively easy it is to take the extra step to help out, even my 4 year old can do it, or if you prefer it so easy a caveman can do it. So I sign off for now and hope to have my reviews of social statements and the Orr book review done soon.
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Earth care
As I reflect on the weekend at Shalom I am grateful for the time spent there and the people it was spent with. The variety of view points and our ability to discuss things was great. Linden was right when he said we need to come together and listen to each other.
Looking at my earth care practice the recycling is not yet a habit but it is getting nearer as I have my sons voice in my head and foot at my backside every time he catches me in the act of not recycling. My wife and daughter are also fully on board and we find ourselves looking for things that have been made from recycled goods. We do not purchase them often but it does bring up new discussion for us.
As a second grader it is not unusual for my son to come home and tell me what his recess group is for the week, it ranges from the cool group, to I am just playing with one person this week, or I just follow some friends around. Since the snow is gone I am proud to say that he is in the litter pick up group formed by him. He has been doing this about a week and what started as 2 is now 8. Last night he was complaining that two of the boys were trying to be captians of the group. I asked him what was more important being the leader or doing good for the Earth and he did not even think about it, he said earth. I think he is ok with knowing that he started it. He truly is a servant leader in the world and I could not be prouder.
As I cleaned out my car the other day, after 6 months or so, it struck me how easy it is to just throw stuff in the trash can. I found my self scrutinizing each thing I went to throw away and found my self thinking about the landfill it would go to. That scared me because those are not my thoughts. Even though I have had environmental science class, I have other things to be contemplating, like Moltmann. What is this class doing to me???????
Just joking I am very much enjoying the learnings that are taking place. Until next Blog.
Rick
Looking at my earth care practice the recycling is not yet a habit but it is getting nearer as I have my sons voice in my head and foot at my backside every time he catches me in the act of not recycling. My wife and daughter are also fully on board and we find ourselves looking for things that have been made from recycled goods. We do not purchase them often but it does bring up new discussion for us.
As a second grader it is not unusual for my son to come home and tell me what his recess group is for the week, it ranges from the cool group, to I am just playing with one person this week, or I just follow some friends around. Since the snow is gone I am proud to say that he is in the litter pick up group formed by him. He has been doing this about a week and what started as 2 is now 8. Last night he was complaining that two of the boys were trying to be captians of the group. I asked him what was more important being the leader or doing good for the Earth and he did not even think about it, he said earth. I think he is ok with knowing that he started it. He truly is a servant leader in the world and I could not be prouder.
As I cleaned out my car the other day, after 6 months or so, it struck me how easy it is to just throw stuff in the trash can. I found my self scrutinizing each thing I went to throw away and found my self thinking about the landfill it would go to. That scared me because those are not my thoughts. Even though I have had environmental science class, I have other things to be contemplating, like Moltmann. What is this class doing to me???????
Just joking I am very much enjoying the learnings that are taking place. Until next Blog.
Rick
Downstream
Living Downstream
As I read this book I could not help but think how interconnected we all are. It took me back to, “for every action there is an opposite and equal reaction.” In college I was required to take two sciences, for my first I took physical science where we studied the basics of life forms. My second choice was environmental science. I mainly took it because I heard the professor was good and a B was pretty easy to get. As I read the book many of the things that we learned in that class came back. As she finishes the book she says, “Dust, Soil, Air. What I see are contours of home.”p272 In that class we studied the Oxygen cycles, Nitrogen cycles and how soil was a part of them. The purification process that God has in place is quite remarkable. However, as the author points out humans have stepped in and mucked it up. By adding all of the chemicals and other things to the ecosystem we have started something that we may not be able to control.
As an overall read I was skeptical coming into it. I figured it would be all statistics and how big government was to blame. But, what I got was a well thought out book that explains some of the problems and uncovers others, within government as well. The fact that we had knowledge of so many chemicals and did nothing for so long is alarming. My father was a cancer survivor for 20 years before the effects of the treatments finally did him in. I have had a friend and two grandparents die of the “C” word and am still left with the question, Why? In the book Steingrababer does a good job explaining how what is released can effect people all over. She uses technical terms but does not speak over the reader.
In relation to this class she opens my eyes to what pesticides are capable of doing. As a future rural pastor I am then in a conflicting place. I want to support the farmers in their chosen vocations, but I also need to be on the look out for the people. SO how do we do this? Very carefully. As Mark says do a lot of listening, do not count the farmer as dumb, and know that the farmer too is looking out for the interest of others. We are not experts in the area. We know that scripture informs us of how the land is to be kept and that we are to be stewards of the land. We know that we have a responsibility to God and our neighbors to see that good practices are being used, but we must not forget that this is the lively hood of people, it is more than that, for those like Arland it is a calling, something they just can’t get out of, when times are rough. They plod through and have a connection to the land to their place.
Overall I thought the book was a good read and will recommend it to friends. In my opinion it is not a liberal take on things, it shoots it straight out. I would expect no less from a former scientist as that is how their minds work. Next time I go camping and fishing I am sure as I stand at the stream these learning’s will surface.
As I read this book I could not help but think how interconnected we all are. It took me back to, “for every action there is an opposite and equal reaction.” In college I was required to take two sciences, for my first I took physical science where we studied the basics of life forms. My second choice was environmental science. I mainly took it because I heard the professor was good and a B was pretty easy to get. As I read the book many of the things that we learned in that class came back. As she finishes the book she says, “Dust, Soil, Air. What I see are contours of home.”p272 In that class we studied the Oxygen cycles, Nitrogen cycles and how soil was a part of them. The purification process that God has in place is quite remarkable. However, as the author points out humans have stepped in and mucked it up. By adding all of the chemicals and other things to the ecosystem we have started something that we may not be able to control.
As an overall read I was skeptical coming into it. I figured it would be all statistics and how big government was to blame. But, what I got was a well thought out book that explains some of the problems and uncovers others, within government as well. The fact that we had knowledge of so many chemicals and did nothing for so long is alarming. My father was a cancer survivor for 20 years before the effects of the treatments finally did him in. I have had a friend and two grandparents die of the “C” word and am still left with the question, Why? In the book Steingrababer does a good job explaining how what is released can effect people all over. She uses technical terms but does not speak over the reader.
In relation to this class she opens my eyes to what pesticides are capable of doing. As a future rural pastor I am then in a conflicting place. I want to support the farmers in their chosen vocations, but I also need to be on the look out for the people. SO how do we do this? Very carefully. As Mark says do a lot of listening, do not count the farmer as dumb, and know that the farmer too is looking out for the interest of others. We are not experts in the area. We know that scripture informs us of how the land is to be kept and that we are to be stewards of the land. We know that we have a responsibility to God and our neighbors to see that good practices are being used, but we must not forget that this is the lively hood of people, it is more than that, for those like Arland it is a calling, something they just can’t get out of, when times are rough. They plod through and have a connection to the land to their place.
Overall I thought the book was a good read and will recommend it to friends. In my opinion it is not a liberal take on things, it shoots it straight out. I would expect no less from a former scientist as that is how their minds work. Next time I go camping and fishing I am sure as I stand at the stream these learning’s will surface.
Monday, March 8, 2010
Simpler living
As I started to read this book I was open to the possibilities of what was to come. For years, dating back to before our move to Seminary and actually before Seminary was a thought in my mind, I have been telling my wife that we need to “simplify our lives.” By that I have always meant get rid of crap that we have accumulated over the years. To that she would respond where would we start? All I could respond is, “look around and pick”. Was it the kids toys that they had to many, thanks to us and relatives? Was it in the teaching materials that I still have from 99-00, my last year of teaching. Or perhaps it is some of the craft materials that we have. The list could and does go on and on.
As I read the book and the statistics I marveled at the fact that the average food items travel 1200 miles to get to our table. That is a shock. We get so used to going to the store and buying and not even thinking about the where and why. I have an allergy to MSG and so for 13 years now have been very cautious as to what we buy so that the food does not contain it, but that is the extent to the thought put into the food we buy. Definitely something we will have to start thinking about.
The stats on the over consumption in the US alone should kick us in the butt. Capitalism is not a bad thing. The fact that we call ourselves a country founded on Christian values should mean something. In that, the people with the money should be giving back and quit spending on unnecessary things. As a white middle class man I will say that we have lived a privileged life. Before Seminary we had a pretty secure life, roof, food on the table, new toys for the kids. Since moving here we have been forced to simplify things as money would allow and it has been a humbling experience. Trips to the food shelf are especially eye opening. But we have learned to do more with less. We get by because we have simplified much, but there is still work to be done.
What I appreciated from the book the most is the theological take on the issues. The scripture references are great and lend light on just how God wants us to care for creation and how creation is caring for us. Calvin DeWitt’s six principles for applying are great because they get to the heart of simpler living and what we must do. Ultimately, “we must practice what we believe” p.179. He simply lays it out and supports it with scripture. Richard Foster follows those up with is own ,“The outward expression of simplicity”. These are 10 things to consider that show our outward simplicity. As I see them if we consider these when purchasing items we will be able to determine if they are needs or wants. Foster warns against making them 10 commandments rather they should be used as guidelines.
Finally, I really liked the focus throughout on how we are to do this and care about our communities and how that includes local and global economies as well. It is often easy to get caught up in our own day to day stuff and feel like we cannot have an impact. “Every action has an opposite and equal reaction.” “Energy is neither lost nor gained it is merely transferred.” Two axioms from science that apply quite well here. We can never know our impact, however if we do nothing that we are sure nothing is accomplished.
I will finalize this post with a thought that has been rattling in my brain since last August, feel free to use it in sermons it is not copywrited. Everyone is so focused on our “carbon footprints” right now. How big a carbon footprint did the president make attending the Olympic meetings stumping for Chicago and such? I would like us to think about it in a different light. What about worrying about what kind of “Christian Footprint” you are leaving behind. Are you loving others? Are you taking care of your neighbor? Are you caring for God’s creation? Are you living simpler to do these things? Or are you consuming and not caring? When all is said and done what will your "Christian Footprint" look like?
As I read the book and the statistics I marveled at the fact that the average food items travel 1200 miles to get to our table. That is a shock. We get so used to going to the store and buying and not even thinking about the where and why. I have an allergy to MSG and so for 13 years now have been very cautious as to what we buy so that the food does not contain it, but that is the extent to the thought put into the food we buy. Definitely something we will have to start thinking about.
The stats on the over consumption in the US alone should kick us in the butt. Capitalism is not a bad thing. The fact that we call ourselves a country founded on Christian values should mean something. In that, the people with the money should be giving back and quit spending on unnecessary things. As a white middle class man I will say that we have lived a privileged life. Before Seminary we had a pretty secure life, roof, food on the table, new toys for the kids. Since moving here we have been forced to simplify things as money would allow and it has been a humbling experience. Trips to the food shelf are especially eye opening. But we have learned to do more with less. We get by because we have simplified much, but there is still work to be done.
What I appreciated from the book the most is the theological take on the issues. The scripture references are great and lend light on just how God wants us to care for creation and how creation is caring for us. Calvin DeWitt’s six principles for applying are great because they get to the heart of simpler living and what we must do. Ultimately, “we must practice what we believe” p.179. He simply lays it out and supports it with scripture. Richard Foster follows those up with is own ,“The outward expression of simplicity”. These are 10 things to consider that show our outward simplicity. As I see them if we consider these when purchasing items we will be able to determine if they are needs or wants. Foster warns against making them 10 commandments rather they should be used as guidelines.
Finally, I really liked the focus throughout on how we are to do this and care about our communities and how that includes local and global economies as well. It is often easy to get caught up in our own day to day stuff and feel like we cannot have an impact. “Every action has an opposite and equal reaction.” “Energy is neither lost nor gained it is merely transferred.” Two axioms from science that apply quite well here. We can never know our impact, however if we do nothing that we are sure nothing is accomplished.
I will finalize this post with a thought that has been rattling in my brain since last August, feel free to use it in sermons it is not copywrited. Everyone is so focused on our “carbon footprints” right now. How big a carbon footprint did the president make attending the Olympic meetings stumping for Chicago and such? I would like us to think about it in a different light. What about worrying about what kind of “Christian Footprint” you are leaving behind. Are you loving others? Are you taking care of your neighbor? Are you caring for God’s creation? Are you living simpler to do these things? Or are you consuming and not caring? When all is said and done what will your "Christian Footprint" look like?
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