Theologians warn of 'false gospel' on the environment;
call Christians to repent of sins[2-15-05]
A press release from the National Council of Churches, USA
WASHINGTON, D.C., February 14, 2005 - In an effort to
refute what they call a "false gospel" and to change destructive attitudes
and actions concerning the environment, a group of theologians, convened by
the National Council of Churches USA, today released an open letter calling
on Christians to repent of "our social and ecological sins" and to reject
teachings that suggest humans are "called" to exploit the Earth without care
for how our behavior impacts the rest of God's creation.
The statement,
"God's Earth is Sacred: An Open Letter to Church and Society in the United
States," points out that there is both an environmental and a
theological crisis that must be addressed.
"We have listened to a false gospel that we continue to
live out in our daily habits - a gospel that proclaims that God cares for
the salvation of humans only and that our human calling is to exploit Earth
for our own ends alone," says the statement. "This false gospel still finds
its proud preachers and continues to capture its adherents among emboldened
political leaders and policy makers."
The statement calls on Christians to take two important
steps to enable socially just and ecologically sustainable communities for
future generations: first, to "repent of our sins, in the presence of God
and one another," and, second, to pursue, "with God's help, a path different
from our present course."
In its call to repentance, the statement confesses that,
"we have abused and exploited the Earth and people on the margins of power
and privilege, altering climates, extinguishing species, and jeopardizing
Earth's capacity to sustain life as we know and love it." It goes on to
identify eight norms to guide us on a new environmental path: justice,
sustainability, bioresponsibility, humility, generosity, frugality,
solidarity and compassion.
The NCC's Eco-Justice Working Group decided to ask leading
theologians to gather in the fall of 2004 at the National Cathedral in
Washington, D.C., to work on a theological statement to counter arguments
that the environment is not an issue that should concern Christians. In
order to produce a theologically grounded statement, the group issued
invitations to theologians who were well versed in ecumenism and the
doctrine of their own church bodies.
According to Father Chris Bender, an Orthodox priest who
helped to bring the gathering together, "Some people say that the
environment doesn't matter" because the second coming of Christ will usher
in the end of the world as we know it. "To make such a statement is the
height of arrogance," said Bender. "We don't know when the Lord is coming
back but we do know that one day we will have to give an account for making
the environment unlivable for those who come after us and for those who are
the poorest among us," he said referring to the belief by Orthodox and other
Christian churches that each person will have to stand before Godand give an
account of their actions. According to Bender how we treat God's creation
"will be on God's agenda."
Said the NCC's Associate General Secretary for Faith &
Order, Dr. Ann K. Riggs, "No one can read Scripture and deny that caring for
creation is part of what God has asked us to do." The Old Testament makes
that point clear, she notes, adding, "There is nothing in the New Testament
or early church traditions that suggest we no longer have to care for or
protect creation. Care of creation is part of the Gospel," she said as she
expressed her excitement about the release of the statement and noted her
hope that it will have a profound impact on both the Church and society.
In addition to refuting false teachings about the
environment and calling Christians to repent, the statement also appeals to
Christians and "all people of good will" to join together in understanding
humans' responsibility to care for creation, to integrate this understanding
into what it means to be the church, and to advocate boldly on behalf of
those most vulnerable to the negative effects of the global environmental
crisis.
NCC President and Christian Methodist Episcopal Bishop,
Rev. Dr. Thomas L. Hoyt, Jr., who participated in the gathering and
applauded the release of the statement, said, "As humans, we have a tendency
to desecrate earth and minimize the biodiversity of life. While theology is
usually ahead of practice at least we must aim for a relevant theology that
informs what we ought to be and do. Theology and ethics are joined here to
the end that human communities may be more just and all of life may be
respected," asserted Hoyt.
The NCC hopes that the statement, "God's Earth is Sacred,"
will stimulate conversations in churches, seminaries, colleges, universities
and throughout society.
"We will begin circulating this statement to all of our
member churches and others to stress the importance and urgency to begin to
change how we care for God's creation," said Rev. Dr. Bob Edgar, NCC general
secretary. "From Genesis to Revelation it is clear that God has given us the
responsibility to care and seek justice for all of God's creation and we
want to make sure that people in the pews are equipped to be ambassadors for
this message and good stewards of the environment."
The "God's Earth is Sacred" statement is part of a growing
religious awareness of humankind's role in protecting creation. It was
released on the heels of a grassroots campaign that just last week released
"God's Mandate: Care for Creation," which was signed by more than 1,000
clergy and laypeople from Catholic, Protestant and Jewish traditions--and it
came just before a broadbased effort on Feb. 16 to lift up the international
Kyoto Protocol on climate change, an effort that included the participation
of faith based groups. See
www.nccecojustice.org for the "God's Mandate" statement and signatories,
and "Christian Response to Kyoto" resources.
The
full text of the NCC statement is on the National Council of Churches
web site.
