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FOCUS, January, 2022, Vol. 10, Part 1

Cover Photo Source SparkAdobe: ‘Sustainability of Nature and the Mission of the
Church’, Cover Design by Lal Varghese, Esq., Dallas.

Contents
1. Editorial: Sustainability of Nature and the 10. Book Review: Beyond Religion: Imaging a
New Humanity by Valson Thampu. Page 29
Mission of the Church. Page 3
11. A Creation Care Pledge: Dr. Kanayathu
2. The Archbishop of Canterbury’s
Koshy and Elizabeth Koshy. Page 30
Ecumenical Christmas Letter.
Page 6
12. Patriarch Bartholomew, Pope Francis and
3. Confessions of a Doctor Couple Regarding
Archbishop of Canterbury: A Historical
Their Faith Journey: Dr. George Varghese and
Statement on Climate Change. Page 32
Dr. Sheila Varghese. Page 8
13. Climate Change and Christian Response:
4. Cain-Abel Narrative: An Eco-Hermeneutic
Dr. Mathew Koshy Punnakadu. Page 34
Reading of Genesis 4: 1-16:
Revd Alexander M. Isaac. Page 13
14. A Reflection on Green Grass: Revd Dr. M. J.
Joseph. Page 36
5. Don’t Look at Solomon, Look at Nature:
Revd Oommen Varkey. Page 16
15. Manufacturing Industry in Transformation to
a sustainable world: George Thomas. Page 37
6. Sustainability of Nature and the Mission of
the Church: Valson Thampu. Page 18
16. Sustainability of Nature and the Mission of
the Church: Dr. Cherian Samuel. Page 40
7. The Carpenter’s Son – A Christmas
Reflection: Lal Varghese, Esq. Page 21
17. Sustainability of Nature and Mission of the
Church: Towards an integral Echo-Theology:
8. The Church and the Ecological Crisis: Dr. K.
Revd George Abraham. Page 44
V. Thomas and Dr. Elizabeth Thomas. Page 22
18. Ecology and Spirituality: Dr. Zac Varghese.
9. Evolving Eco-theology for Christian Mission Page 46
in Post Pandemic India: Revd Dr. M. J. Joseph.
Page 24
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EDITORIAL
Sustainability of Nature and the Mission of the Church
As part of God’s ‘oikumene’, the whole inhabited earth,
human beings have an absolute responsibility to love and
care for what God has entrusted to them as stewards.
Recognizing the interdependence of human beings with
the rest of creation demands ethical basis for our living on
the earth, which requires respect rather than dominion.
This respect is reflected in addressing the earth as the
‘Mother Earth’ in the Indian tradition. For maintaining
environmental justice, we need a responsible and
sustainable stewardship.
According to the creation story in Genesis, at the end of
the creation of the world, God saw all that He had made
and said, “it was very good” (Gen 1: 31). Instead of taking
the responsible God-given role as caretakers of the
world, humankind exploited it and damaged it by
exercising domain and power over it. We totally neglected
our God-given responsibility as stewards of creation to
live sustainably for the welfare of the present and future
generations. Sustainable living should be part of our
social and environmental justice. Exploitation of earth’s
resources, market economy, uncontrolled consumerism,
global dependence on fossil fuels and Globalised-
economic expansions based on a ‘throw away culture’
undermine the basis for sustainability.
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We cannot go on ignoring the human contributions to
increasing the carbon foot print, which is contributing to
the global warming. Carbon foot print measures the
amount of green gas emission that human beings are
responsible for due to their uncaring activities. Therefore,
we have a responsibility individually and collectively to do
whatever we can to stop it. Jesus linked the kingdom of
God to the yeast in bread-making (Lk 13: 20-21),
something so small has a remarkable transforming effect
on something much larger. Individual change of lifestyle is
important. Each change we make towards a greener
lifestyle is both a change in itself and an inspiration to
others for further change. Our worship, thanksgiving and
prayer should lead us to total commitment for addressing
the environmental crisis through the missional activities of
the church. The formation of ‘Forest Churches’ and
‘Forest schools’ in churches in the UK are welcome
initiatives. The focus of a missional church must be
centred on healing this fractured world and then the
church will become an earth-centred ecological church to
make our Lord’s prayer – ‘Thy kingdom come on earth as
it is in heaven.’ – a reality in our daily living.
It is important to encourage Christians to refrain from the
exploitation of nature’s resources and strive to keep the
earth as a God-given habitable home for the present and
the future generations. It is greed that causes people to
exploit resources. As Gandhiji said, “The earth provides
enough to satisfy everyone’s need and not everyone’s
greed.” Today wealth is in the hands of a limited few who
through market economy want only to strip nature of its
resources and destroy it, imperilling the life of the future
generations; it is a clear example of ‘chronological
unfairness’ against which young people like Greta
Thunberg of Sweden has been making the whole world
conscious of this fact. Late Fr. Stan Swamy, the 84-year-
old Indian Jesuit priest, was championing for many years
for the rights of indigenous and marginalized people in
eastern India’s Jharkhand state; he died on Monday, 5th
July, 2021 while in prison. Let us thank God for Fr. Stan
Sway’s life and his commitment to the poor tribal people
and championing their struggles against the
environmental damage by mining companies and land
grabbers.
Our primary task as Christians is understanding our
involvement and responsibility as partners in God’s
mission (Missio Dei) in establishing God’s kingdom values
on the earth. Environmental crisis is now reaching a
breaking point, due to the rapid pace of change and
degradation; these are evident in large-scale natural
disasters including COVID-19 pandemic and other social
and even financial crises; these escalating problems
cannot be analysed or explained in isolation. One thing is
absolutely certain that the present world system is
certainly unsustainable from a number of points of view,
for we have stopped thinking about the common good,
every aspect of the sustainability and humanity as a
whole has disappointed God’s expectation of us of
becoming partners of God’s Mission for healing this
wounded and fractured world.
Pope Francis (1) in his introduction to his encyclical in
2015 wrote: “I believe that Saint Francis is the example
par excellence of care for the vulnerable and of an
integral ecology lived out joyfully and authentically. He is
the patron saint of all who study and work in the area of
ecology, and he is also much loved by non-Christians. He
was particularly concerned for God’s creation and for the
poor and outcast. He loved, and was deeply loved for his
joy, his generous self-giving, his openheartedness. He
was a mystic and a pilgrim who lived in simplicity and in
wonderful harmony with God, with others, with nature
and with himself. He shows us just how inseparable the
bond is between concern for nature, justice for the poor,
commitment to society, and interior peace.”
Francis is speaking for the whole Christian community in
his encyclical, he further added: “The urgent challenge to
protect our common home includes a concern to bring
the whole human family together to seek a sustainable
and integral development, for we know that things can
change. The Creator does not abandon us; he never
forsakes his loving plan or repents of having created us.
Humanity still has the ability to work together in building
our common home. Here I want to recognize, encourage
and thank all those striving in countless ways to
guarantee the protection of the home which we share.
Particular appreciation is owed to those who tirelessly
seek to resolve the tragic effects of environmental
degradation on the lives of the world’s poorest. Young
people demand change. They wonder how anyone can
claim to be building a better future without thinking of the
environmental crisis and the sufferings of the excluded.
“I urgently appeal, then, for a new dialogue about how we
are shaping the future of our planet. We need a
conversation which includes everyone, since the
environmental challenge we are undergoing, and its
human roots, concern and affect us all. The worldwide
ecological movement has already made considerable
progress and led to the establishment of numerous
organizations committed to raising awareness of these
challenges. Regrettably, many efforts to seek concrete
solutions to the environmental crisis have proved
ineffective, not only because of powerful opposition but
also because of a more general lack of interest.
Obstructionist attitudes, even on the part of believers, can
range from denial of the problem to indifference,
nonchalant resignation or blind confidence in technical
solutions. We require a new and universal solidarity. As
the bishops of Southern Africa have stated: “Everyone’s
talents and involvement are needed to redress the
damage caused by human abuse of God’s creation”. All
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of us can cooperate as instruments of God for the care of
creation, each according to his or her own culture,
experience, involvements and talents.
“It is my hope that this Encyclical Letter, which is now
added to the body of the Church’s social teaching, can
help us to acknowledge the appeal, immensity and
urgency of the challenge we face. I will begin by briefly
reviewing several aspects of the present ecological crisis,
with the aim of drawing on the results of the best
scientific research available today, letting them touch us
deeply and provide a concrete foundation for the ethical
and spiritual itinerary that follows. I will then consider
some principles drawn from the Judaeo-Christian
tradition which can render our commitment to the
environment more coherent. I will then attempt to get to
the roots of the present situation, so as to consider not
only its symptoms but also its deepest causes. This will
help to provide an approach to ecology which respects
our unique place as human beings in this world and our
relationship to our surroundings. In light of this reflection,
I will advance some broader proposals for dialogue and
action which would involve each of us as individuals, and
also affect international policy. Finally, convinced as I am
that change is impossible without motivation and a
process of education, I will offer some inspired guidelines
for human development to be found in the treasure of
Christian spiritual experience.”
It is worth studying this encyclical, its six long chapters,
for understanding various aspects of the ecological
problem with a Christian perspective and for making a
serious commitment. It is developed around the concept
of integral ecology, as a paradigm able to articulate the
fundamental relationships of the person with God, with
one’s self, with other human beings, and with creation.
Pope Francis says that this movement starts by listening
to the results of the best scientific research on
environmental matters available today.
Let us also thank God for Greta Thunberg and other
young people across the world for exposing the
‘chronological unfairness’ involved in the ecological
problems. During a fiery speech at the World Economic
Forum in Switzerland, Thunberg asserted, "Our house is
on fire," and then proceeded to verbally torch the
billionaires in attendance for focusing on wealth at the
planet's expense. In the United States, she famously tore
into the United Nations. Eyes blazing with urgency, she
declared, "How dare you! You have stolen my dreams
and my childhood with your empty words." She ripped
into "fairy tales of eternal economic growth." She warned
that "the eyes of all future generations are upon you and if
you choose to fail us, I say we will never forgive you."
The historic Joint Statement on 1st September, 2021by
Pope Francis, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew and
Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby before the COP-
6 meeting in Glasgow and as reported in this issue is
significant. They said: “Today’s children and teenagers
will face catastrophic consequences unless we take
responsibility now, as ‘fellow workers with God’ (Ge 2: 4–
7), to sustain our world. We frequently hear from young
people who understand that their futures are under threat.
For their sake, we must choose to eat, travel, spend,
invest and live differently, thinking not only of immediate
interest and gains but also of future benefits. We repent
of our generation’s sins. We stand alongside our younger
sisters and brothers throughout the world in committed
prayer and dedicated action for a future which
corresponds ever more to the promises of God.”
Therefore, what is required is to restore the harmony
between God, human beings and creation. The biblical
mandate to have “dominion over the earth” (Gen 1:28),
and to “till and keep it” (Ge 2:15) is not for exploiting the
nature, but to protect the earth and preserve it for the
present and the future generations. Lynn White (2) on the
other hand, in an article in Science in 1967, blamed the
Judeo-Christian tradition for the ecological crisis based
on the biblical mandate of “dominion over the earth.” He
wrote, “Christianity, in absolute contrast to ancient
paganism and Asia’s religions (except, perhaps,
Zoroastrianism) not only established a dualism of man
and nature but also insisted that it is God’s will that man
exploit nature for his proper ends.” He blamed
anthropocentrism for the ecological damage.
Unfortunately, there is a broken relationship of mutuality
between humanity and the earth. The urgent Christian
mission must be focussed on restoring the relationship
between the earth and mankind and become stewards of
whole creation under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
Ecology is cracked, but not yet broken; it is the time for
repair; it is the time for prayer-centred action. Let us carry
the hope of the Psalmist to face ecological crisis
confronting us. “God is our refuge and strength, a very
present help in trouble. Therefore, we will not fear, though
the earth should change, though the mountains shake in
the heart of the sea; though its waters roar and foam,
though the mountains tremble with its tumult. There is a
river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy
habitation of the Most High. God is in the midst of the
city; it shall not be moved; God will help it when the
morning dawns. The nations are in an uproar, the
kingdoms totter; he utters his voice, the earth melts.
The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our
refuge. Come, behold the works of the Lord; see what
desolations he has brought on the earth. He makes wars
cease to the end of the earth; he breaks the bow, and
shatters the spear; he burns the shields with fire. “Be still,
and know that I am God! I am exalted among the nations;
I am exalted in the earth. The Lord of hosts is with us; the
God of Jacob is our refuge” (Psalm 46:1-11).
Our faith in God’s Love and our mission should address
all life situations including various environmental issues
that are confronting us which we are discussing in this
issue of the FOCUS. The testimony of Dr. George
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Varghese and Dr. Sheila Varghese, pages 8-12, shows us
that we must truly entrust ourselves to the love of God in
all our needs and struggles. In their testimony, they
highlight various environmental issues they came across
at Manali and Kullu valley in the foothills of Himalayas
because of tourism and other economical pursuits. They
wrote: “Unplanned growth produced garbage which filled
most of public spaces. Garbage polluted the drains and
the river. The small village became a cluttered busy
market filled with tourists and noise. Traffic jams began to
choke the roads. Exploitation of tourists became the
norm.” There are moments or situations in which our faith
is put to difficult tests. Therefore, in these critical times we
must see God's love and believe that God will provide the
strength and God is with us. “In this world you will have
trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world” (Jn
16: 33).
The editorial board is very grateful to all our contributors
who wrote insightful articles on various aspects of the
ecological crisis for the current issue of the FOCUS. We
hope that all our readers are keeping well and safe form
the COVID-19 pandemic and the winter flu episodes. We
also hope that you were able to have a joyful get-together
with family and friends over the Christmas season. We
wish everyone a happy and blessed New Year.
Reference:
1. Pope Francis, Encyclical ‘Laudato, Si’, June 2015.
2. Lynn White, “The Historical Roots of our Ecological
crisis”, Science (March 10, 1967): 189.
Dr. Zac Varghese
For the Editorial Board
http://www.issuu.com/diasporafocus
http://www.scribd.com/diasporafocus
Web Site: www.facebook.com/groups/mtfocus
E-Mail: mtfousgroup@gmail.com
Published by Lal Varghese, Esq., Dallas for and on
behalf of Diaspora FOCUS
Disclaimer: Diaspora FOCUS is a non-profit organization
registered in United States, originally formed in late
Nineties in London for the Diaspora Marthomites. Now it
is an independent lay-movement of the Diaspora laity of
the Syrian Christians; and as such FOCUS is not an
official publication of any denominations. It is an
ecumenical journal to focus attention more sharply on
issues to help churches and other faith communities to
examine their own commitment to loving their neighbors
and God, justice, and peace. Opinions expressed in any
article or statements are of the individuals and are not to
be deemed as an endorsement of the view expressed
therein by Diaspora FOCUS. Thanks.
 Christmas 2021

The Archbishop of Canterbury’s Ecumenical Christmas Letter

Glory to God in the highest heaven,

and on earth peace among those whom he favours! (Luke 2:14)
At Christmas we lift our voices to join with the angels in heaven’s song of praise. The account
told by St Luke fills us with the hope and joy of God’s promise, now fulfilled in the incarnate
Christ.
However, for many Christian brothers and sisters around the world, particularly those who face
persecution and oppression, much is against them finding peace amidst the encircling darkness.
Many of us in good places sometimes may find it difficult to experience the presence of God in
the course of our ordinary lives.
But at Christmas, God breaks into the ordinary. He does not come as an Emperor or King – not
as people would recognise, anyway – he comes born to ordinary parents, to live a ‘normal’ life.
He doesn’t come as one with the trappings of power; he comes as one who saves and serves.
He does not come as a warrior in this place of occupation in the Middle East; but as helpless
child, wrapped in cloth by his mother.
Yet, in the midst of this conflict and oppression, Jesus is the Prince of Peace. And in the middle
of a humble stable, amongst shepherds - lowest of the low - who arrive empty handed, whilst
the world continued its rotation through the night, this child’s face is the true glory and power
of God. It is the foolishness of God to answer the power of darkness with a vulnerable baby in a
war-torn country born to poor parents. Yet that answer is the true wisdom of God, for here God
- invisible, incomprehensible, indescribable – is translated into a sign and a substantial reality
that the simplest human being can grasp and before whom the wisest scholars find themselves
falling in worship (I Corinthians 1:20).
The angels who proclaim this glory in Luke’s Gospel overflow out of the Heavens. The triumph
of what God has done for us cannot be contained. Let us too, no matter our trials and our
challenges, continue to proclaim joyously as we remember the birth of our saviour: ‘Glory to
God in heaven!’ Let us too, in the face of trouble and conflict, declare peace upon all who he
favours! Every tear brings the Messiah closer!

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God’s favour is offered to all, not forced upon some. There is nothing we can do to earn this
boundless grace of God. We can merely open ourselves humbly to receive it.

Christ breaks into this suffering, complicated, divided world, and unites all of heaven and earth
in wonder at his birth. I pray we too might share the same wonder this year: for through him
we have been given salvation, we who could not save ourselves. And through him we have
hope, who once felt hopeless and lost. Through him we are renewed in love for one another
and may ourselves be living translations of the mystery of the Trinitarian God.
Through the Christ-child we see God’s faithfulness. Through his Son, God has fulfilled his
promise to us: we can trust in him and him alone.
The early church father, St Augustine, writes:
‘…let us be at peace with God: for justice and peace have embraced one another. Through our
Lord Jesus Christ: for Truth has arisen from the earth. Through whom we have access to that
grace in which we stand, and our boast is in our hope of God’s glory.’
The glory is indeed God’s, not ours, so we have no boast but Christ. But may we be illuminated
by his glory this Christmas, so we can shine as lights for him, witnessing with joy to him who
has brought justice and hope, glory and peace.
This Christmas, my prayer is that the joy of the extraordinary God may transform our ordinary
lives. In his birth and life, suffering and death, resurrection and glorious ascension he calls us
out of darkness together, and into his marvellous light (1 Peter 2:9).
In his peace and glory,

The Most Reverend and Right Honourable Justin Welby

Archbishop of Canterbury

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CONFESSIONS OF A DOCTOR COUPLE REGARDING
THEIR FAITH JOURNEY
Dr. George Varghese and Dr. Sheila Varghese
[The following is an amazing and blessed testimony of a
husband-and-wife, Dr. Laji and Dr. Sheila, medical team
who dedicated their whole life to the service of rural
communities in the foothills of the Himalayas in the North
Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. This was delivered to a
very small group who are participating in a course on
Christianity conducted by Revd Dr. Valson Thampu. This
testimony was felt by all as a spiritually uplifting
experience. The FOCUS is very grateful to them for
allowing us to publish it. We very much hope and pray
that this testimony will stimulate our readers to take up
such God-given challenges to serve communities near
and far away places under the love and grace of our Lord
Jesus Christ. May their life and mission be a blessing to
many others across the world. In the text, the sections
that pertain to Sheila, Laji’s wife, are italicized.]
I was born and brought up in the Orthodox Syrian Church
Tradition. Nowhere in my church life there was any
challenge to engage with the person of Jesus through the
Gospels. It was while I was in CMC Ludhiana as a
second-year medical student that I was challenged to put
my trust in what the historical Jesus of Nazareth did and
to believe and live as a follower in faith. But it took me
many years to understand what it meant “to believe and
to follow”. I realized my lostness and lack of purpose
during this time, and that was the reason I turned to
Christ. It was a free choice. With 50 years of the
adventure of faith behind me, I can now look back and
say it was the right decision. The whole message of the
Gospel was in a way ridiculous, and many times did it not
make sense. Yet the person of Christ, His Words, the way
He lived and died –these encouraged me to read more
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about the historical truth. The witness of the first century
Christians, scanty though the records available about
them are, who faced suffering and persecution because
of their faith challenged me.
I, Sheila, was born and brought up in East Africa (as it was
then known). Though I was brought up in a Christian
family of Anglican tradition I always questioned the reality
of God. The riddle of suffering perplexed and bothered
me. I stopped going to church for a couple of years after I
came to India at the age of sixteen and argued and
questioned and doubted “GOD” whatever or whoever
he/she was as I was looking after my younger brother who
used to go into acute asthmatic attacks and cyanotic
episodes and I knew he had not done anything wrong and
was an innocent child . . . but kept searching for the
TRUTH anyway. When I saw the joy in a group of boys
and girls who had come to CMC Ludhiana (they called
themselves “Newfound Love” I knew that was what I
wanted . . . and that is when I gave my heart to Jesus . . .
50 years ago. I have never regretted it, or looked back
since then. The terrain of my faith journey has been dotted
with mountains, valleys, dark alleys and light-filled plains
with streams of water interspersed with lonely paths when
I wondered where God was. For me it has been a long
pilgrimage of obedience. It was forged in daily routine,
and tempered in the ordinary. It was a stream of slow,
steady, deliberate choices in everyday situations. It was a
combination of close attentiveness to God, to self, to
others and patient endurance of insults and vexatious
distractions. The one thing that has kept me going was
the inner conviction of being “chosen” by God; though
even this was not a straight line! Even today there are
times now and then when I experience God as a stranger
whose ways I do not understand, and I know that I will
never fully understand this mysterious Holy Triune One.
Embracing a new beginning
If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation, so I was faced
with this potential and possibility of having a new way of
thinking, feeling and living. Fortunately, I belonged to a
small group of young Christians and every week we met
together to read, study and understand the practical
implications of this new reality called the “Kingdom of
God.” All these took months and years, but there was
great joy and peace in my heart, even though I still felt
incomplete and imperfect. This joy was visible to others in
my college and that is where I learnt to share what I
experienced in my heart.
As young Christians we were exposed to the needs of our
country through various doctors who worked in the
mission field. This evoked a desire in some of us to work
in remote places and share both the medical skills and
the good news.
Somehow, I felt very secure as a Child of God and Jesus
became more and more of a LOVER and a FRIEND rather
than a distant God. I realized that making promises to
myself and striving to live them was important to
becoming genuine. Conflicts used to erupt within me from
time to time between my old thinking and my new way of
living. This was, as I realised in due course, part of my
learning the meaning of dying to self. Discerning where
my desires and my will had to be dethroned was a crucial
training for being incorporated into the Kingdom of God,
even as I lived upon this earth. Even now this remains my
biggest struggle. One of the promises I made was to live
and die in this land as a doctor when there was a
temptation to seek green pastures elsewhere. At one
point, about 40 out of our class of 50 were abroad and I
was a point of ridicule in many circles.
In my search for a partner who shared my ideas and
spiritual calling, I was blessed to have come across
Sheila, who became my companion in this faith journey.
We were both prepared to pack up, leave and go to
strange places leaving families and friends, in obedience
to what we believed was God’s voice . . . and this
became a reality soon after we got married in 1979.
It is in Pune that we heard the dire need of Manali Mission
Hospital through some unexplainable events and we
decided to put aside postgraduation and come to Manali.
We got married in 1979 against some resistance from
families. Sheila was 26 and I was 27 at the time. All we
had at that time was basic training as medical doctors,
trust in a loving faithful God and the prayer support of
some friends. It was an adventure in the plan of God for a
people. It was a place where we could experience the
truth of what we believed in the midst our own inner
intermittent darkness. We both had a basic grounding in
the scriptures. God gave us a love for the people of the
Kullu valley. Unfortunately, we had no skills in
management/administration and had to figure out our
own ways of dealing with people and their needs. God
alone was our Guide. We were a small team of nine
people most of whom were illiterate. The challenge was
to bring to life to a medical mission that was going to
close down.
During our medical college days, and later in our early
days in Manali, we had made long lasting friendships.
Some of them are still in touch with us and remain our
close friends. I continue to battle the dark side of my old
self streaked with selfishness and pride.
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Moving to Manali meant leaving familiar places and
friends and being in an unknown territory with very little
resources and experience. We were fortunate to have had
good mentors and teachers who became examples of
compassion and care. The notes that we had from our
professors of medicine were sufficient to manage most of
our patients. Books were our consultants. We were
confident that God would give us the needed courage
and resources to accomplish the task entrusted to us. We
accepted clinical medicine and surgical skills as gifts, but
continued to study and develop creative and imaginative
approaches. As leaders, the art of getting along with
others, dethroning power and money, keeping the
church’s political power at bay all became necessities.
We could identify ourselves with the people in Manali,
even though everything about their culture was different.
Though we were few, we were committed to creating an
atmosphere of care through a dedicated team. Working
day and night to form a wider family and to reach out to
people in Kullu Valley became our focus. Manali was very
primitive. Diseases like TB, measles and other infectious
diseases were rampant. There were no toilets. Electricity
supply was erratic. So, we started teaching and training
health workers. Sheila and some staff began to visit
villages, giving health education and to help women and
children to improve their hygiene. For Sheila, the first two
years were mainly focussed on reaching the remote
villages with health education, immunization and training
village health workers about hygiene and disease. This
work brought about many changes in the village in
respect of health. This continued till the late 80s when
other groups and the local government agencies stepped
in. I continued to do surgical work. Giving anaesthesia
and operating at the same time remained a challenge.
Our little group continued to meet to study and to pray for
God’s help and strength in our daily work.
We have two daughters Kripa and Deepa. They were one
of the first students at Day Star School, which we had to
found in view of the absence of any worthwhile schooling
facilities in that region. I had stopped working when they
were born as I had learnt during my paediatric training
that the first five years in the life of children are their
foundational years. I felt duty-bound to be with them. This
was a very hard decision for me, but Laji agreed with me
and was blessed to be supported by him in this. During
these years Laji had to do double work at the hospital and
it took a toll on our marriage as we hardly saw each other
and we drifted apart. Some friends advised us to take a
sabbatical and we put our girls in a boarding school for a
year to spend some time mending this rift. We visited
friends during this year out. We also fostered a few
children later when our daughters were a little older.
As the years went by tourism entered the Manali scenario.
We invited medical students from overseas to do their
electives with us. Some of these students became lifelong
friends and continue to support our work. We faced many
disappointments and gradually our own trust in God
began to be secondary to our own smartness and
capabilities.
Over the years there was a subtle shift in our faith in God
(which we noticed only in retrospect). We began to
“know” how to make decisions on our own, we began to
“know’ what was the right thing to do when medical
problems arose. We had honed our skills to perfection (as
we thought) teaching ourselves at every opportunity
according to the needs of the situation (Laji learnt more of
surgery/anaesthesia/psychiatry/how to write projects/how
to raise funds/architecture/planning buildings – I learnt
more of new-born care/obstetrics/tuberculosis/treating
subfertility/doingultrasounds/communityhealth/
dermatology/nursing care/administration/counselling). For
about fifteen years we were each doing three people’s
jobs not only in the medical field but also in education.
I drifted away from trusting God with my dreams, to self-
reliance and self -effort. Started using people for my own
agendas. This was induced by my vulnerability to power
and authority. My Faith weakened, my love for God
became divided, and “wanting to have my own way”
began to surface. When I could get what I wanted
through my own ways, I began to be frustrated and
dispirited. I began to suffer spells of depression. I was
tormented by the power of selfishness, greed and lust.
Even as I experienced the power of darkness, the face of
Jesus never vanished from my eyes. I remember longing
for being pure in my heart just for 24 hours at a stretch! At
the same time, I also saw the tear-filled eyes of Jesus
looking at me. Sheila could sense my hypocrisy.
Coldness crept into our marriage. We had to talk to senior
friends to relearn the art of better communication within
our marriage. Yet I failed miserably in loving with all my
heart.
By early ‘90s we had established a reasonably well-
equipped base hospital with 40 beds, a good community
health programme for training health workers. Also, a
primary school that became, in course of time, the best
model school in Kullu Valley.
It was also the time our tiny church started to expand
from 10 to 100 members with people from different
backgrounds – Nepali, Tibetan, Kului, Lahauli- becoming
followers of Christ. There were no organised Christian
efforts to evangelise, but something drew people to God
in a strange way.
Many started to move out of Manali to other parts,
especially the Nepalis. Wherever they went they
prospered and their fellowships thrived. YWAM
leadership provided a good model in training disciples.
It was also the time we thought about reaching out to the
Higher Himalayas with health care.
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We started three Health Centres in Spitti, Lahaul, and
Jibhi. It was a fun-filled challenge. Thousands of people
were treated and there was good will towards “Mission
people” everywhere.
Slowly and steadily I became disillusioned about Mission
work and its impact. Better roads and better buildings
changed the landscape. Money started to pour into the
tiny valley. Affluence affected life styles and brought new
problems. Obesity, diabetes, hypertension, hormonal
issues, arthritis, heart attacks, major trauma (diseases
that we rarely saw in our first fifteen years here). Easy
money pushed children into video games, drugs,
alcoholism. The lack of purpose in life created general
unhappiness. Psychosomatic illnesses emerged.
The culture around slowly changed people’s eating
habits, dress, language, expectations. Unplanned growth
produced garbage, which filled most of public spaces.
Garbage polluted the drains and the river. The small
village became a cluttered busy market filled with tourists
and noise. Traffic jams began to choke the roads.
Exploitation of tourists became the norm. Ordinary village
people started to construct multi-storey buildings for
rentals and home stay. Money and more money became
the measure of all things. Real estate price skyrocketed.
Slowly the Mission too changed. Simplicity gave way to
more complex structures of work dynamics. Hierarchy,
control, CCTVs, imperial attitudes crept in. The church
too took a hit. Bishops and priests started to smell the
gains of economic growth. Organized religion replaced
simple basic worship, and the spirituality that goes with it.
Priests, draped in their clerical costumes, began to feel a
class apart from the common man. We felt a need to
move out of the new administration and decided to do
things differently. We left the main hospital and moved to
work in Lahaul and Spitti
In 2007-2008 we concentrated on preschools and health
work and became pioneers in rural surgical camps. These
camps were very challenging, and many doctors joined
this venture. We could provide good surgical care without
too much fancy equipment and personnel. It became a
teaching model for young doctors.
All this took a toll on our own personal lives. My lack of
trust in God showed in lack of trust in people and the
system. My lack of love for God reflected in my
relationships.
To me, one of our greatest disappointments in our early
years was that the people who admired us and talked
about us never visited us. We were invited to speak at
meetings and conferences about “Our Pioneering work in
Himachal” but not one person in these groups ever visited
us. We were not backed by any church or organization.
We had come on our own. We did not lack likeminded
people, but they did not support us with their PRESENCE.
After a few years we stopped going for meetings or
conferences. . . We were too exhausted anyway but found
no real support from the so-called religious people. Of
course, communication in those days was difficult . . . no
phones . . . no WhatsApp messages. . . no emails.
The dearth of enthusiasm, joy, and freedom in spiritual life
reflected in all that I did. Life became boring. Coming
back to the narrow path meant giving up other loves.
Personal renewal was needed to remain sane.
Sheila took the initiative to bring me back on the road to
recovery. We let go of our positions, power and all that
we had accomplished. Walked away with much pain, but
also inwardly fortified by a sense of doing the right thing.
Because we had come to think of Manali as our home, we
felt homeless at having to leave and to re-locate
ourselves elsewhere.
We joined a tiny local fellowship gathering with 8-10
members. Gradually a new vision dawned on us. As old
patients came and requested us to have a clinic for them,
we decided to start consultations two days a week at
Grace Centre, which was part of Aadisha Retreat Centre.
This gave some income for our daily bread as our pension
was/is very small. We sold Sheila’s home in Pune after
her parents passed away and invested the proceeds in
making a retreat centre for those who needed rest and
spiritual rejuvenation. We had to give up our old home of
29 years and made a new home near the local fellowship.
Now we work for The Himalayan Friends Trust, doing
subsidized surgeries for the poor and needy people. We
continue to teach God’s Word, share with young people.
Sheila is involved in spiritual guidance and counselling.
We learnt that it’s difficult to live in this world with a
different and higher moral value. The pressure to conform
and to compromise is relentless. Yet, it’s possible if one
keeps to the narrow way. Mission work is not rosy, and
people in mission are not saints. The devil is in the details
as Jordan Peterson says. It’s difficult for young doctors
to find a place where they can receive personal nurture
under role models in the spiritual culture of caring. Many
lose their dreams amidst the mission work. Some leaders
are bureaucratic, lacking sympathy and understanding.
Young people are used as cheap manpower without any
potential to contribute to better administration and the
delivery of compassionate care. They end up doing their
work without passion, eager to get out the given
responsibilities to pursue further studies and financial
advantages. Many live like sheep without a shepherd.
Some become damaged goods with disillusionment
about faith and mission. Leaders of mission need to think
hard to address this regrettable reality and to bring about
the required improvements.
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As of now, we have reached the fag end of our active life.
We are at the threshold of resting from active service.
Possessing nothing, yet feeling rich in life. Surgical work,
retreats, photography, talks, drives into the mountains,
dreams, music . . . fill our days. We feel blessed in being
able to help those who need our guidance. The best we
can do is to point them to the Man from Nazareth.
Continually being involved with all sorts of people, being
friends to many and constantly refining our perception of
God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit keep us energised.
Our lives are painted over and over again with Grace and
Mercy. . .much joy and peace . . . also many doubts and
some fears. Looking back, there have been times when I
wished I had not believed in this Man called Jesus. His
words are life-transforming if I dared to believe them. I
was too scared to totally trust Him. Perhaps, I still am. Yet
I cannot find anyone who has words of hope. Do-it-
yourself advice does not work for me. He diagnosed my
problems and offered a solution and it seems to work. He
is tough and gentle. He is honest to the core yet smiles
with grace. He accepted me as I am and endured all my
darkness. He set me free from myself. He strengthens me
by living in me, raising me up to another level of living,
where love and forgiveness are possible, truthful living
with contentment is real, and where purity of heart and
real brotherhood are within reach.
We are ready to meet our Maker. We talk about death
and the hope of entering another realm. The only way to
know the truth of all that I believe is to cross the river and
see who is waiting for me with open arms. Even if all I
have believed thus far is a myth, it’s a better, blessed
myth. It has been the source of the reason and joy of my
live. The Voice in the dark calls us out . . . fear not, walk
with me.
Further Reflections:
Pioneering medical work is very demanding and draining
especially when the resources are limited and
government policies are impractical. For policy makers
the individuals don’t matter. But for us they mattered
most of all. Many times, our hands were tied due to new
laws that restricted what we could do to relieve suffering.
There were times we wanted to quit. Medical mission can
be done without love for people or passion for God. I
remember being angry at God for many unanswered
prayers. Sometimes complications occurred after
surgeries and I wanted the earth to open up and swallow
me, as the sense of failure was humiliating and
frightening. There were no miracles. Only disappointment
and sadness. There were times I had to do surgeries on
my family members and wait in patience to see the
outcome. Even though I have done thousands of
surgeries, I approached every surgery with fear and
trembling as I had the added responsibility of taking care
of the anaesthesia too. Carrying these burdens all the
time challenges one’s faith at a deeper level. I became
indifferent to the suffering of people. My anger led me to
become cynical and dismissive of Christian jargons at
which I laughed secretly. What were the alternatives? I
had no other skills. Like Peter, I wanted to go fishing.
Move away from the uncertainty of His presence to
familiar things like fishing or to talking philosophy. Many
times, in those moments of deep depression, the voice of
the Lover echoed ever so gently, do you love me . . .
Don’t waste your time in fishing. Take care of my sheep! It
is in that caring voice that I found myself cared for.
Sins of resentments against God and others, inability to
live up to the promises I had made to myself, the inner
struggles between my desires and God’s truths, all these
took a toll over a period of time. I felt as though I was
becoming less than a man. I moved around like a zombie.
Even in this darkness I had to get up every morning and
go to work and play the role of a good guy and a
sympathetic doctor. Sometimes what was going through
my mind used to spill over on to others and hurt them. I
don’t know how many people I must have wounded
knowingly or unknowingly. Life went on.
Sad events slowly faded from immediate memory, yet
they still linger somewhere within. As David said, “My sins
and failures are ever before me.” . . . Sometimes they
haunt and play as a broken record in my mind. Inner
accusations by the dark voice laughing at my failures,
used to demotivate me from rising up again. That’s when
I saw afresh the return of the prodigal son who thought
about and rehearsed what he would say to his father. But
when he felt the embrace of the Father, all he could hear
was the joyous words of celebrations. “You are back
home in my arms. You are alive. No need to talk about all
that happened among the pigs. I know it all. Come, take
rest. You are loved . . . These became real to me. Nothing
could separate me from Gods love, even my sins and
failures. Only thing that can separate me is walking away
from Him, and I didn’t want to do that. So, I stayed and
prayed, “Oh God don’t take away your spirit from me”.
There is a sadistic desire in us to know the details of
people’s sins. Whether one’s sins are a few or many we
are all law-breakers. No one is righteous. All have sinned
and come short of the ideal. Sermon on the mount is a
blow to all those take pride in themselves with “I am not
like that attitude. . .” The impossibility of reaching the
ideal by myself is what drove me back to Jesus again and
again. Leadership is a lonely vocation and leaders are
lonely people. I used to think that Manali circled around
me and I held it together. I became the life source for
many. What a seductive delusion! I had to get out of
there, before I lost my balance. God in His mercy
effected that transition against what everybody wanted. It
was good for me and my family that it happened so.
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I enjoyed music. Songs that describe my inner state
appeal to me especially. Some of the old numbers are
meaningful and they sound almost like prayers. I knew
the meaning of Cohen’s ‘Broken halleluiah’, Elvis’s, ‘You
are always on my mind’, Billy Joe’s ‘Honesty’, Nat King
Cole’s ‘Mona Lisa’, Sinatra’s, ‘I did it my way’ and Susan
Boyle’s, ‘I dreamed a dream’. Then there were other life-
giving ones from Mahalya Jackson’s ‘In the upper room’,
Amy Grant’s ‘One day at a time’, Mark Lowry’s ‘Mary did
you know’, and Michael Card’s ‘Joseph’s song’.
Hymns like the ‘Old rugged cross’, ‘I come to the garden
alone’, ‘How great thou art, ‘So send I you’, all had great
healing power on my soul. Movies like, ‘Les Misérables’,
‘The inn of sixth happiness’, ‘Bruce Almighty’, ‘Fiddler on
the roof’, and ‘My fair lady’. Then there were books and
talks that helped me to think and get some clarity.
In the midst of our own misery, reaching out to others
became therapeutic to us. It’s not good to go through this
journey alone. We need companions who walk alongside
without judging. Tired bodies and mind push one into a
hopeless state. We were not saviours of the world and we
needed to understand our role in this work. Ego needed
to be deflated. God has his own ways to do that. Jesus
said,’ I do only what I see my father doing’ . . . We
needed to see what God was asking us to do and what
He is doing in and through us. This needed silence and
solitude . . . It’s a deliberate choice. We lived the myth
that everything would fall away if we are not in control.
All these needed shattering, in order that the truth may
emerge. God brought people who broke our jars. In that
crushing, we found newness of life.
In conclusion, one of my saddest states in my spiritual journey
was not knowing whether I was fake or real. This confusion
tormented my soul. Not being authentic is living a life without
the power of resurrection. It's the feeling of impotence. Too
much darkness and sudden light was more blinding. Many
times, I said like Peter, "depart from me, I am sinful". Yet I knew
deep in my soul that Jesus was waiting with open arms to
embrace me and wipe away my fears and tears. There was no
rejection in Him. Pure love is painful to behold yet it's where
healing awaits. There was no one else offering anything better,
so I clung to Him and He smiled. God dismantled me . . . and
started to remake me in spite of my resistance. There is no
compromise in Him. God remains committed and faithful to us.
Now it's our turn to do the servant ministry He delegates us to
do to establish God’s kingdom values on the earth. Let us pray
and seek His guidance.
Cain-Abel Narrative: An Eco-Hermeneutic Reading of
Genesis 4: 1-16
Revd Alexander M. Isaac*
Introduction
We read the biblical texts today in the midst of a global
environmental crisis. The disastrous effects of climate
change surround us as readers. No biblical interpreter
can read the text in a vacuum. Two dimensions of the
current context are crucial for a contemporary reading of
the texts: the alarming context of environmental crisis and
our ecological consciousness and worldview. The Earth
Bible series is a fresh initiative that offers an ecological
hermeneutic reading of the biblical texts to address the
ethical dilemmas corresponding to the eco-crises. The
Genesis narrative of Cain-Abel story is indicative of the
efficacy of such a reading.
Cain-Abel Narrative
There is a multiplicity of interpretations about the
motivation of what was displeasing or pleasing to God in
terms of sacrifices offered by Cain and Abel. Hebrews
11:4 attests to Abel's offering as more acceptable
sacrifice than Cain's. The writer of the Hebrews refers to
faithfulness as what makes a sacrifice more acceptable.
Right worship is not a negotiable thing. Worship involves
thanksgiving for favours received from God. The Genesis
narrative makes a slight distinction between the two
offerings. Cain appears to pay not much attention to the
quality of the offering, whereas Abel "brought of the
firstlings of the folk, their fat portions” (v.4). Abel makes a
wilful choice of offering from what is available to him as
the best. In fact, it is God's prerogative to be gracious
upon whom God wills (Exodus 33:19). God's preferential
option is evident throughout history, reflecting God's
freewill.
But the narrative takes a definite turn of events with
Cain's handling of the situation of rejection at the hand of
God. What becomes evident in Cain's reaction accounts
for his inability to handle his anger and disappointment
when events are turned against his wishes and
expectations. Then it becomes a matter of moral
responsibility on the part of Cain to choose between what
is right and wrong. Gen. 4:7 is pivotal when God
approaches Cain with these probing words: "If you do
well will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well,
sin is lurking at the door; its desire is for you, but you
must master it". This is where Cain fails absolutely.
Sin always has a fatal instinct, lurking with evil motif. Cain
is left with only two options; either to accept God's
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acceptance or rejection with an obedient heart, or to rebel
against God's purposes, and turn against his brother.
One cannot place the blame of sin lurking in life on
external circumstances, but one succumbs to one's own
quick reflexes. Envy naturally leads to anger and malice
followed by hatred and murder in quick succession.
The Mosaic Law has permissions to retaliate evil with an
eye for an eye or a tooth for a tooth. But Jesus exhorts
his followers to end the cycle of violence with an
imperative to show the other cheek if an evildoer strikes
on the right cheek (Matt. 5:39). This is a non-violent
response that will end the vicious cycle of violence. Yet,
in the case of the Cain-Abel narrative, there is no initial
cause for violence, instead, what sets the eventful story
to roll solely rests with Cain's reaction to God not
accepting his worship.
God issues a prior warning to Cain about the possible
future course of actions. Cain is not a hapless victim of
his circumstances, but he could exercise mastery over his
life and overcome the evil instincts lurking at the door. He
could have resorted to the path of reconciliation as Jacob
does with his brother Esau. Instead, Cain chooses the
easy way of retaliation, eventually shedding the innocent
blood of his brother. As a result, Cain faces severe
judgement being forced out of the fruitful soil, which has
been the source of his sustenance. A cycle of violence is
rolled on. Cain becomes a fugitive and wanderer
accursed of fratricide, thereby losing the warmth and
security of human fellowship. Cain forfeits his
responsibility of being his brother's keeper. Now, Cain is
cursed from the ground.
The burden of guilt and its repercussions are heavy upon
him. 'My punishment is greater than I can bear' (vs 13).
God intervenes and places a mark of protection on Cain.
God sets Cain free from the death penalty and follows the
life of the wanderer to bless him with a second chance in
life. Cain is nonetheless the source of human culture,
especially human professions. Cain the farmer becomes
an ancestor of cattle-raising nomads, urban-dwellers,
musicians, and metalworkers. The story of Cain thus
applies to all humanity. Let us now discuss how a new
evolving ecological hermeneutics helps to unearth the
hidden meanings in a text and offer a corrective to
traditional textual misinterpretations.
Emergence of an Ecologic Hermeneutic
Hermeneutics refers to the methodology of interpretation
of sacred texts. The term is derived from Hermes, the
divine messenger. As a link between the gods and
humans, Hermes "interprets," or make explicit the
meaning that is only implicit, or is hidden, in the divine
messages. The term is currently used in secular
disciplines as well. The intention is to make explicit the
implicit meanings in a text using hermeneutic tools for
interpretation.
It was the pivotal article of American historian Lynn White
Jr. in the journal Science that spurred the development of
counter-apologetics to White’s complaint against
Christianity. White, Jr. traced the cause of ecological
crises in the theological treatises and practices of the
Judeo-Christian traditions, assuming that it was Judeo-
Christian traditions that rationalized the exploitation of
nature. White claimed that 'especially in its Western form,
Christianity is the most anthropomorphic religion the
world has seen'.i Feminist theologians charged the
biblical texts with an inherent patriarchal bias as part of a
hermeneutic of suspicion. As a corrective to both
critiques, the stewardship reading of scripture attempted
to recover the texts that manifested God’s intention for
humanity with a responsibility for creation care. The
stewardship model too had anthropocentric overtones.
In Cry of the Earth, Cry of the Poor, liberation theologian
Leonardo Boff explicitly expands the preferential option
for the poor to include the cries of the Earth. Boff finds
Liberation theology and ecological discourse to share
something in common: they start from two bleeding
wounds. "The wound of poverty breaks the social fabric
of millions and millions of poor people around the world.
The other wound, systematic assault on the Earth, breaks
down the balance of the planet, which is under threat
from the plundering of development as practiced by
contemporary global societies. Both lines of reflection
and practice have as their starting point a cry: the cry of
the poor for life, freedom, and beauty (cf. Ex 3:7), and the
cry of the Earth groaning under oppression (cf. Rom 8:22-
23)."ii
One of the significant ecumenical projects was the
publication of The Earth Bible, which promoted a retrieval
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hermeneutic in reading and interpreting the scriptures
from Genesis to Revelation. This book series is an effort
offering a corrective to feminist critique and Lynn White’s
argument. In his introduction to the Earth Bible Series,
Norman C. Habel defines his approach as one
"concerned with listening to Earth as a subject in the
text—rather than as a topic in the text, or as the backdrop
to human history."iii A new ‘ecological hermeneutic’ has
been developed in order to let the voice of the earth be
heard. The intrinsic worth of the earth as subject can be
discerned in the text, which has three interrelated steps:
suspicion, identification, and retrieval.iv
In terms of a hermeneutic of suspicion, especially two
phenomena are deconstructed. The first is an
anthropocentric reading. Though biblical texts are
theocentric in nature, the writers being mostly men, the
narratives could be expected to be anthropocentric or
rather androcentric in character. The second is the
reification of nature, which leads to a dualism between
humans and nature. A hermeneutic of identification is one
of solidarity and empathy, acknowledging the kinship with
the wider earth community. By contrast, a hermeneutic of
retrieval is the recognition of the earth and of the
members of the earth as subjects with a voice.v The
process of retrieval is closely related to the prior steps of
suspicion and identification. Such retrieval exposes the
anthropocentric culture of Earth violence and oppression.
Then the identification with marginalized or silenced Earth
or Earth community produces counter-readings of
resistance and hope.
A hermeneutic of suspicion begins with critiques offered
by Lynn White on anthropocentric readings of texts or
feminist charge of androcentric readings of the text. The
next step of identification offers an imaginative voice of
the earth to be heard. The third step of retrieval attempts
to recover or rediscover the implicit meanings to be made
explicit as a corrective to traditional misinterpretations of
the texts.
The new ecological hermeneutics is part of human moral
obligation to help find a solution to the ecological crises
from an earth perspective using the lens of faith. This will
entail counter-readings of the biblical texts that identify
undercurrents that challenge the dominant
anthropocentric voices of the biblical text with an eco-
centric worldview. This paper will attempt to read the
Cain-Abel narrative from an eco-hermeneutic perspective.
An Eco-Hermeneutic Reading of Genesis 4: 1-16
Traditional interpretations have mostly ignored the role of
the Earth in the narrative. The word 'Earth', or more
precisely, 'ground' ('adämäh) occurs in the story of Cain
and Abel six times. An attempt is made in this article to
make an ecological reading of the story from the
perspective of the Earth. Of the three major components
of an Earth-oriented reading- suspicion, identification and
retrieval - the ecological reading will focus mainly on
identification and retrieval, uncovering the part that Earth
plays in the story and letting its voice be heard.
Genesis 4 ruminates on the nature of the relationship
between humanity and the ground and how the human
actions have a direct bearing on the plight of the earth.
There is a play of words with Adam and adämäh (ground
or soil) having a mutual relationship of origin and destiny.
God creates Adam from the ground and to the ground
one will return. Cain is cursed 'from the ground' [Genesis
2:7; 3: 19; 4:11].
The intimate connection between Cain and the ground is
evident in the passage. Cain offers the fruits of the
ground. It is in the field that the killing takes place. The
blood of his brother cries out to God from the ground and
Cain is cursed from the ground, which has opened it
mouth to receive the blood from his hands. After Cain kills
Abel, God starts a dialogue with Cain: Then the Lord said
to Cain, "Where is your brother Abel?" He said, "I do not
know; am I my brother’s keeper?” The word 'keeper'
echoes Gen 2:15 where the human is placed in the
garden to keep it. And now, Cain's destiny is to till the
ground that will yield him less. The judgment is passed on
Cain to remain a fugitive and wanderer on the earth.
Hebrew Bible scholar Mari Jørstad relates Cain's
responsibility towards Abel and the ground on the same
plane. Abel's return to the ground through the violence of
his brother in turn separates Cain from the ground. "The
ground opens its mouth and takes Abel’s blood, and
Abel, in response, uses the mouth of the ground to cry
out to God."vi Cain is thus cursed of the ground. Since
Cain's actions were destructive, the ground will no longer
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give its yield. Jørstad describes the ground as a moral
agent than a victim, a counterweight to human violence.vii
Such alienation of human beings began from the time
when Adam and Eve were expelled from the garden. Now
the cyclic and repetitive nature of sin continues to disrupt
the relationship between the human and the ground.
As part of the hermeneutic of retrieval the text calls us to
carefully hear the cries of the Earth community today and
empathetically give them voice so that everyone listens to
those cries. These suppressed voices provide the basis
for reconstructing the cries of earth that have been
silenced by traditional readings. Identifying earth and
members of the earth community as subject is the key in
the retrieval process.
Conclusion
The ground is very much part of the web of life and the
two must remain linked in a reciprocal relationship of
mutuality and responsibility. When such linkages are
broken wilfully by human activities, the ground stands in
opposition and resistance to human wrongdoing in the
created order. Let us listen to the cries of the earth, or
rather 'groaning' of the created order, which longs for the
redemption of the human beings. Let us not forget that
the COVID 19 Pandemic affected only the human
population. Before the arrival of human life on earth, the
web of life was uninterrupted. The whole inhabited world
bears the burden of human violence, a case unparalleled
in history. It is time to heed to the cry of the earth and cry
of the poor. An ecological hermeneutics gives vent to the
voices of the earth. The Cain-Abel narrative gives us a
clear prophetic voice emerging from the ground with
which all creation belongs.
Norman C. Habel’s articulation of a three-step process
involving suspicion, identification and retrieval has been a
useful tool of interpretation of biblical texts with an eco-
sensitive reading. The present ecological crisis may in
some respects also incite us – in line with the Earth Bible
Project, eliciting an Eco-hermeneutic reading of the
biblical texts to go beyond their original meaning,
allowing a critical reading that allows room for ethically
responsible actions. The task of interpreting the text
demands a strategy for reclaiming the sufferings and
struggles of the Earth, a task that involves regarding the
Earth and its community as our kin. An eco-hermeneutic
reading of the Cain-Abel narrative makes our ethical
options loud and clear.
*Rev. Dr. Alexander M. Isaac ;Associate Professor in the
Department of Theology and Ethics at the United
Theological College, Bangalore and an ordained minister
of the Mar Thoma Syrian Church of Malabar.
Don’t Look at Solomon, Look at Nature
A Biblical Reflection on St. Matthew 6: 25-30
Revd Oommen V. Varkey
Sermon on the Mount is generally considered as a
counter cultural manifesto of Jesus. References to the
Kingdom of God are laced throughout the sermon.
Jesus’ counter imagination, counter ethics and counter
practice are embedded in the narration of the sermon.
Jesus has seen the Kingdom of God as an alternative
space for counter practice. The notion of counter practice
is very important to discern and to resist the complexity
of our present age. This biblical portion is providing a
new perspective to counter the forces, which make
inroads into the life world of the people and nature.
Jesus, in St. Matthew 6: 25-30 is searching for
fundamental reasons for human anxiety. In this beautiful
and poetically narrated text, Jesus invites our attention to
look at (The verb here- look and consider- are
exceptionally strong. Jesus wants us not merely to glance
at but to look) the agents of nature such as: sky, field,
lotus, lilies, wild flowers grass, seeds, etc. Then he lists
the items, which are needed to sustain human life such as
food, water, cloth etc. After pointing out all these images
related to nature and human life, he brings out the name
of King Solomon. Text says, “But I tell you that not even
King Solomon with all his wealth had clothes as beautiful
as one of these flowers” (Vs 29) Why did Jesus bring out
King Solomon in this discourse? The answer can be
unearthed by reading in between the lines of this text.
Here Jesus is drawing a line vertically and putting King
Solomon on one side and agents of nature on the other
side. In that way Jesus compels the readers to compare
the functional logic of King Solomon and the operational
logic of the natural world. We have to note that Solomon
was an icon in the mind of Jewish people because of his
wisdom, wealth and luxury. The people’s consciousness
is affected by Solomon’s vision of social reality. This
consciousness was a betrayal of the radical vision of
Moses which was built up on economic justice and
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sharing. Royal consciousness of Solomon was
consolidated by several devices such as compulsory
taxing, accumulation and domesticating God for self-
interest. Functional principles of Solomon’s logic were
hegemonic, hierarchical, exploitative and accumulative. It
had an inbuilt mechanism to perpetuate human anxiety.
Jesus had an analysis about the life world of Solomon,
which was totally contrary to the operational principles of
nature.
Hence, Jesus outrightly rejected the functional logic of
Solomon and very clearly said, don’t look at Solomon,
look at nature (“But I tell you that not even King Solomon
with all his wealth had clothes as beautiful as one of these
flowers” vs29). Jesus asks us to look at nature. Look
around and see how God operates in the natural world.
Jesus uses birds and lilies to teach human beings about
how God operates in the natural world. Mutuality and
reciprocity are the fundamental principles of nature. If the
human world follows those principles, many of the
present human anxiety can be reduced.
In his public ministry, Jesus had publicly criticized King
Solomon on two more occasions. The first incident is
recorded in Mark 13:1-2, where Jesus questions
Solomon’s model of affluence and super construction. In
order to understand his critic against the temple we must
go through the discourse occurred just before (Mk.12:41-
44). Jesus was sitting opposite the treasury and was
watching the offering contributed by people. He noticed
the contrast between the large contribution placed in the
till by the rich and the meagre sum by the widow. She
had put in everything she had, her whole substance.
Infuriated by the thought that a widow had been made
destitute by tithing obligation, Jesus summons his
disciples for another solemn teaching. This widow gives
all she had to an institution that was going to be utterly
destroyed. In the very next passage Jesus declared of the
temple, “You see these great buildings? Not a single
stone here will be left in its place; every one of them will
be thrown down” (Mk.13:2). Solomon’s temple was
considered one of the architectural wonders of the
ancient Mediterranean world. It was indeed a magnificent
structure, a bigger than life, architectural symbol of their
social project. (Jerusalem temple was rebuilt by king
Herod and the construction work on the outer court and
decorations continued throughout Jesus’ lifetime until 62-
64 CE) Here Jesus is raising a vital question that is, do
you see this great structure? We are all well aware that
we cannot build a mega structure without exploiting the
nature. Again, Jesus points to nature and reaffirms that
small is beautiful. He asks us to keep distance from the
utilitarian logic of King Solomon.
On another occasion also Solomon’s model was
outrightly rejected by Jesus (Luke 11:31). In a
conversation with people Jesus referred the wisdom of
King Solomon and the visits of Queen of Sheba “On
Judgement Day the Queen of Sheba will stand up and
accused the people of today, because she travelled all the
way from her country to listen to King Solomon’s wise
teaching; and I tell you there is something here greater
than Solomon” (Lk.11:31). What does history tell us about
Solomon? His great power and fascinating wisdom led
the nation into civil war and ended up in conquest and
exile. Jesus emphatically says that here is a person
greater than Solomon. That means one should not follow
the value system of Solomon where everything that was
big was beautiful and fascinating. Jesus himself asked
the people look at him and see the new alternative
practice of life which promotes peace, Justice and
integrity of creation. We need some kind of discernment
about what is genuinely valuable and sustainable.
All these texts are providing tools for cultivating counter
imaginations to discern the complexities of our time. We
need counter imagination to overcome the meta
narrations of the present capital-utilitarian oriented world.
Our social realm has become more complex and
fragmented. The capital and market are having complete
sway over people and all areas of human life have been
brought under their control. WCC former General
Secretary Konrad Raiser points out that “increasing
numbers of people are being excluded from the ‘one
world’ of this integrated system, condemned to mere
survival on its fringes. Globalization symbolizes a form of
human power, which can no longer be controlled.
Because the global economic and financial system
recognize no limits - whether of national boundaries,
political sovereignty or ecological sustainability - it finally
becomes self-destructive”
In the light our meditation some common concerns are
shared for further reflection.
1. Learn to live within the limits
Modern world is growth-oriented and unlimited growth is
its goal. Our modern economic system is a cruel parody
of biblical jubilee vision. We have indeed created a
situation of “scarcity” in nature because of our relentless
plundering of the land and its gifts. At the same time,
capitalism has demonstrated incredible ingenuity and
capacity to manufacture “artificial abundance” (think of
30 kinds of cereal or toothpaste at your local
supermarket). There is enough, but it is no longer a gift of
creation. Rather, it is a marketed commodity, which by
definition does not circulate equitably to everyone. Our
refusal to limit our appetites has drained natural
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abundance, and our artificial abundance belongs to the
few. This is not ironic; It is idolatrous. Humanity is part of
God’s creation. It is placed within the limits of finitude,
ultimately under the limits of death. Hence, we the human
beings, individually and collectively, must learn to live
within limits.
2. Learn to live with nature
On many grounds, we are at a crossroads. Our mere
survival is on trial and faces deep crisis. Consequences
of climate change are making deep inroads in our day-
today life. Historian Eric Hobsbawm concluded his
famous book The Age of Extremes with a warning: “We
do not know where we are going. We only know that
history has brought us to this point. However, one thing is
plain. If humanity is to have a recognizable future, it
cannot be by prolonging the past or the present. If we try
to build the third millennium on that basis, we shall fail.
And the price of failure, that is to say, the alternative to a
changed society, is darkness.” We have to take nature
seriously and build a counter practice to live with nature.
Humanity has no choice but to develop ways to live with
nature in order to sustain the integrity of creation.
3. Learn to live in relationship
The basic notion of life is that nobody can live alone for a
long time. Life is possible only in relationship. As finite,
physical creatures, we are dependent upon those around
us. -human and nonhuman for our survival. If we go
without water for more than three days or without food
more than three weeks, our vital organs and systems shut
down, and we die. We cannot guarantee, on our own,
that we will have a constant supply of water or a
consistent source of food. In order to live, therefore, we
are radically dependent on others. According to Howard
Thurman, the great inspiration of civil rights movement,
“Human beings, all human beings belong to each other,
and anyone who shuts himself away diminishes himself,
and anyone who shuts another away from themselves
destroys himself”. Mutuality and reciprocity are the two
components behind the organizing principles of the
Universe. It is our failure to grasp the way the universe
works. Bishop Desmond Tutu once said: “We can be
safe only together, we can be prosperous only together,
we can survive only together, we can be human only
together. How can we learn to accept ‘others’ in their
difference, not as a threat, but as a potential enrichment?
“As a faith community let us ponder how to re-read and
respond to these challenges posed by Jesus two
thousand years ago.
*Revd Oommen V. Varkey, Priest in the Mar Thoma
Church. He taught Social Analysis in Mar Thoma
Theological Seminary, Kottayam. Former director of
TMAM Research and Orientation Centre, Kottayam and
JMM Study Centre, Trivandrum.
Sustainability of Nature and the Mission of the Church
Valson Thampu
The word ‘nature’ evokes an assortment of responses.
What do we mean by nature? Is it a quarry of resources
subjected wholly to the will of man? Is man a part of, or
the lord of, nature? How does nature connect to human
nature?
Today we prefer the word ‘environment’ to nature. The
former is, obviously, a word of limited evocation than
nature. Human beings are the centre of environment. It
constitutes whatever that surrounds us. It is analogous to
the position of the earth in the Ptolemaic model of the
universe. The Sun goes around the earth. In mythology,
the Sun is a chariot driven by Helios. The adventure of his
son, Phaeton, is well known to us; and it doesn’t have to
be recounted here. We can be Helios, or Phaeton, in
relation to the ‘chariot’ of nature.
An aspect of the progress that our species has achieved
is that the functions once considered to be exclusive to
God are taken over by human beings. Human usurpation
of divine roles underlies the pattern of progress. We
denote this today as secularisation. Progress and
secularisation are inseparable. As we grow, we outgrow
our Father in heaven. We think, we have come of age.
Like in the parable of the lost son that Jesus taught, sons
leave their Father and go to the far country, celebrating
their coming of age. These potentially lost sons,
historically understood, symbolise the secularised
humankind, characterised by the ‘waste of substance’ as
an entitlement.
Wasting one’s substance involves a misunderstanding of
what constitutes one’s inheritance, which, in turn, implies
a straining of one’s relationship to the Father. Like in the
case of the son in the parable, humankind is not the
creator, but the inheritor of nature. Why does human
nature incline towards creating a gulf between the
inheritance and the Giver of that inheritance? The
prospect of abuse and waste is immanent in this pattern.
To want to go to the far country, to be independent of the
father, is to want, howsoever subconsciously, to waste
one’s substance. Substance is a term of wide ontological
scope. Beyond the totality of material resources it also
refers to the larger nuances of life, as implied in the words
of Jesus, ‘Man does not live by bread alone, but by every
word that comes from the mouth of God’. To waste one’s
substance is to become an abuser of one’s resources as
well as of the uniqueness in being human. As a rule, one
cannot ‘waste’ anything without corrupting oneself as
well as legitimizing a culture of callousness regarding the
management of the shared garden of life this world is
divinely envisaged to be.
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The issue of ‘sustainability’ of nature is a misleading
formulation of this creational logic. The key issue is not
how nature may be ‘sustained’. The issue is how human
nature may be so maintained as to enable human beings
to be responsible stewards of nature. Nature, as God’s
creation, is sustainable. God, the Creator, found
everything he created ‘good’. What is good is
sustainable, unless its ‘goodness’ is corrupted by another
agent of action.
In this context we must reckon the biblical idea of human
‘freedom’. The unique extent of freedom that human
beings have, as compared to other forms of life in
creation, stems from a unique relationship to nature
presupposed in it. If humankind were a ‘natural’ part of
nature –say, the dust without the breath of God - human
freedom would have been woefully limited and we would
have been like other animals. No other species in nature,
except human beings, can undermine the sustainability of
nature. Human freedom is the reason for this. The more
human beings emerge from nature, and root themselves
in culture as an alternative to God, the more they tend to
undermine nature.
Culture is a domain of metaphysical forgetfulness. Or, in
the metaphor of the Bible, it is our ‘hiding place’. Adam
and Eve, after their transgression, hid themselves from
God. That marks the seminal shift from nature to culture.
The Garden, envisaged to be a sphere of work and
fellowship, becomes a hiding place. Historically speaking,
it is from memory that human beings seek to hide. The
need for Adam and Eve to hide arises out of the vocation
entrusted to them, which they need, now, to forget. In
their present state of life, that memory is unbearable.
What was that vocation?
Adam was entrusted with Eden ‘to till the land and to take
care of the garden’. What did this mean?
To ‘till’ is to seek what is hidden. Eden has two kinds of
resources: manifest and un-manifest. ‘Fruit’ is the bridge
between the two. Every tree in nature, every seed sown,
serves as a bridge between the revealed and the hidden.
Human beings prefer to function, if possible, entirely in
terms of the given, the manifest, the tangible; even as
they subsist also on the un-manifest. That is because the
human instinct to ‘control’ is feasible only in relation to
this. There is no way we can control the un-manifest.
Materialism, the insistence that matter alone matters, is
not a matter of scientific disposition. Instead, it stems
from the inclination to simplify life so as to control the
world and to keep it in subjection to human will.
‘Tilling’, however, is inalienable to being human for the
reason that life is designed to be a continuous dialogue
between the given and the not-yet, which dwells in the
‘depth’ of things. To till is to go deeper. The deeper we
go, the weaker becomes of our ability to control. Depth
defies man’s craving to control and covet. The depth
belongs to God. The satanic temptation that Eve faced
echoes this reality.
Why would we want to be ‘like God’? Well, we want to
play God, without being burdened by the duty to be like
God. It is like Phaeton wanting to drive the chariot of the
Sun without being Helios-like. Phaeton is the son of
Helios, but he is not Helios. For Helios, driving the Sun-
chariot is a duty, undertaken routinely as per the cosmic
rhythm that ‘sustains’ life. For Phaeton, it is a mere
adventure. What is wrong with being ‘adventurous’, you
may well ask. Well, adventure takes place on the surface
of things. It is not quite the same as ‘tilling’. Depth is
extraneous to adventure qua adventure; unless the one
who embarks on the adventure is mindful of the depth of
things. In that case adventure will take on the sort of
overtones that the ministry of Jesus Christ did.
Redemption is basic to the combination of adventure and
depth.
What about quarrying, then? As Martin Heidegger said,
quarrying, like farming, involves technology. But, oh, how
different in its effect! The technology of the farmer
sustains the land. The technology of the miner and the
industrial culture he represents ruins the land. Every site
of mining looks bleak and cheerless. Outrage hangs in the
air around it.
The problem with technology in the hands of human
beings who have wilfully chosen to be in the ‘far country’
of culture is that it excludes the second half of the
responsibility entrusted to humankind: to take care of the
garden. Indeed, the attractiveness of the ‘far country’ is
that it affords enjoyment unrestricted by the duty to care.
Caring denotes the grammar of sustainability. Remove
the discipline -the spirituality, if you like- of caring, then
sustainability ceases to be a concern whatsoever.
Creation, however, is inseparable from caring. Caring is a
response inspired by a sense of intrinsic worth, which
inhibits exploitation. What exploitation sans the caring
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spirit cannot accept is the duty to sustain what one
handles. Greed substitutes caring for coveting. Coveting
is the economic underbelly of the psychology of
controlling. Logically speaking, there is no need to
institute a Commandment to the effect, ‘Thou shalt care’.
It is enough to command, ‘Thou shalt not covet’.
Covetousness inhibits the caring spirit of humankind;
replaces caring with cruelty. Greed kills. In relation to
nature, greed rapes. Both are primeval sins.
We must appreciate, in this light, why the interdiction
against covetousness is instituted as a divine
Commandment. What is even marginally negotiable or
optional will not be turned into a Commandment.
Commandments pertain to the absolute ‘musts’ of life. To
break any Commandment is to undermine the
sustainability of life itself. The fatal consequences of
breaking Commandments may not strike us precipitously
like a lightning. But the consequences of it are sure to
work their inexorable way.
God has kept the key to nature hidden in human nature.
This is the prime idea that underlies the centrality of
humankind to nature. This intuition is embedded in the
story of the Fall. It is consequent to the alienation of
human beings from God that disharmony –symbolised by
thorns and thistles- springs up between human beings
and nature. This seminal pattern shapes the spiritual
response to nature.
In the teachings of Jesus Christ in particular in his similes
and parables- the parallel between nature and human
nature is present all through. Nature is a canvas on which
fundamental truths are portrayed. Human beings are
unable to read this script of wisdom because of their
alienation from God. Alienation from God induces
alienation from the Creation. We can no longer ‘read’
nature. We have forgotten the script of this primeval
language, so to speak.
Nature and Church
This brings us to the spiritual mission of the church in
relation to nature. Here a few basic facts need to be
stated.
(a) Christianity is not a nature religion. It is alien to the
biblical worldview that supernatural powers, as resident in
elemental forces and sources, are to be worshipped or
appeased. Instead, God is the Lord of the Creation as a
whole.
(b) Nature is, all the same, the setting of life and worship,
as in the Garden of Eden in which work and worship
involve each other. This should not, however, be mistaken
for ‘nature worship’.
(c) The Church is envisaged to be the ‘body’ of Jesus
Christ. ‘Body’, in Jewish thought, symbolises personality.
The spiritual purpose in instituting the church is, hence, to
incarnate the personality of Jesus.
(d) Jesus is the embodiment of God’s love for the world. It
is intrinsic to the nature of love to care. The church, as
the incarnation of the personality of Jesus, is mandated to
spread a caring culture that embraces the created order
as a whole
(e) This the church can do only if it renounces
covetousness. Jesus’ body, as the sacrament reminds us,
is to be given, not to be bartered or sold for profit. The
sacrament, if its spirit is understood, is a perpetual
warning against covetousness.
(f) The church, while it is the body of Jesus Christ, is not,
in itself, the redeemer. It is only a sign-post that leads
human beings to the redeemer.
(g) The opposite of the covetous attitude to life and nature
is the sacrificial attitude, as exemplified in Jesus Christ.
The sacrificial spirit is basic to the caring culture. This is
‘the way’ the church is mandated to witness, or preach,
to the world.
(h) The strategy appropriate and legitimate to this task is
working towards the ‘new creation’: transformed human
nature by being re-oriented to the nature of Jesus.
Now consider how church’s mission to nature is not to be
undertaken. In the ‘90s of the last century, a theological
slogan –Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation- was
enunciated from the western hemisphere. It was also
denoted as holistic mission. It spread like wildfire through
Christendom. How was this ‘new’ mission pursued by the
churches in India, to the extent that they heeded it? I
remember several bishops hiring water tankers at
considerable expenses to go around, watering plants and
trees on the roadside. Innumerable Bible studies were
conducted to convince everyone that commitment to the
‘integrity of creation’ was basic to Christianity. On the
face of it, it was obvious to everyone, except those in the
bandwagon that this was, at best, exotic romantic
sentimentality. Consequently, it died prematurely.
Consider, for a moment, the history of the global track-
record in managing the environmental crisis. Many global
summits involving the leaders of the world have been
organized. Protocols and declarations have been evolved
and issued. But the crisis continues to grow grimmer.
Why?
It is absolutely certain that nature cannot be sustained
without curbing lifestyles. In the run-up to the Rio de
Janeiro Earth Summit of 1992, President George Bush
(Sr.) declared, ‘The American way of life is not up for
negotiations’. Fight climate change, protect the integrity
of creation, enhance the sustainability of nature; do what
you like, but don’t touch the American way of life! This is
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quite similar to the attitude we too maintain. We all like to
be ‘transformed’ and become ‘the new creation’; but we
don’t want anything in us, or about us, to change. We are
ready to welcome transformation, provided we don’t have
to change. ‘Lord, save me from my sins,’ so goes one of
St. Augustine’s prayers (of satirical intent), ‘but do not
take away from me the fruits of my sins.’
Is the church, as it exists today, capable of –does it have
the spiritual-moral stature- to make a difference in regard
to the crisis the world is facing today? How relevant is the
church to any aspect of human life at the present time?
The COVID-19 pandemic, for example. Can the
parochialism on which we pride ourselves co-exist with
any kind of responsibility concerning global issues? Apart
from issuing politically and culturally correct ‘statements’
-besides showcasing, on occasions, tokens of
conformity- is the church in a position to incarnate the
‘counter-culture’ it takes to protect nature from the
holocaust of human greed?
This brings us to a key pattern that is often overlooked.
Lacking spiritual vigilance, we do not realize the extent to
which the church conforms to ‘the pattern of the world’.
Each age has its dominant pattern. The pattern of our age
is industry. ‘Industry’ is the dominant metaphor of life
today. Industry is run for profit, not charity. Profit
alienates. Profit-seeking makes human being predatory.
The tiger that springs on its prey is seeking its own ‘profit’
or gain, unmindful of what happens to its prey. It was this
attitude on the part of the custodians of religion two
thousand years ago that led to the Crucifixion of Jesus.
The Crucifixion, as Dietrich Bonheoffer said, is not what
happened to one person alone; it symbolises the plight of
humanity in a profit-seeking, covetous way of life.
Today everything is organized as an industry. It was
Justice V. R. Krishna Iyer, one of our most enlightened
judges, who ordered that health be treated as an industry.
Education, NGO work in general, media, everything is, in
principle, run as an industry. If religion is run as an
industry –with faith as the capital- it is inevitable that the
pattern of the world prevails over us. Then we become
part of the problem, not the solution. We may ‘preach’,
but our preaching will not ‘heal’; neither individuals, nor
nature.
Where practical relevance diminishes sentimentality and
wishful thinking take over. As a result, we fondle self-
images of pleasurable romanticism and imagine ourselves
as potential healers of a terminally ill nature. We will pray
and evolve special liturgies. They are quite similar to the
pious intentions that politicians and heads of states
announce at climate conferences and earth summits.
Nothing comes of it. The troika, as Gogol said about
Russia under the Tsar, hurtles downhill with accelerating
speech!
Am I saying, therefore, that the church should not
address the pressing question of the sustainability of
nature? No, not at all! All I am saying is that, for our
posturing to command credibility and authenticity, we
need to incarnate a lifestyle that is conducive to the
sustainability of nature.
The question often asked in this regard is as follows. The
church is a small, powerless thing. How is it to make a
difference in this respect globally? When such questions
are asked, I derive comfort and confidence from the
parable of the mustard seed. It is not the ponderous scale
of the beginning, but the relevance of the vision, integrity
of purpose, and the willingness to endure over time, that
make the difference.
Here’s what I have been doing, as a private individual, to
mind the sustainability of nature.
-I began to reduce to consumption of paper very
substantially from three decades ago. As an author, this
poses serious difficulties to me. Editing one’s texts on the
screen in risky. But I have given up taking printouts
altogether. More trouble for me, less for nature on
account of me. I used to subscribe to more than one
newspaper. I have now reduced it to one.
-I maintain my needs at the lowest minimum; whether it is
water, petrol, clothes, or phone. It suffices, for example,
to open the tap to a quarter-measure for the sake of
personal hygiene, except when having a bath.
-I have been reducing travel –especially air travel-
gradually. By now I have renounced air travel, which is a
major cause of ozone depletion. It is not talked about
because it could affect the elite sections in all societies.
-I work like a quasi, amateur farmer. I am convinced that
farmers are the greatest friends of nature. They sustain
the vitality of nature. Sadly, though, succumbing to the
greed that modern culture injects into the veins of every
human being, farmers too have come to endanger the
integrity of creation. In this I won’t blame them; but blame
the state of affairs, which forces them to be so. Man, as a
parasite on nature, will be a predator in relation to nature.
I feel that my sweat is in relation to nature is what the
blood of Jesus is in relation to human nature.
It is only when work and worship become one under the
umbrella of sustained daily communion with God that
man becomes a caretaker, or steward, or nature.
Anything short of this -within the church, without the
church- will sustain the war on nature, even as truce is
declared on nature. As St. Augustine says, the people of
the world will preach peace and prepare for war at the
same time. To me, nothing summaries human hypocrisy
in relation to nature better than these words.
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The CARPENTER’S SON –
A Christmas Reflection
Lal Varghese, Esq. Dallas
Jesus was chosen to be born as a carpenter’s son in a
borrowed manger, but he is the son of our heavenly
Father who was with the Father from the beginning of
time (John 1: 1-5) and to be buried in a borrowed tomb.
God could have chosen many ways for His incarnation,
but He selected Mary and Joesph. By inhabiting the
womb of Mary, a village girl from Nazareth, a very clear
message is made about where God's priorities lie. There
is no bias towards respectability, wealth, prestige; indeed,
all of things, which we too often value, seem to have been
deliberately avoided. A west Texas man was in a Church
with shabby clothes. The pastor of the Church was upset
about his dress and asked him to talk to God and come
back dressed like others. He came back wearing the
same rugged clothes. Pastor asked him, "I thought I told
you to talk to God and return dressed like all others." He
said, "I talked to God, but He said He was never been to
your Church." Christ chose to be born in a manger and
not in a palace. If Christ were to come to our parishes,
probably we may not recognize Him and may even ask to
Him to do the same thing the pastor asked the west
Texas man. It is not in the way we dress, and the
appearance when we attend the church, which matters,
but it is our faith and commitment to live the gospel,
which matters.
Christ must be born within us so that we can be Christ
like. The one who created the whole world chose to be
born in a manger. The one who has our destiny in His
hands chose to submit to His father’s will and to die on
the cross. We celebrate Christmas without knowing the
reason for the season. We often forget the child born in
the manger when we celebrate His birth. This child’s life
and His death on the cross should be able to change our
life and the life of others around through us, and our
parish life.
(Continued on Page 43)
The Church and the Ecological Crisis
Dr. K. V. Thomas and Dr. Elizabeth Thomas*
Introduction
“The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of
Eden to work it and take care of it” . Instead of taking care of
1
it man misused and exploited the earth. Over the centuries
his activities endangered the very existence of the earth and
all that is in it, by destroying its ecological equilibrium.
Historical Background
In the early stages of history, the Christian Churches all over
the world adopted a favorable attitude towards nature. St
Francis of Assisi in many of his poems “extolled the natural
world and the God who created it” . During the Renaissance
2
there was a dramatic change in the conceptualization of
nature. The creator was reduced as an inventor with no
“ongoing relationship with his creation” . Thus, the earth was
3
converted to a resource-base for human consumption. The
churches across the world were no exception to these
changes.
The inordinate misuse of the earth continued until 1960s
when some environmentalists became aware of the
disastrous effects of industrialization; certain religious
groups joined too . The World Council of Churches (WCC)
4
became active in environmental advocacy since 1970s
mainly by lobbying at major international conferences.
Roman Catholic Church
The Roman Catholic Church initiated action against the
ecological crisis when Pope John Paul II on January 1, 1990,
delivered his ‘World Day of Peace message’ in which he
lamented a “widespread destruction of environment” . Pope
Francis’ encyclical on the environmental crisis, ‘Laudato Si’,
Published in 2015, strongly reasoned “one’s moral
responsibility for earth as our home” . 6
The Catholic Green Initiative has helped parish schools to
install solar panels and has advocated for state legislatures
in California to climatic change and sustainability. The
Conference of Catholic Bishops of India (CCBI) and the
Kerala Catholic Bishops Council (KCBC) have shown great
interest in protecting nature. The Bishops Council exhorts
the faithful to adopt the policy of “recycle, reuse, reduce”
without affecting natural resources . 7
Anglican Church
Anglican churches all over the world respond to multiple
disasters in different countries and the youths of the
churches actively take part in creating awareness pertaining
to the dangers of ecological imbalance. In February, 2020
Church of England's General Synod set an ambitious target
22 | P a g e F O C U S , J a n u a r y , 2 0 2 2 , V o l . 1 0 , P a r t 1
date of 2030 for the church to become carbon neutral.
Several church dioceses are developing strong diocesan
environmental plans . > 8
The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, has joined
other representatives from the Church of England, the
Roman Catholic Church, Methodist and Reformed Churches,
the Salvation Army and other denominations along with
leaders in the Muslim, Sikh and Jewish communities to sign
the Lambeth Declaration (2015/16) as an urgent call of
interfaith leaders. The Declaration highlights: “As leaders of
the faith communities we recognize the urgent need for
action on climate change. From the perspective of our
different faiths, we see the earth as a beautiful gift… for the
sake of all who share this world today and those who will
share it tomorrow” . 9
United Methodist Church
The United Methodist Church of the United States has been
active in supporting the farmers of their rural churches in
their agricultural activities to save nature . They are very
10
active in climate change responses as well, for example, the
Methodist church's response before the COP26 such as:
1 Continuing to take steps at all levels to reduce
carbon footprint in conjunction with organisation
such as 'Eco Church'.
2 A youth led campaign called 'Climate Justice for All'
5
that will work on an international stage to highlight
the global challenges facing communities ahead of
COP26 in November.
3 Working ecumenically through the Joint Public Issue
Team to promote resources and action for climate
justice .
11
Presbyterian Church
The Presbyterian General Assemblies in the USA have given
special emphasis on issues of environmental protection and
justice since the late 1960s. The Assemblies major policy
statements on environment were in 1971 and 1990 and on
energy in 1981. The 202 General Assembly (1990) adopted a
nd
policy statement on “Restoring creation for Ecology and
Justice”. One important recommendation of the 208 (2008) th
General Assembly was that an increasing percentage of the
nation’s energy be produced renewably and sustainably” . 12
Seventh Day Adventists
The Seventh Day Adventists advocate a simple wholesome
lifestyle, where people are advised to avoid over
consumption, accumulation of goods and production of 8. Using Bio gas plants for working purposes in the
waste. Members of the local churches are encouraged to parsonages and church halls when possible.
initiate steps to work with agencies that are protecting 9. Create a strong awareness in the minds of the
environment and “Recycle, remodel, reuse, reclaim, repair
people about the urgent need to realize the
and practice restraint” . 13

importance of imminent calamities due to ecological

Main Churches of Kerala
The main Churches of Kerala have taken strong actions to
save the ecology of the area and, “Environment is
increasingly becoming part of evangelization and faith
formation for the churches in Kerala”, Mathew Koshy
Punnackadu, Secretary of the Ecological Commission of
Episcopal Churches in Kerala told ENI news. He said that
besides the CSI, Mar Thoma Church, the Orthodox Church
as well as the Catholic Church are part of the Ecumenical
Commission, he co-ordinates. The commission organized a
major convention on the “religious response to ecological
challenges” that was attended by Hindu, Muslim and
Buddhist leaders as well as Church leaders . 14
imbalances. The training for this should start from
home (individual), church run schools, colleges,
other institutions etc. (institutional) and policies,
procedures, enabling environment, necessary
institutional framework to promote ecological
approaches and creation care (systemic).
10. Establish an on line “Mission Field” to focus on the
Ecological Crises that threaten Churches as a part
of the global community.
Conclusion

The Christian Churches as a whole should emphasize the

fact that “The earth is the Lord’s and everything in it, the
Church of South India (CSI), the second largest Protestant world, and all who live in it” . Therefore, it is a sin to misuse
19

denomination in India, has given special emphasis on
ecology and has initiated many action plans to execute the
decisions taken by the Ecological committee at the synod
level functioning since 1998. They have started the
ecological department in 2021 to organize various programs
and projects . The CSI has proposed many ideas including
15
the resources of the earth and subsequently to pave the way
for the destruction of mankind. All Christians are answerable
to God for their actions on this earth. It is not a destiny we
are doomed to but a choice we seem to be making. Let us
wake up from our sleep walk into disastrous calamities like

floods, landslides, wildfires and climatic change impacts.

“Do not build ornate Churches, use LED bulbs, plant Although some efforts are being made by the Churches to
saplings and water them from rainwater harvesting, instead face the ecological crisis, a lot more is yet to be done.
of plastic, use steel plates during religious services, serve
food on banana leaves to avoid wastage of soap and water Bibliography
etc. . These must be need-based, “no regret” options and
16

not a display of pomp and glory. 1. The Holy Bible Gen. 2:15.
2. Islandora.wrle.org- Ecotheology and the United
The Mar Thoma Church is observing the first Sunday after
the Environment Day in June as the Environment Sunday Methodist Church – Kelsey Poole.
every year. The then Metropolitan Mar Chrysostom had 3. Ibid.
asked the faithful to switch off electrical equipment when not 4. Ibid.
in use and to remove one electrical bulb and live without it 5. ate connection.org.
for 50 days of the Lent period . 17
6. https://washtheocon.org – Crossroads of Dialogue,
Faith and Learning, Ecology and the Churches –
Some suggestions to preserve our ecological system by Official Statement and Resources for study June 2015.
the Christian churches are as follows: 7. https://ccbi.in>ecology
8. https://anglicanalliance.org;
1. Using Church land for gardening and cultivation as
9. https://www.churchofengland.org/;
shown by Bishop Sabu Koshy Cherian of the CSI . 18

https://washtheocon.org
2. Increased use of electric or solar powered vehicles.
10. https://www.ume-gbes.org
3. Using public transport systems or pooling of cars to
11. https://www.methodist.org.uk
attend religious functions. 12. https://presbyterian.ca
4. Reducing unnecessary physical meetings by 13. https://www.adventistworld.org
adopting zoom, Google meet or other online means. 14. https://www.newindianexpress.com
5. Avoid large crowds in meetings of the churches, 15. csimkdecological.org
especially when food is served. 16. www.asianews.it
6. Reduce large-scale celebrations with a variety of 17. https://www.thehindu.com 23 May 2013.
rd

food items for services like baptism, marriage etc. 18. csimkdecological.org
7. Giving importance to spiritual growth and not 19. Psalm 24:1.
material growth such as large, ornate church
buildings.

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Evolving an Eco- Theology for Christian Mission in Post-
Pandemic India
Revd Dr. M. J. Joseph, Kottayam*
Basic Eco- perceptions
In an Indian Eco-theology, the first step is to initiate an in-
depth search for the meaning of the interconnectedness
of life in the pluralistic context of Asia. As plurality is
integral to Reality, any search for the meaning of
ecological pluralism in Asia and its impact on human life
must be based on a “pedagogy of encounter”. There is a
challenge before us to live with the knowledge of unity in
diversity. The riddle of the philosophical question of the
“one and the many” can only be answered through the
keeping of oikos concept at the grassroots level. It
involves recognition, appreciation, assimilation and
comprehension so as to celebrate life at its best. ln the
Asian scenario of the COVID pandemic ecology creates a
common platform for dialogue among the Asian religions
and secular movements towards a common future or a
better tomorrow.
I would like to list out the following basic perceptions for
ecological sensitivity in God’s universe whether in Asia or
elsewhere. i) Recognition of the web of life in God’s order
of creation. ii) Ecological plurality as integral to the very
core of human existence on this planet. iii) Stewardship of
human beings as parents of God’s creation. v) Living in
peace with nature.vi) Establishment of ecological values
of life as eco-dharma (ethics) which makes the Kingdom
of God visible and affirmative in life on earth vii)
Recognition of solidarity with the five elements of the
universe. These basic assumptions compel us to search
for a mission paradigm for the Church in Asia. Kofi
Annan, the former Secretary General of UN, has rightly
remark on the world scenario: “All of us have to share the
earth’s fragile eco-systems and precious resources and
each of us has a role to play in preserving them. If we are
to go on living together on this planet, we must all be
responsible for it. Let us be good stewards of the earth
we inherited”. “The earth is the Lord’s and all that is in
it.” The whole creation is facing innumerable dangers and
its is on the verge of extinction to a certain extent. There
is a re-thinking on the part of all concerned across any
religious divide as how we have to handle Nature. The
time has come for us to search for a common thread
among the Holy Books of all religions and other secular
movements for the protection of the environment.
‘Weaving community of hope in Asia’ be realized through
a dedicated search for the integrity of creation, as “the
earth is a shared inheritance” (Pope Francis)
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In Search of a Green Spirituality: Global scenario
According to the Oxford Dictionary, “the word “integrity”
means, “the quality of being honest, fair and good”; “the
state of being whole and unified”. A religious response to
climate crisis or climate injustice is now being explored at
the universal level of debate. The interpretation of
Religious Scriptures is being recognized as integral to the
evolution of a culture of peace and eco-justice. In the
Colombo Consultation of URI (Jan 31-Feb.4 2015) on the
topic “Holy Books and Eco-Spirituality,” it was concluded
that there is a common thread among the Holy Books of
the Religions of the World as a divine mandate for the
protection and preservation of Nature and its diminishing
resources. The Encyclical by Pope Francis (June 18,
2015) under the title, “Laudato Si” (I praise Thee) speaks
of the need to care for the earth and the climate justice
issues. Pope called on a bold cultural revolution to
correct what he described as a “structurally perverse
economic system where the rich exploit the poor, turning
Earth into an “immense pile of filth” (The New, Indian
Express, 20-6-2015) (For a detailed discussion of the
Pope’s Encyclical, Laudato Si, see National Catholic
Reporter, A reader’s guide to Laudato Si by Jesuit Fr.
Thomas Reese, July 2015.) The encyclical is indeed an
eco- capsule for the care of our common home.
The 9th Assembly of the WCC in Brazil (2006), under the
theme, “God in your mercy transform the world” had
shared very explicit concern over the abuse of the
environment.
The I0th Assembly of the WCC at Bussan (2013) under
the general theme, “God of life, lead us to justice and
peace” also speaks of a Theo-centric understanding of
Eco-justice in the world today.
As life is the gift of God, there is a divine mandate to
preserve and promote life at its best in the whole world. In
such an attempt, there comes a hymn of praise in the
order of creation as the Psalmist perceived and
interpreted it in Ps.150:6: “Let all that breathe praise the
Lord”.
In search of Green Spirituality, the humans encounter the
divine as Moses experienced it in the burning bush or
Adam in the Garden of Eden. All the religions of the world
speak of the integrity of creation “as a cosmic vision in
nature”. In Ps. 66: 4 we read “All the earth worships Thee;
they sing, praises to Thee, sing praises to Thy name-”.
A sustainable future for all is a vision to be realized
through the combined effort of all the religious people
and others with secular ideologies. The Clean India
concept of the government of India today is a call to live
by the precepts of the Eco-dharma. Flora and fauna are in
birth pangs due to the rape of the mother earth and our
violation of moral laws in eco-ethics. The contributions of
the Nobel Laureates Al Gore and Pauchuri have
confirmed this.
Climate crisis is attributed to the wanton human
intervention in the rhythm of nature. A purely
anthropocentric attitude to nature makes the earth sick as
the prophet Isaiah rightly said long ago: “The earth dries
up and withers, the world languishes and withers, the
heavens languish together with the earth. The earth lies
polluted under its inhabitants, for they have
transgressed laws, violated the statutes, broken the
everlasting covenant” (Is. 24:4-5).
The charm of religion is that it can evoke a kind of
response that is different from scientific and technological
reasoning. We have been warned by researchers that the
ecological crisis of today is not simply about climate
change and global warming, “but is about us, our lives,
and the planet and the way the powerful and the rich of
earth have dominated and kept destroying nature for
centuries to accumulate private wealth.
The polluting, life-style of the rich is to be understood as
“an undeclared war on the poor” largely due to the
destruction of our bio-wealth. We need to remember that
“defending the earth is not a project, but a way of life”.
The prophetic words of Jurgen Moltmann are worth
recalling: “We shall not be able to achieve social justice
without justice for natural environment. We shall not be
able to achieve justice for nature without social justice”.
“Return to nature” is an urgent prophetic call of ecological
ecumenism after the recent Fukishima Tragedy and the
COVID Pandemic.
Eco- Justice - a divine imperative
In the web of life, eco- justice is a celebration of
relationship- being fair to all forms of life- In an eco-vision
of the earth community ‘giving, what is due to each
component of the whole’, is a divine mandate to establish
just relationship which is the raison d’être of just peace.
This is well stated in Gen.2:l where we read that Adam is
created out of adama (the ground/ soil). The relation
between man and the ground is deep and intense. As
human body is made of panchaboothas -earth, water, fire,
air and space- there exists a kinship in the wider
spectrum of life.
A harmonious existence of the symbols of life could be
called prevalence of just peace in God’s creation. Any
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kind of imbalance/ disorientation is a state of alienation.
The petition in the Lord’s Prayer. “Your kingdom come on
earth (ten gen) as it is in heaven” (Matt.61 0) urges us to
make a meaningful relationship in God’s order of creation.
Anything that disrupts or disregards the bond of a uniting
tie in Creation is to be considered as injustice to its core.
Paulose Mar Gregorios writes: “We have so become
accustomed to the scientific- technological stance that
we have lost the faculty of addressing reality as a whole,
of seeing in it the source and sustainer of life, of
responding to it with reverence and receptivity, and of
surrendering ourselves to it in all fulfilling love. We have
lost the capacity to respond with our whole being to the
being of the Wholly Other who presents himself to us
through the created universe. (The Human presence: An
Orthodox view of Nature, Geneva, WCCC, 1978, P. 87)
Ecological management- The search for eco-
spirituality
In an anthropocentric attitude to life, ecological
management is addressed to human beings. Man, and
nature could be conceived in terms of a functional
relationship, which could be termed as interrelatedness,
interdependent and independent. Any disruption of
relationship in the order of creation is to be considered as
sinful, unjust and mismanagement of God’s resources. All
sinful situations carry a wave of injustice. The polluting
life-style and attitude of humans make earth groaning
for its redemption-(Rom.8:19-21).
The groaning of creation that we continue to hear from
the wounded and the tortured humanity is a helpless cry
of the victims waiting for the ecological messiahs to
intervene and redeem them. The groaning of creation is a
public protest that exposes the sinfulness and injustices
prevalent in our social and ecological relations.
There is a correlation between the distress of the earth
and social injustice. Groaning is a public display of the
inherent sinfulness of the prevailing order and the
resilience of the victims to transform it. In Jer.12:4, the
covenant people are asked to respond to the divine call
to repent as there are several unjust attitudes to the land.
“How long will the land mourn, and the grass of every
field wither?”, says the prophet. One may notice such
violations of the land by the rich and the powerful in a
globalized world. There are ecological activists who
consider that the market system is destructive of the eco-
system. There are innumerable examples to support it
from the Asian scenario.
The pleasure sports of the rich and the affluent have
destroyed forest and paddy lands in several countries.
The grazing fields of the cattle have been turned to golf
play grounds! In this context, the Church is called upon to
include an ecological audit in its mission concerns and to
stand for a counter culture against the market giants. ln a
recent statement of the WCC Central Committee on
Climate Justice, it has rightly said “ecological debt-audit
in partnership with the civil society is the need of the
hour”. Whether it is in the context of economic
globalization or ecological crisis, the Church is called
upon to pursue its mission in Christ’s way so as to speak
about the spirituality of religion.
Ecological sins such as air pollution, water pollution, noise
pollution and light pollution have social resonance and
therefore they should be viewed seriously. It is indeed
significant that Pope Paul the Benedict the 16th in an
encyclical had warned the faithful to be deeply conscious
of the ecological sins in the world today. The increasing
‘level of Carbon footprints in the atmosphere (390 ppm)
has created unresolved problems for the future
generation.
The impact of climate change on the indigenous/
aboriginal people of Asia’s coastal regions has already
been felt or experienced through the cyclonic storms and
Tsunami tidal ways of 2004 and consequently the
destruction of flora and fauna and human lives in a very
high magnitude. The temperature in the Indian cities is
soaring high. According to a statistical data 10 crores
trees were cut down for widening roads and high ways
during the last decade where as we were able to plant
only a lakh trees. Denial of a bright future for the future
generation is an unjust situation in our midst.
Ecological responsibility is a call to live with ecological
sensitivity remembering the Lakshmen rekha of the divine
mandate (to till, to subdue and to keep) for a sustainable
future. It is widely held that global warming’ is due to the
unbridled human intervention in God’s created order of
the universe.
Act now: Not too late.
One should remember that the climate crisis is not really
about climate, as remarked by Mausam. It is not about
rising the sea levels and the melting arctic ice, dead seals
and polar bears facing extinction. It is about us, our lives
and the planet- and the way the powerful and rich of the
Earth have dominated and kept destroying them for
centuries to accumulate private wealth”. In this respect,
eco-injustice appears in the form of greed and
consumerism. “There is enough for the need of man and
not for his greed” (Mahatma Gandhi). But’ how much is
enough’ is a million-dollar question!
In the Lord’s Prayer, the word, “We/ours” takes over the
word “I” and “mine”, and also “my bread” by “our bread”.
The depletion of biodiversity has also contributed
unhealthy life-conditions for human existence. The theme
of World Environment Day in 2010, speaks volumes to us:
26 | P a g e F O C U S , J a n u a r y , 2 0 2 2 , V o l . 1 0 , P a r t 1
“Many species, one planet, one future” has opened up
umpteen questions and has urged us to search for steps
leading to sustainable development. In our search for
environmental justice, we need to initiate scientific search
for ecological truths about life.
Larry L. Rasmussen remarks: “Environmental justice is
also social justice and all efforts to save the planet begins
with the cry of the people and the cry of the earth
together. “The message of Pope Francis in Laudato Si is
worth recalling: Protect creation, confront climate change
and care for the poor”. “In the Bible, particularly in Lev.
19:9-10, environmental justice is integrally related to the
care of the marginalized. “When you reap the harvest of
your land, do not reap to the very edges of your field or
gather the gleanings of your harvest. Do not go over your
vineyard a second time or pick up the grapes that have
fallen. Leave them for the poor and the alien”.
The implications of the earth ethics and the marginalized
groups (subaltern) must be brought to the forefront of the
mission concerns of the Church. The most suppressed
and depressed groups of people who dwell on earth
belong to the earth. The kinship between subaltern
groups and the earth is bright as daylight: the Dalits to the
to the earth, the Adivasis to the forests and the fisher
folks to the sea. It is also imperative to affirm the rights of
all beings on this planet earth to exist and to flourish as
envisioned in the wider spectrum of Deep Ecology.
In Deep Ecology, the accent falls on Gestalt (wholeness).
All the living creatures-birds and animals- too have
hunger and thirst. This aspect is very often ignored in an
anthropocentric attitude to life. The so-called project
proposal for the inter-linking of Rivers is an unjust
philosophy. The living beings other than human beings
are denied of their existence in such an initiative. The hills
and the wetlands, even small lakes are also for the
survival of microorganisms, birds and animals. As an
Asian contribution to the Christian liturgy, prayer for
plants and animals be included. What is required is to
affirm the holistic vision of the Psalmist in liturgical
prayers (See Ps. 104).
In a prayer of thanksgiving, we affirm our faith in the God
of all grace. The prayer of the Harare assembly of the
WCC (9th) is worth recalling in this context. “God, hear
the cries of all creation, the cries of water, the air, the land
and all living beings, the cries of those who are exploited,
marginalized, abused and victimized”. This is a prayer to
grant us wisdom and understanding in solving the
problem at large. The theme chosen for the 11th
assembly of the WCC to be held in Germany in the year
2022. “Christ’s love moves the world to reconciliation and
unity” is indeed an affirmation of life for the whole
humanity.
The prophetic call of Vandana Siva for an earth
democracy makes sense in our search for eco-justice.
“Earth democracy- a movement which allows us to move
from the dominant and pervasive culture of violence,
destruction and death to a culture of non-violence,
creative peace and life. It is the democracy of all life.... It
is an alternative to the life affecting tendencies of
Globalization”. Again, she says, “Globalization, at the
most fundamental level, is rewriting our relationship with
the earth and her species, alienating land, water and
biodiversity from local communities, transforming
commons into commodities. It is a break from all earlier
stages of human relationships with the earth and her
resources.” How can we maintain and support
globalization without marginalization?
Environmental rights - a justice issue
In his encyclical, Laudato Si-as mentioned earlier “On
care for our common home, “Pope Francis has reaffirmed
the need for a common culture of care. To quote, “The
earth is essentially a shared inheritance where fruits are
meant to benefit everyone” His Grace also adds that
“access to safe drinkable water is a basic and universal
human right”. In the UN Charter of Human Rights, the
environmental rights are not clearly spelt out.
The marginalized sections of the community (Dalits,
tribals, fisher folks etc.) are very often denied of their
basic rights to drink unpolluted water. Water and air are
gifts of the creator to all living beings. As water and
oxygen are the gifts of the Creator, they are meant to be
shared by all. There is a necessity that is laid upon us
across religious or cultural divide to protect the earth from
deforestation.” “Environmental rights in all their aspects
will have to be recognized, respected and enforced. The
Holy Books treasured by the religions of Asia make it
clear that there existed a symbiotic relationship between
man and nature in all the religious traditions of Asia.
The Ancients even uttered a prayer of forgiveness before
the cutting of a tree and even the killing of an animal.
Reverence for life is the basic pillar for the corporate
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survival of the created order. Water and Air on sale is
simply the denial of creational rights of all living beings.
The right to breathe fresh air has become an ecological
right in the COVID - 19 scenario.
The eco- vision of the earth community
The moment we look for eco-spirituality that sustains us,
we are asked to look beyond and to regard the Church as
a fellowship of seekers after the truth. Church as the
Eucharistic presence of the Kingdom does not negate
truth in all religions and cultures. It carries God’s call in
Christ to build a fraternal community. This attitude is
relevant today as it speaks about the dialogical existence
of the earth community. The continuous activity of God
through the Spirit to mend the brokenness of creation is
the basic philosophy for the integrity of creation. In our
search for an Asian oikumene, the Asian Reality provides
a connecting thread along with a challenge.
One cannot deny the fact that the world today is seeking
new forms of spirituality that are less dogmatic. The Post-
COVID scenario of the world has made a new impact on
the church for a search in the New Normal. One should
know that irrelevance is sin we are called to interpret “the
signs of the times” in fulfilling mission concern. It is an
attempt to seek for life-enhancing potentialities in the
plural world. Eco-spirituality- an effort to grasp and to
realize the Ultimate Truth- affirms the sacramentality of
creation and ecological sensitivity. In affirming the
Ultimate truth in the order of creation, the eco-sins
committed by the humans are to be noted with a grave
concern for which we need to ask God’ forgiveness.
“O Creator God, how great thou art”
The doyen of Theology, Thomas Aquinas, has rightly said,
“any misunderstanding about nature leads to a
misunderstanding of God”. In ‘God-talk’, we search for
the reverence of life and interrelatedness between
humans and other living beings. As appreciation leads to
adoration, we look for the buckle that binds all human
beings with the flora and fauna on this planet. This is in
tune with the compassion of the Lord (cf.Sib.18:13). The
cultural slogans of India such as vasudaivakudumbakam
(the whole world is one family) and Loka smastha sukino
bhavantu (Let the whole world be happy and prosperous)
find a fitting place in the affirmation of one Creator God.
The wonder of creation as exclaimed by the Psalmist in
104:24, “0 Lord, how manifold are thy works; ln wisdom
has thou made them all” is a golden thread that runs
through all the religious Scriptures of the world.
Let me illustrate the above point with excerpts from a
song of Jim Reeves:
“We thank Thee each morning for a new born day; We
thank Thee for the sunshine and the air that we breathe;
We thank thee for the river that runs all day; Me thank
Thee for the flower, that blooms, birds that sing; fish that
swim; We thank Thee for the pastures where the cattles
may mow; We thank thee for the love so pure and free, 0
Lord”.
The lessons that we learn from the order of creation is
that life is meant for giving and that nature is the best gift
of God to all across any religious or cultural divide .So
Jesus said “for he (the heavenly Father) makes his Sun
rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rains on the
just and the unjust”(St. Matt. 5:45) The Psalmist adds a
note of exclamation, as “the heavens are telling of the
glory of God; and the firmament proclaims his hand
work(19:1).The above words of wonder could be summed
up in the famous hymn, “All things bright and beautiful: All
creatures great and small; All things wise and wonderful
The Lord God made them all”.
The veil of nature is rendered transparent and helps us to
breathe afresh in a world choked by the noxious gases of
greed, lust and profit making. In our understanding of
flora and fauna, there are quite a few unraveled rnysteries.
We could count the number of seeds in an apple. But
none is able to say with absolute certainty the number of
apples could one harvest from a sapling of the seed. So
also, God’s rose bud. None is able to open the petals of a
rose bud by hand without crushing it. So great is the
unraveled mystery of creation. In the book of Job 38-41
one may find texts which throw a fled of light on the Ubris
of man.
In the ecological Psalm of 104, particularly verse 24-30,
we get a glimpse of God’s love and care manifested in
the universe” 0 Lord, how manifold are thy works. In
wisdom hast thou made them all....” (v,.24). (cf.Ps.24:1-
2) According to the Psalms, God is not immanent in
creation, but he is imminent in a personal way with
humankind” (N. H. Snaith). Nature by itself does not
reveal God, it only serves as a means of revelation”.
“Nature is a constant reminder of the reality of God to
those who have the eyes of faith” (K. V. Mathew). In the
Psalms we do not find any natural law as independent
from God.
The humans are asked to learn from nature (Pro.6:6-11).
As nature is God’s peculiar language (Robinson), creation
and ethics should go together. According to Ps. 147: 16ff,
nature is the creative word of God that is at work in the
ongoing process of growth and change in nature. This
gives “order and regularity in the ecosystem”. It is God’s
faithfulness and love that sustain the world (Ps. 139). A
sacramental approach to nature is the key to the poetic
insights of the Psalmist.
The humans and other living beings come together as
partners in praising God, the creator. In a theology of the
Sacramentality of Creation, creation carries the footprints
of Christ. Any disrespect to creation leads to the
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defacement of the image of Christ. Therefore, the
pollution of any kind is to be considered as sin against
the Creator and Christ. When the integrity of creation is
established, “the earth shall be filled with the knowledge
of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea” (ls.11
:3).
Kingdom of God-Call to live with ecological
sensitivity
The teaching of Jesus gives us a blue print of
vasudaivakudumbakam with concern for all. In the parable
of the Mustard Seed (St.Mark.4:30-32), there is a divine
call to care for the least and to value the inherent
potential of all that is good and noble. For Jesus, all that
is seen and unseen unfold the face of true humanity in its
pristine form. The reference to the Sun and the rain
(Matt.5:45); the scorching heat and the south
wind(Lk.12:55); the clouds and the showers(Lk.12:54);the
earth and the sky(Lk.12:56); the flashing of light;
(Matt.24:27);the rock and the sand (Matt.7:26); the seeds
and the grains (Matt.4:2-8); the lilies and the grass
(Matt6:28-30); the thorns and the thistles (Matt.7: 16); the
figs and the grapes (Matt7:1 6); the moth and the rust
(Matt.6: 1920); the sparrows and the eagles(Matt.10:29);
the dogs(Lk.16:21), the fish and the serpent as well as the
scorpions (Lk. 11:1 1); the sheep and the goats(Matt.25
:32). etc. are imageries taken by Jesus to illustrate God’s
care of the universe. A triadic relationship of God,
creation and human beings vividly seen in the teaching of
Jesus on the kingdom of God.
As members of the Faith Community, we are challenged
to pray as Jesus taught in the Lord’s Prayer: “Let your
Kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven” (St.
Matt.6.9;10; Lk.11.1-4). Reference to “earth” (gen) and
“food” in the prayer makes it ecological as food is grown
not in heaven, but on earth! The Climate crisis has a
bearing on food crisis. The UN declaration of 2008 as
“year of Potatos” and 2014 as “the year of family farming”
is meant to highlight the importance of agriculture. If the
earth’s topography is changed, earth will ultimately harm
the food production.
The year 2010 as UN “year of biodiversity” speaks of the
need to preserve all living species on this planet as Noah
did in his ark. So the UN theme for 2011 “Forests: Nature
at your services” is a reminder to preserve our forests.
The UN theme for the environment day on June 5, 2015-
7 billion dreams, one planet, consume with care” urgently
calls forth a form of development which is economically
and environmentally sustainable. The theme chosen for
the XIV General Assembly of the Christian conference of
Asia (CCA) in March 2015. (Jakarta) “Living together in
the household of God” has brought out the dialogical
relationship of the Asian churches offering its ecumenical
and ecological mission paradigms in their search for the
New humanity in Christ.
The Seers of the Vedas said about the secret of human
bonding: “We are the birds of the same nest”. A few
verses from the Vedas are quoted below:
We are birds of the same nest
We may wear different skins
We may speak in different tongues
We may believe in different cultures
Yet we share the same home - Our Earth.
Born on the same planet, Covered by the same
skies
Gazing at the same stars
Breathing the same air
We must learn to happily progress together
Or miserably perish together
For man can only live individually
But can only survive collectively:
‘When you walk across the fields with your mind pure and
holy, then from all the stones and all growing things, and
all animals, the sparks of their soul come out and cling to
you, and then they are purified and become a holy fire for
you’ (Martin Buber).
The Covid-19 Spiritual Lessons
We notice the resurrection of spiritual values in different
cultures when we pass through adverse circumstances.
In the Indian culture, truth, beauty and order (sathyam,
sivam sunderam) are the noble virtues for the joy of living.
The lockdown period all over the world has taught us
several values for an authentic existence. We have been
able to reduce all kinds of pollution around us. It is widely
held that the lockdown period has turned our homes as
places of worship. The online worship services and
preaching have helped us to search for alternatives in our
religious observances. The Webinars have become part
of our interpersonal relationships and communications.
The silent periods in our homes has also strengthened
family bonds in different ways. It is true that youths and
old people had to bear with several psychological
problems. May God help them.
Let me conclude with the words of Rabindranath Tagore:
“My Lord, this is my prayer: Help me to root out all pride
and arrogance from my heart. Help me to continue the
pilgrimage of life gladly in the midst of joy and sorrow.
Give me the power from above to translate my love into
fruitful service for humanity” (“Gitangali-36-a free
rendering).
NOTE:
The article has been published in the book under the title,
MISSION OF CHRISTIAN CHURCHES IN POST-
PANDEMIC INDIA, edited by Acharya Catherine
Prabhujiyothi, (DharmaBharathiAshram, Mulanthuruthy,
Kochi), published by ISPCK, Delhi,2021). Pages 84-99.
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BEYOND RELIGION: Imaging A New Humanity.
By Valson Thampu
This book is like no other that
Revd Dr. Valson Thampu has
written over the last 35 years.
The COVID-19 pandemic is
continuing to shake our
dependence on economic
security so also the dangers
arising from the environmental
crisis as explicitly revealed at
the COP-26 meeting at
Glasgow in November 2-14,
2021. We also noticed the
tragic events in Afghanistan
as a result of religious fanaticism. The Hinduvata ideology
in India is shaking the foundations of the Indian
democracy based on secularism, human decency and
common good. We have also noticed the death of two
significant national leaders, Sawmi Agnivesh and Fr. Stan
Swamy during this period who lived and worked for wider
ecumenism, human rights and preserving the rights of
backward communities in India. The destiny of Indian
democracy hinges on the religious question, given that
Hindutva and Hinduism have been merged into one,
though they are polar opposites. So, it is not religion, but
a communal caricature of it, that is feeding the current
wave of majoritarian self-assertion. The book is written
against this background.
There is a need, hence, to initiate a spiritually well-
founded national, indeed international, debate on what
religion is, and should be. Beyond Religion captures the
riches of the author’s decades-long research, reflection
as well as vast experiences as a socio-religious activist in
making a case for such a debate. He emphasizes the
urgent need for a shift from religiosity to spirituality.
We commend this work to our esteemed readers in the
FOCUS family of spiritual thinkers and seekers. It would
be nice if such a debate could be initiated in FOCUS
itself.
The book is published by Pippa Rann Books and Media,
UK. It can be ordered using the link-
https://pipparannbooks.com/product/beyond-religion-
imaging-a-new-humanity/
For the Editorial Board, FOCUS
A Pledge for Creation Care
Kanayathu C. Koshy and Elizabeth Koshy*
God’s Earth in Human Hands**
COP 26 – A scene-setter, Epthinktank, European
Parliament;
© Ricochet64 / Adobe Stock
Introduction
In April 2021 we published a book called “Fragrance &
Abundance: God’s Earth in Human Hands”. These 316
pagers discussed the current perils of planet earth, and
how to manage them, in detail. Creation Care often
involves a cyclic system of ever-increasing problems. In
brief, these comprise: (i) the unsustainable consumption
and production, (ii) very heavy dependence on fossil fuel,
(iii) unprecedented climate change, (iv) loss of biological
diversity, (v) increasing population with a “bottom billion”
under appalling poverty, and (vi) an outdated institutional
framework that stifles growth and appear unable to
handle the magnitude of the problems at hand. However,
we argued that in the hands of determined hard workers,
upright in their spirituality and attitude, the situation could
be reversed for the better. The United Nation’s
Conference on Climate Change, COP-26, had the same
message for us, which is “the climate world-wide is
changing and we should change too”. This has become
the crucial issue under “Creation Care “for our survival.
COP-26
The 26th Annual Session of the Conference of Parties
(COP-26) in Glasgow, Scotland, 31 Oct-12 Nov 2021, led
by the United Nations ended with mixed outcome. While
the organizers were upbeat about the meeting’s success,
the group that gathered demanding action was
thoroughly disappointed. “It is not a secret that COP-26 is
a failure. It should be obvious that we cannot solve the
crisis with the same methods that got us into it in the first
place,” Greta Thunberg, the climate activist, said.
However, there are many who believe that the truth lies
somewhere in between. Such feeling arose because the
30 | P a g e F O C U S , J a n u a r y , 2 0 2 2 , V o l . 1 0 , P a r t 1
delegates had struggled to resolve major sticking points,
such as phasing out coal, fossil fuel subsidies and poor
financial support to developing countries. The U.N.
meeting, was billed as humanity’s last and best chance to
keep the all-important goal of 1.5 degrees Celsius alive.
Now the reality is that it is a responsibility of the
approximately 200 countries that gathered to rally round
the ‘Glasgow Climate Pact’ (only an ‘Advance unedited
version’ was available at the time of writing this article)
and bring climate under control by ‘making things
happen’.
Our Book
‘Fragrance & Abundance: God’s Earth in Human Hands’,
published in 2021 by K. Koshy and E. Koshy (the
husband-and-wife team) talks about risk reduced living
when it comes to disaster management. After all, it is the
risk that gets realized into disaster that we fear. It is the
same sentiments that was expressed by the third UN
World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction, held in
Sendai, Japan in March 2015, when the member states
agreed to the latest ‘Risk Reduction Framework’. In
applying the Framework to real-world situations, we
realize that just as we rush to manage disasters when
they occur, we need to work hard to reduce risk even in
the absence of disasters and thereby increase resilience.
These measures would prevent serious disruption of the
functioning of communities due to hazardous events
interacting with conditions of exposure, vulnerability and
incapacity, through mitigation by dealing with the root
cause of the problems, and adaptation to address the
impacts of such hazards, floods, cyclones etc. An
integrated approach would require both mitigation &
adaptation before disaster, and resilience & sustainable
development after disaster, through Response and
Recovery measures. Please see Sections such as: the
initial Sections including The Theodosius Mar Thoma
Metropolitan’s Message, Ch2, P31-37; Ch23, P144-149;
Ch32, P194-200; Ch41, P243-246; Ch42, P247-253;
Ch44, P258-263; Ch46, P269-272; Ch50, P287-290 and
other relevant sections that follow of our book, if possible.
The PLEDGE SHEET
In its implementation, caring for God’s Creation demands
our focused attention at multiple levels. There are things
we can do as a Family (Individual); larger groups - Church
(Institutional); and as the overall enabling environment
provided by the Sabha (Systemic). These must be ‘win-
win’, or ‘no-regret’ activities – enjoyable and easy to do
and must be aimed at all groups in the church - Sunday
school, Youth, Sevika Sangam, Area Prayer, Senior
Citizen (Golden Circle), etc. Interestingly, any other civil
group from the larger society, without regard to their faith
preferences, could also carry out activities directed at
Planet Earth’s well-being. An initial list under the three
levels, (Individual, Institutional and Systemic) is shown
below; more may be added in due course. Let people
pledge voluntarily under Creation Care they would like to
do. What follows is a short list of relevant activities that
one can get involved in:
A PLEDGE SHEET
Individual – Family/Small Groups
1. Waste management – Practice 3Rs – Reduce,
Reuse & Recycle.
2. Energy efficiency - Use energy efficient gadgets,
minimize wastage; use renewable energy if
possible.
3. Time management - Use time wisely, not so
much the hours you put in, but what goes into the
hours that matter.
4. Family values – Value natural, financial & social
capital, and most of all spiritual values.
5. Family prayer – Recognize sustainability
principles in songs, Bible readings, and factor
Creation Care in prayer.
Institutional – Church/Any Relatively Larger Groups
1. Awareness building – Develop brochures,
meetings, campaigns and competitions.
2. Waste management – Continue to exercise 3Rs.
3. Market place evangelism – ‘Walk the talk’, be the
change we profess, follow best practices.
4. Intergenerational interactions – Promote healthy
exchanges between all age groups.
5. Spiritual security – Ensure the Environmental,
Ecological, and Social persuasions do not
endanger our spiritual convictions.
Systemic – Sabha/Civil Groups in Districts or States
1. Awareness building – Sensitize Laity, Clergy,
Bishops and Decision makers at all levels.
2. Policies and procedures – Enact strategies,
roadmaps, policies and procedures.
3. Enabling environment – Ensure Creation Care
factors in discussions, sermons, teachings,
trainings and financial commitments.
4. Institutional framework/Governance – Appoint
high level committee/s and practice Creation
Care in all Church institutions.
5. The new mission field – Establish Creation Care
as an approved mission area of the Sabha.
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One would notice that it is a lot more than mere
environmental stewardship that we are talking about. The
Environment we live in, the Economic activities we do for
a living, and our Social life – all integrate well with our
Christian faith & Stewardship. The ability to sustain this
delicate stability seems to define true sustainability.
Conclusion
The above approach would fit the needs of a variety of
people wanting to do “small-big-very big” projects. The
‘very big’ may have to be broken down to smaller cause-
effect hierarchical pieces as in a Logical Framework
Analysis (LFA). Please look up the Internet for details OR
contact me. This method (LFA) also includes a “Vision,
Mission, Activity” sequence most project people would
be familiar with. It is true that some of the Creation Care
problems are very big indeed requiring breakdown, while
others are manageable at lower levels.
*Prof. Dr. Kanayathu C Koshy & Elizabeth Koshy
Emeritus Professor, ERRC
Manjadi P.O. Thiruvalla (689105), Kerala, India.
E -mail: kanayathu.koshy@gmail.com
** [Note: The disclaimer and the copyright states that
“Reproduction and translation for non-commercial purposes are
authorized, provided the source is acknowledged and the
European Parliament is given prior notice and sent a copy.
Dr. K. V. Thomas obtained his Ph.D in History
from Lucknow University and has published
extensively on Indian Culture, Women’s
issues, Indigenous nature of Mar Thoma
Christians and India’s Freedom Movement.
His extensive teaching record spans Christ
Church College, Isabella Thoburn College,
Lucknow 1973-82; Founder and Principal of
Children’s Academy High School 1984-2004.
He represented ‘Minority Christians of Aligarh City’ at the State
level 2002-2004. He represented India at an International
Seminar on Educational Technology in Israel in 2001. He
returned to Kerala in 2004. He is now the Adminstrator of the
Brethren English Medium School Kumbanad. At present Drs K.
V. and E. Thomas are very active in several cultural and social
organisations, and the President and Secretary of the Kumbanad
Senior Citizens Association for the last 3 years.
Dr. Elizabeth Thomas completed her Ph.D
in Home Science from Aligarh Muslim
University in 2000. She took her M.Sc
(Home Science) from Delhi University and
her M.A in English from Aligarh Musim
University. She has published two books,
‘Clinic in the Kitchen’, and ‘A Handbook of
Hygiene for Undergraduates’, which were
prescribed as textbooks. She had been
teaching both at the undergraduate and
postgraduate levels. She was also the International Students’
Advisor & Assistant Proctor, and also a UGC Subject expert for
Home Science. After voluntary retirement as Head of the
department, she became Vice Principal of a CB S E school in
Kumbanad for 9 years. They are settled in Thiruvalla, Kerala.
A Historic Joint Statement on Climate Change by the
Leaders of the Churches
[The following is a historic Joint Statement on 1st
September 2021 by Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew,
Pope Francis, and Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby
on Climate Change. Using the lessons of the Scripture,
they issued an urgent call for an effective collective
response to this global environmental threat and for the
protection of God’s creation. It was initially published in
the newsletter of the Churches Together in England (CTE),
and we publish it here with the permission of the CTE.]
A Joint Message for the Protection of Creation
For more than a year, we have all experienced the
devastating effects of a global pandemic—all of us,
whether poor or wealthy, weak or strong. Some were
more protected or vulnerable than others, but the rapidly-
spreading infection meant that we have depended on
each other in our efforts to stay safe. We realised that, in
facing this worldwide calamity, no one is safe until
everyone is safe, that our actions really do affect one
another, and that what we do today affects what happens
tomorrow.
These are not new lessons, but we have had to face them
anew. May we not waste this moment. We must decide
what kind of world we want to leave to future generations.
God mandates: ‘Choose life, so that you and your
children might live’ (Dt 30:19). We must choose to live
differently; we must choose life.
September is celebrated by many Christians as the
Season of Creation, an opportunity to pray and care for
God’s creation. As world leaders prepare to meet in
November at Glasgow to deliberate on the future of our
planet, we pray for them and consider what the choices
we must all make. Accordingly, as leaders of our
Churches, we call on everyone, whatever their belief or
worldview, to endeavour to listen to the cry of the earth
and of people who are poor, examining their behaviour
and pledging meaningful sacrifices for the sake of the
earth which God has given us.
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The Importance of Sustainability
In our common Christian tradition, the Scriptures and the
Saints provide illuminating perspectives for
comprehending both the realities of the present and the
promise of something larger than what we see in the
moment. The concept of stewardship—of individual and
collective responsibility for our God-given endowment—
presents a vital starting-point for social, economic and
environmental sustainability. In the New Testament, we
read of the rich and foolish man who stores great wealth
of grain while forgetting about his finite end (Lk 12.13–21).
We learn of the prodigal son who takes his inheritance
early, only to squander it and end up hungry (Lk 15.11–
32). We are cautioned against adopting short term and
seemingly inexpensive options of building on sand,
instead of building on rock for our common home to
withstand storms (Mt 7.24–27). These stories invite us to
adopt a broader outlook and recognise our place in the
extended story of humanity.
But we have taken the opposite direction. We have
maximised our own interest at the expense of future
generations. By concentrating on our wealth, we find that
long-term assets, including the bounty of nature, are
depleted for short-term advantage. Technology has
unfolded new possibilities for progress but also for
accumulating unrestrained wealth, and many of us
behave in ways, which demonstrate little concern for
other people or the limits of the planet. Nature is resilient,
yet delicate. We are already witnessing the consequences
of our refusal to protect and preserve it (Gn 2.15). Now, in
this moment, we have an opportunity to repent, to turn
around in resolve, to head in the opposite direction. We
must pursue generosity and fairness in the ways that we
live, work and use money, instead of selfish gain.
The Impact on People Living with Poverty
The current climate crisis speaks volumes about who we
are and how we view and treat God’s creation. We stand
before a harsh justice: biodiversity loss, environmental
degradation and climate change are the inevitable
consequences of our actions, since we have greedily
consumed more of the earth’s resources than the planet
can endure. But we also face a profound injustice: the
people bearing the most catastrophic consequences of
these abuses are the poorest on the planet and have
been the least responsible for causing them. We serve a
God of justice, who delights in creation and creates every
person in God’s image, but also hears the cry of people
who are poor. Accordingly, there is an innate call within
us to respond with anguish when we see such
devastating injustice.
Today, we are paying the price. The extreme weather and
natural disasters of recent months reveal afresh to us with
great force and at great human cost that climate change
is not only a future challenge, but an immediate and
urgent matter of survival. Widespread floods, fires and
droughts threaten entire continents. Sea levels rise,
forcing whole communities to relocate; cyclones
devastate entire regions, ruining lives and livelihoods.
Water has become scarce and food supplies insecure,
causing conflict and displacement for millions of people.
We have already seen this in places where people rely on
small scale agricultural holdings. Today we see it in more
industrialised countries where even sophisticated
infrastructure cannot completely prevent extraordinary
destruction.
Tomorrow could be worse. Today’s children and
teenagers will face catastrophic consequences unless we
take responsibility now, as ‘fellow workers with God’ (Gn
2.4–7), to sustain our world. We frequently hear from
young people who understand that their futures are under
threat. For their sake, we must choose to eat, travel,
spend, invest and live differently, thinking not only of
immediate interest and gains but also of future benefits.
We repent of our generation’s sins. We stand alongside
our younger sisters and brothers throughout the world in
committed prayer and dedicated action for a future which
corresponds ever more to the promises of God.
The Imperative of Cooperation
Over the course of the pandemic, we have learned how
vulnerable we are. Our social systems frayed, and we
found that we cannot control everything. We must
acknowledge that the ways we use money and organize
our societies have not benefited everyone. We find
ourselves weak and anxious, submersed in a series of
crises; health, environmental, food, economic and social,
which are all deeply interconnected.
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These crises present us with a choice. We are in a unique
position either to address them with short-sightedness
and profiteering or seize this as an opportunity for
conversion and transformation. If we think of humanity as
a family and work together towards a future based on the
common good, we could find ourselves living in a very
different world. Together we can share a vision for life
where everyone flourishes. Together we can choose to
act with love, justice and mercy. Together we can walk
towards a fairer and fulfilling society with those who are
most vulnerable at the centre.
But this involves making changes. Each of us,
individually, must take responsibility for the ways we use
our resources. This path requires an ever-closer
collaboration among all churches in their commitment to
care for creation. Together, as communities, churches,
cities and nations, we must change route and discover
new ways of working together to break down the
traditional barriers between peoples, to stop competing
for resources and start collaborating.
To those with more far-reaching responsibilities—heading
administrations, running companies, employing people or
investing funds—we say: choose people-centred profits;
make short-term sacrifices to safeguard all our futures;
become leaders in the transition to just and sustainable
economies. ‘To whom much is given, much is required.’
(Lk 12:48)
This is the first time that the three of us feel compelled to
address together the urgency of environmental
sustainability, its impact on persistent poverty, and the
importance of global cooperation. Together, on behalf of
our communities, we appeal to the heart and mind of
every Christian, every believer and every person of good
will. We pray for our leaders who will gather in Glasgow to
decide the future of our planet and its people. Again, we
recall Scripture: ‘choose life, so that you and your
children may live’ (Dt 30:19). Choosing life means making
sacrifices and exercising self-restraint.
All of us—whoever and wherever we are—can play a part
in changing our collective response to the unprecedented
threat of climate change and environmental degradation.
Caring for God’s creation is a spiritual commission
requiring a response of commitment. This is a critical
moment. Our children’s future and the future of our
common home depend on it.
1st September 2021
Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew
Pope Francis
Archbishop of Canterbury
Climate Change and Christian Response
Dr. Mathew Koshy Punnackadu
Climate change is a challenge we are facing now.
Development and growth have, until now, been
connected with increased gas emissions, which in the
end contribute to global warming and climate change.
There are two key reasons why the global warming crisis
is, first and foremost, a justice issue. The first is that the
people who are most vulnerable to its effects have done
the least to cause it. The second major reason for climate
change as a justice issue is that it comes when the
world’s wealthiest nations have reached a peak of
development while the poorest are still struggling to get
on to the development ladder. While it is well within the
means of rich countries to maintain their current levels of
economic activity while adapting to climate change, the
picture is very different for developing countries.
We must make sure that future development is based on
a low carbon approach. We should choose solutions with
low emissions and ensure that the energy we use is
renewable. This means harnessing the sun, wind and
water instead of using carbon-based extractive resources
like petroleum, oil, coal and gas. We should also take
more care of those natural sinks such as forests, land and
sea, where carbon is kept and stored naturally. Despite
promising local and national developments to lower
carbon use due to raising consciousness in society
regarding the impacts of carbon on the environment,
there is still a need for significant partnerships between
countries in technology transfer and cooperation,
financial support and investment, and solidarity and
policymaking.
As a church community, we believe that God creates all
life on earth. As a part of our Christian faith and
discipleship, we have to ensure the protection of the
environment and the sustainable and equitable use of
resources. The injustices of the climate crisis, including
vast global inequalities and the threat to future
34 | P a g e F O C U S , J a n u a r y , 2 0 2 2 , V o l . 1 0 , P a r t 1
generations, offer an imperative to action to seek justice
for those suffering and the threat posed to God’s creation
Climate change is not mentioned in the Bible, nor has it
so far been part of contemporary systematic theology.
We know that the whole creation has been groaning in
labour pains until now, and not only the creation, but we,
who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly while
we wait for adoption, the redemption of our
bodies.(Romans8:23-24). The gospels tell us not only of
the coming of Jesus but also of his complete identity with
the human condition, in particular, his solidarity with the
vulnerable, with those who suffer injustice. In the words of
St Paul: ‘He emptied himself taking the form of a slave’.
(Philippians 2.7). That solidarity is also reflected in Jesus’
specific command to care for those who are sick, hungry
or thirsty, the strangers and the prisoners, because ‘just
as you did it to one of the least of these…you did it to me’
(Matthew25:40).
As the director of the department of ecological concerns
of the Church of South India, I would like to mention
some of our steps. The Church of South India Department
of Ecological Concerns empowers congregations to take
a prophetic stand against Climate injustice. The CSI
Department of Ecological Concerns focuses on educating
various sustainable development goals through Eco-
Ministry, campaigns for Climate Justice ministry, Green
Protocol and Green School Programme. We are planning
to create models of Climate-resilient communities.
Resilience is strengthening human and non-human
systems’ ability to withstand and respond to changes in
the earth’s climate. It can be seen as a way to bridge the
conceptual divide between mitigation approaches to
climate change on the one hand and adaptation
approaches on the other. Mitigation is to address climate
change by cutting down greenhouse gas emissions. In
order to avoid the gravest effects of a changing climate,
humanity needs to limit the average global surface
temperature to 2ºC above pre-industrial levels, but
preferably 1.5ºC. In order to do that, we need to cut our
greenhouse gas emissions above 50 per cent by 2050,
lest we face serious risks, including more intense storms,
droughts, and heat waves, all of which pose looming
threats to human civilization and the environment. On the
other hand, adaptation acknowledges that, even if we
immediately cut our carbon emissions altogether, the
atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide and other
greenhouse gases would remain well above normal levels
for decades to come. In short, we need to adapt to a
changing climate, or else we risk severe damage.
Adaptation approaches vary based on geography, time,
funding resources, levels of political support, and dozens
of other factors. There is no one-size-fits-all approach to
adaptation.
Resilience recognizes that mitigation and adaptation are
two sides of the same coin. Then we have taken up the
Green Protocol Campaign. Though environmental
damage and degradation were considered among the
worst elements within a vision of the future, sustainability
was still not considered a factor for progress. Hence, the
benefits of integrated environmental, economic, and
social development need to be better communicated,
particularly regarding how they relate to sustainability
within one’s lifestyle. Implementation of Green Protocol
provides a unique opportunity to inform and empower
young people—and all people—to create sustainable
lifestyles and communities. In the life and ministry of the
Church, the CSI would like to promote sustainable
development practices and build power for change.
We plan to take up Climate Resilient Schools and
Communities, different from the Green School
Programme. Students are auditing air, water, waste,
energy, land, and food in the Green School programme.
They are relating it with their curriculum and preparing
their School for Green rating. We have already converted
five hundred schools of CSI into green schools.
In climate Resilient Schools and Communities, the
students of the school are practicing the Green Protocol
of CSI, Carbon neutrality, mitigation and adaptation.
These Children will have to transform their houses in the
same way they do in schools—a community
transformation through students. We are planning to
create some community resilient model schools and
model communities by 2022.
Another method we have adopted is retelling parables.
Jesus communicated complex thoughts to the ordinary
person through simple stories now known as “Parables”.
Parable gives the essence of his teachings in its simplest
possible way. What an excellent teacher was Jesus? Can
parables be used today to do the same? We have retold
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parables in the background of Climate Change. This is
the retold parable of the Rich man and Lazarus.
“There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and
fine linen and lived in luxury every day. At his gate was a
poor man named Lazarus. “The time came when the poor
man died, and the angels carried him to Abraham’s side.
The rich man also died and was buried. In Hades, where
he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far
away, with Lazarus by his side. So, he called to him,
‘Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to
dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue
because I am in agony in this fire.’ “But Abraham replied,
‘Son, remember that in your lifetime, you received
luxurious things which increased the carbon footprint on
this earth. By increasing the carbon footprint, you made
this earth a hell. While Lazarus, by his lifestyle, never
contributed towards the carbon footprint. Lazar is the
representative of innocent people on this earth who are
not responsible for Climate Change. “He answered, ‘Then
I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my family, for I have
five brothers. Let him warn them so that they will not also
come to this place of torment.’ “Abraham replied, ‘They
have Socially committed environmental scientists are
there; let them listen to them. You lived a luxurious life by
burning fossil fuels and creating hell for the whole world.
“‘No, father Abraham,’ he said, ‘but if someone from the
dead goes to them, they will repent.’ “He said to him,
God speaks through two books: His word (the Bible) and
His works (creation). ‘If they do not listen to His word and
His works, they will not be convinced even if someone
rises from the dead.’” (The rich man represents
‘Developed countries and Lazar represents ‘Developing
countries.)
A new paradigm or model for working and living in
harmony with Nature is arising under the conceptual
umbrella of sustainability. The development of humanity
has been intertwined with that of Nature and wildlife. Any
break in their ranks would not augur well for the future.
Only when people go against Nature will they be forced to
face Nature’s fury, like earthquakes, tsunamis, and
droughts. The Hebrew shalom denotes peace and
harmony, wholeness, completeness, prosperity, welfare,
and tranquility. When the rhythm of humans matches with
the rhythm of Nature, we will have Shalom, the Spirit of
Christmas – peace on earth. It is one of the most
cherished sentiments of the Christmas season. Christmas
is a time to restore our broken relationship with God’s
creations. When we are responsible for the conflict
between God’s creations, how can we restore broken
relationships?
*Retired as the Principal of Bishop Moore College
Mavelikara 2011. He is serving as the editor of magazine
‘New Vision’ and the Honorary Director of CSI Synod
Departmental Ecological Concerns.

A Reflection on Green
Grass
Revd Dr. M. J. Joseph, Devalokam, Kottayam
There is a Javanese folk story. In a forest, there were three
trees- a coconut tree, a clove tree and a sacred banyan
tree. For the Javanese each of them is important. The
clove tree is an important crop, the coconut tree is a
source of food and the banyan tree is a sacred tree
worshipped by the Javanese. Each of the trees began to
boast of his/her own strength and power. The clove tree
said: “I am the most valuable tree because I am source of
wealth for many farmers”. The coconut tree also had
made its trumpet. “I am the tallest tree. I can see
everything in the forest. Next the Banyan tree began to
boast of its existence. “I am the most powerful tree
among all plants. People worship me every Thursday,
asking me for help in whatever they do”. After the trees
finished their boasting, they asked the grass what
attributes it possessed. The grass replied, “I know nothing
of power and wealth. When I start to grow, people just cut
me down. Animals trample upon me and defecate on me.
I am always humiliated. I am considered a useless plant.
In the same after noon, a violent storm came tearning
down and destroying all the trees. Only the grass survived
the disaster. It was the only plant, which was able to
sustain life and generate the development of other life in
the forest. The common people, the least and the last are
resilient and they form the basic structure of society. The
spirituality of the least is the basis for the survival of al
living beings on the planet-Earth.
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Grass, grass everywhere!
It is green
My eyes feast on the greenery of the grass
What a wonderful sight all around!
It is the symbol of the ordinary
It represents the feeble and the least.
Think for a while
Its usefulness and legacy.
It is the ordinary who helps the mighty to celebrate life.
It is the small that makes a difference in the life of the big.
In times of rain and storms, the grass keeps its strength
The big trees fall
The flower of adorable plants scatter!
The fragrance of Jasmine flowers disappears
The carpet of the Mother Earth remains the same.
The pride of the big tree is gone when it falls
The humility of the grass becomes a lesson for the
posterity.
In times of good and bad seasons
Let me carry the tag of simplicity and humility in the New
Year.
Climate Change Quotes:
“The world will not be destroyed by those who do evil, but by
those who watch them without doing anything.” — Albert
Einstein
“Twenty-five years ago, people could be excused for not
knowing much, or doing much, about climate change. Today we
have no excuse.” — Desmond Tutu
“We must face up to an inescapable reality: the challenges of
sustainability simply overwhelm the adequacy of our responses.
With some honorable exceptions, our responses are too few,
too little, and too late.” — Kofi A. Annan
“A nation that destroys its soils destroys itself. Forests are the
lungs of our land, purifying the air and giving fresh strength to
our people.” – Franklin D. Roosevelt
“As human beings, we are vulnerable to confusing the
unprecedented with the improbable. In our everyday
experience, if something has never happened before, we are
generally safe in assuming it is not going to happen in the
future, but the exceptions can kill you, and climate change is
one of those exceptions.” – Al Gore
“There is no question that climate change is happening; the only
arguable point is what part humans are playing in it.” – David
Attenborough
“The shift to a cleaner energy economy won’t happen overnight,
and it will require tough choices along the way. But the debate
is settled. Climate change is a fact.”- Barack Obama
“The Earth is a fine place and worth fighting for.” – Ernest
Hemingway
“God gave us the earth, to till and to keep in a balanced and
respectful way.”- Pope Francis
Manufacturing Industry in Transformation to a More
Sustainable World
George Thomas, Copenhagen
Preamble
As human beings, we are part of God’s creation. We have
a responsibility to love and care for what God has
entrusted to us as its stewards. Our primary task as
Christians is to become partners in God’s mission
towards establishing the values of His kingdom on this
earth. It is high time that we as followers of Christ look at
what is happening around us through the eyes of Jesus.
The exploitation of earth’s resources, uncontrolled
consumerism, continuing dependence on fossil fuels, and
reckless economic expansions undermine the very basis
of sustainability. We cannot ignore the manufacturing
industry’s contribution to the increase of carbon footprint,
which, in turn, is contributing to global warming. In our
quest for efficiency, speed and comfort, have we
disregarded the value of Nature in its own right?
High levels of consumption of commodities produced by
manufacturing industries (such as cement, concrete,
steel, etc.) are responsible for the degradation of the
environment and rapidly diminishing natural resources.
Today, second only to water, concrete is the most
consumed material, with three tonnes per year used for
every person in the world. Air pollution, water scarcity,
soil degradation, poor rehabilitation of raw material
quarries, disturbed biodiversity, unfair displacement of
communities and livelihoods, and unfair compensation to
landowners (mostly farmers) are just some of the issues
stemming from growing industrial development.
This paper attempts to: (i) reflect on the need for a new
ecological ethic based on spirituality, (ii) examine the
linkage between Christian spirituality and sustainability,
(iii) explore the contours of the three pillars of
sustainability, (iv) probe the sustainability frame from the
stance of manufacturing industries, (v) highlight the
impact of the cement industry – a major polluter (with
which the author has been closely associate for more
than five decades) on sustainability, and (vi) look ahead
beyond the deliberations of the recently concluded UN
Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Glasgow.
Nature and Spirituality
One of the first conditions of happiness is that the link
between Man and Nature shall not be broken. Leo
Tolstoy, Russian writer.
There is a growing concern and argument that our
alienation from Nature is at its peak and that we face a
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crisis of spirituality regarding our relationship with Nature.
Therefore, we need a spiritual awakening that promotes a
profound sense of earth stewardship that can form the
foundation of a new ecological ethic.
While mainstream discourse on sustainable development
seems to focus on areas such as renewable energy,
climate change, ecological economics, sustainable
agriculture, and urban design and planning, an
acknowledgment of the spiritual dimension of our lives
seems lacking within this discourse. There are a number
of possible reasons for this including the fact that rational,
scientific thinking still dominates the worldview.
Spirituality is understood and practiced by people in
different ways. It is generally regarded as something
personal and private.
Hallmarks of Christian Spirituality
First, Christian spirituality is biblically defined as the
practice o the beliefs of the Christian faith. It includes
both knowledge and action. James 1:25 notes, “But he
who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and
preservers, being no hearer that forget gut a doer that
act, he shall be blessed in his doing.” From the earliest
writings of the New Testament, the principle of integrated
and authentic faith and action has been taught as
essential to Christian spirituality.
Second, Christian spirituality relies on the power of the
Holy Spirit to live according to God’s will. The Holy Spirit
serves to lead us into all truth (John 16:13), gives joy
(Ephesians 5:1*), and convicts when we sin (Ephesians
$:30). True spirituality depends on the supernatural power
God gives through the Holy Spirit rather than dependence
on human strength.
Finally, the pursuit of Christian spirituality will result in
what the Bible calls the fruits of the Spirit: ‘But the fruit of
the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness,
goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self control,: against
such things there is no law (Galatians 5: 22-23). Thus
Christian spirituality is for the honor of God, personal
maturity, and serves as a blessing to others, thus
ensuring sustainable living for all on this planet.
Third, Christian spirituality is concerned for all of a
person’s life. Rather, than separating spiritual, physical,
financial, social, and other life components into distinct
areas, Christian spirituality is concerned with how all of
life connects to our relationship with God. For example,
the use of our fiancés reflects the attitude of our hearts
(Mathew 6:21). How we treat our body reflects our
spiritual life in important ways (1 Corinthians 6:20).
Three Pillars of Sustainability
Sustainability means meeting our own needs without
compromising the ability of future generations to meet
their own needs. In addition to natural resources, we also
need social and economic resources. Sustainability is
often characterized in terms of economic viability,
environmental protection, and social equality.
Sustainability is made up of three pillars: economy,
society, and environment. These pillars in a way
represent profit, people and the planet. The need for
aggregated sustainability information has become a
concrete goal of industries and corporates committed to
sustainable development. New investments into projects
in the manufacturing and other sectors call for rigorous
assessments and appraisals of their techno-economic
feasibility besides environmental and social sustainability.
Social sustainability is about identifying and managing
business impacts, both positive and negative, on people.
It consists of factors such as location, supply chain, labor
practices, re-settlement issues, training and education,
reporting, health and safety, and cultural aspects.
Economic sustainability refers to practices that support
the long-term economic growth of the enterprise without
negatively impacting the social and environmental
aspects of the community. The economic factors include
tax rate, exchange rate, inflation, demand/supply, wages,
governmental policies and activities in infrastructure, etc.
Economic sustainability requires that a business uses its
resources efficiently and responsibly so that it can
operate in a sustainable manner to consistently produce
an operational profit.
Environmental sustainability refers to the conservation
of natural resources and protection of global ecosystems
- now and in the future. Environmental sustainability
tackles the effects of climate change, pollution, and other
environmental factors that can harm people's health,
livelihoods, and lives.
Thus, sustainable development means conservation and
development of resources (including people) without
harming the natural environment and economic interest.
Hence, the formula of sustainable development is pres
(preservation) + cons (conservation).
Manufacturing Industry and Sustainability
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Manufacturing is the production of goods with the help of
equipment, labor, machines, and chemical or biological
processing. The term is most commonly applied to
industries in which raw materials are transformed into
finished goods on a large scale.
The manufacturing industry usually causes environmental
pollution by emitting solid, liquid, and gaseous wastes.
Often a large-scale manufacturing industry causes major
issues of social and cultural concern.
Sustainability is no longer an option for the manufacturing
sector. It is imperative. Increasing energy use, resource
depletion and waste generation are creating an urgency
to rethink current consumer and business practices, and
specifically to address priorities related to sustainability.
Sustainable manufacturing uses processes that are non-
polluting; these processes conserve energy and natural
resources and are economically sound and safe for
employees, communities, and consumers. Industries like
cement and concrete have made tremendous progress
towards improving process efficiency, lowering energy
consumption, reducing environmental pollution, and
enhancing the health and safety records of their
employees.
Cement Industry: A Daunting Example
The cement industry is
one of the most
polluting industries of
the manufacturing
sector. It emits a
considerable amount of
fine dust besides
certain gaseous wastes
such as carbon dioxide
(CO2), a potent greenhouse gas. This industry is among
the key drivers of climate change, responsible for 6 to 9%
of global CO2 emissions.
Cement manufacturing is involves the quarrying of
substantial volumes and tonnages of raw materials,
crushing and grinding of raw mixes and intermediate
products which in turn cause air pollution by creating
dust, exacerbating respiratory diseases. Other elements
of pollution include high levels of noise, ground vibration,
solid wastes, and resources-depletion due to raw material
extraction.
In the 2016 Paris agreement, it was agreed to keep the
global temperature increase below 2 degrees C. To
achieve this, CO2 emissions will have to be reduced by
80 to 90% by 2050. Consequently, the cement industry
faces increasing pressure, but it has already started to
address this challenge.
The UN Climate Change Conference and Beyond Theme - FOCUS- April 2022, Vol.10- (2)
The UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) concluded
its deliberations in Glasgow, Scotland in November 2021.
GREAT IS THY FAITHFULNESS
The outcome document, known as the Glasgow Climate
Pact, calls on 197 countries to report their progress
towards more climate ambition next year, at COP27, set
to take place in Egypt.

By the end of 2022, the Glasgow pact asks countries to

revisit their nationally determined contributions and
strengthen them to bring them in line with the
temperature goals of the Paris Agreement. Limiting
warming to 1.5 degrees C is broadly accepted as a
critical goal to avoiding worsening climate consequences.
But it is clear that current national commitments will not
get us there. We will need stronger emissions reductions
pledges, especially from the largest greenhouse gas
emitters. Expanding creativity, innovation, and
determination from every sector of society to get on with
real-world solutions is essential.

The private sector also showed strong engagement with

nearly 500 global financial services firms agreeing to
align US$130 trillion – some 40% of the world’s financial
assets – with the goals set out in the Paris Agreement,
including limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees C.
COP26 has triggered new hopes and expectations in
spite of certain serious disappointments and lurking
concerns about the broader issues of sustainability.
Several large companies, or multinational brands, have
made significant sustainability promises, and there will be
increasing pressures to meet those promises.

Finale
Sustainability means meeting our own needs without
compromising the ability of future generations to meet
their own needs. In addition to natural resources, we also
need social and economic resources. Manufacturing
industries such as cement and concrete, though vital to
overall economic development, have a special
responsibility to uphold the three pillars of sustainability –
economic, social and environmental.
We have a narrow and critical window of opportunity to
reduce greenhouse gas emissions. It is clear that the
private sector will have a growing role to help slow and
reverse those emissions. Christian entrepreneurs,
investors, professionals, managers, employees and other
stakeholders have a duty to consciously integrate their
faith element into the whole realm of sustainable
development. As stewards of God's creation, Christians
believe that humans have a responsibility towards the
environment and Nature. God reveals himself in Nature.
Living sustainably can help us grow closer to God and
preserve Nature for generations to come.
“The whole earth is a living icon of the face of God” (Saint
John of Damascus 749 AD).
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Thanking God for the First FOCUS Decade
“They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness”
(Lam 3: 23).
“Great is thy faithfulness, O God my Father, . . .
Morning by morning new mercies I see;
all I have needed thy hand hath provided.
Great is thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!”
(Thomas O. Chisholm (1923) – Christian Worship: Hymnal
#602)
It is with absolute humility and deep gratitude to God
that we are entering into the 10th year of this ecumenical
publication directed towards the Indian Christian
Diaspora Communities across the world. We sincerely
thank all our contributors and our readers for journeying
with us and helping us with your hospitable presence.
Thank you for being our fellow travellers in our spiritual
journey. May God continue to bless you to be a blessing
to the whole inhabited earth (oikoumene).
Sustainability of Nature and the Mission of the Church
Dr. Cherian Samuel, McLean, Virginia
Introduction.
This essay explores the relationship between Sustainable
Development—covering economic, social and
environmental sustainability aspects—and the Mission of
the Church. The discussion is anchored in the divine
mandate to humanity as stewards of creation and its
implications for sustainability. The essay is divided into
two sections. The first section outlines issues related to
Sustainable Development, Climate Change, Sustainable
Development Goals, and the Mission of the Church. The
second section explores the relationship between
Sustainable Development and the Mission of the Church,
and concludes the essay.
Sustainable Development.
The 1987 Brundtland Reportviii defined sustainable
development as development that meets the needs of the
present without compromising the ability of future
generations to meet their own needs. The Report
characterized sustainable development as a process of
change in which the exploitation of resources, the
direction of investments, the orientation of technological
development, and institutional change are made
consistent with future as well as present needs.
Sustainable development requires meeting the basic
needs of all and extending to all the opportunity to satisfy
their aspirations for a better life. Sustainable development
was subsequently adopted as an overarching objective
by Governments at the 1992 UN Conference on
Environment and Development in Rio de Janeiro, more
commonly known as the “Earth Summit”.
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Developmentix—
adopted by all UN Member States in September 2015—
provides a shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for
people and the planet, now and into the future. At its
heart are 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) x, an
urgent call for action by all countries, recognizing that
ending poverty and other deprivations must go along with
strategies to improve health and education, reduce
inequality and promote economic growth, while tackling
the challenge of climate change to preserve the planetxi.
Climate Change.
Among the 17 SDGs, Goal#13 on Climate Change is
perhaps the most urgent, given the existential threat
posed to the planet and humanity. There is a symbiotic
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relationship between Sustainable Development and
Climate Change. On the one hand, Climate Change
influences key natural and human living conditions and
therefore Sustainable Development. On the other hand,
society’s priorities on Sustainable Development influence
both the Green House Gas (GHG) emissions that are
causing Climate Change and the vulnerability. As a result,
the adverse impacts of Climate Change are undermining
the ability of countries to attain Sustainable Development.
Poor and developing countries, particularly the least
developed countries (LDCs), are among those most
adversely affected and least able to cope with climate
change related shocks to social, economic and natural
systems. Increases in global temperature, sea level rise,
ocean acidification and other climate change impacts are
seriously affecting coastal areas and low-lying coastal
countries, including many LDCs and Small Island
Developing States (SIDS).
According to the World Bankxii, no country today is
immune from the impacts of climate change. There is an
unmistakable link between climate change and its impact
on human wellbeing and poverty. If unchecked, climate
change will push 132 million people into poverty over the
next 10 years, nullifying hard-won development gains.
Annually, natural disasters cost about $18 billion in low-
and middle-income countries through damages to power
generation and transport infrastructure alone. They also
trigger wider disruptions for households and firms costing
at least $390 billion a year. Climate change could also
drive 216 million people to migrate within their own
countries by 2050, with hotspots of internal migration
emerging as soon as 2030, spreading and intensifying
thereafter.
The international political response to Climate Change
started at the Rio Earth Summit in 1992, where the ‘Rio
Convention’ included the adoption of the UN Framework
on Climate Change (UNFCCC)xiii. In December 2015, the
21st Session of the Conference of the Parties (COP21)
convened in Paris, France, and adopted the Paris
Agreement, a universal agreement which aims to keep a
global temperature rise for this century well below 2
degrees Celsius, with the goal of driving efforts to limit
the temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-
industrial revolution levelsxiv. While climate change
mitigationxv is the solution to address the climate change
challenge, adaptationxvi is an immediate and win–win
action to increase resilience and reduce climate-related
impacts and risksxvii.
Following the recently concluded (November 2021) 26th
Session of the Conference of the Parties (COP26) in
Glasgow, UK, a consensus has emerged regarding key
actions for tackling Climate Changexviii, relating to
adaptation, mitigation, and financexix. Regarding
adaptation, a work program has been established to
define the global goal on adaptation, which will identify
collective needs and solutions to the climate crisis
already affecting many countries. On mitigation, the
persistent gap in emissions was identified and the Parties
collectively agreed to reduce the gap and ensure that the
world continues to advance during the present decade,
so that the rise in the average temperature is limited to
1.5 degrees. Regarding finance, there was consensus on
the need for increased support to developing countries,
with a call to at least double the finance for adaptation, as
well as fulfill the pledge of providing $100 billion annually
from developed to developing countries. A process for
defining the new global goal on finance was also
launched. Finally, after six years of negotiations, pending
items that prevented the full implementation of the Paris
Agreement on carbon markets and transparency were
approved.
Sustainability and Evaluation.
The ex-post evaluation framework for private sector
projects supported by Multilateral Development Banks
(MDBs)xx are anchored in sustainability considerations as
well. For example, in the case of both the International
Finance Corporation (IFC)xxi and the Multilateral
Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA)xxii—members of the
World Bank Group—the stakeholder framework is used
for assessing the development impact of supported
projects ex-postxxiii, underpinned by the economic, social,
and environmental sustainability of supported projectsxxiv.
Within the stakeholder framework, sustainability of private
sector projects is fundamental, based on the recognition
that failed businesses do not make positive contributions
to the economy and society.
Mission of the Church.
The mission of the Church is to proclaim and share the
“Gospel”xxv message, the good news regarding the
reconciliation between holy God and sinful humanity
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through Jesus, as He commanded through the Great
Commission (Matthew 28: 19-20, Mark 16: 15-16, Acts
1:8). As Apostle Paul proclaimed to the Corinthian
believers, God has reconciled humanity to Himself
through Christ (2 Corinthians 5: 18, 19). Jesus bore the
guilt and punishment for the sin of humanity on the cross,
thereby imputing righteousness to believers.
As elaborated in the Gospels, reconciliation was the very
purpose of Jesus coming to earth: to seek and save the
lost (Luke 19:10); to save people from sins (Matthew
1:21). Prophet Isaiah prophesied the fact of the Messiah
being wounded for our transgressions, bruised for our
inequities, and the chastisement for our peace being
upon Him—700 years before Jesus was born—and dying
on the cross for our sins (1 Corinthians 15:3). Therefore, it
is God who reaches out, initiates, and saves fallen
humanity, who had become the enemies of God (Romans
5:10). Without God’s sovereign intervention, no sinner
could ever be saved (John 6:65).
History of Creation.
As recorded in the Bible, God created the heavens and
the earth in the beginning (Genesis 1:1), by His word and
with the breath of His mouth (Psalm 33:6). The first two
chapters of the Book of Genesis provides a beautiful
chronological account of creation, signifying the
greatness and majesty of the LORD: (i) Day 1—Day and
Night (1: 2-5); (ii) Day 2—Heavens. Oceans (1:6-9); (ii) Day
3—Land, Vegetation (1:10-13); (iv) Day 4—Sun, Moon,
Stars (1:14-19); (v) Day 5—Sea creatures. Birds (1:20-23);
(vi) Day 6—Land animals, Humanity (1:24-31); and (vii)
Day 7—Rest (2:2-3). Unlike the rest of creation, God
created Humanity in His own image, male and female
(1:27), out of the dust of the ground, albeit into a living
being with the breath of life (2:7). Overall, God was
pleased with His creation, characterizing it as “very good”
(1:31). Likewise, in Psalm 8, King David presents a
magnificent portrait of the glory of the LORD in creation
and the wonder of humanity’s position in the cosmos
(Psalm 8:1-9).
Stewardship Mandate.
A defining feature of Creation was God granting humanity
dominion over all created things (Genesis 1:26, Psalm
8:6-8). With the LORD God as the fountainhead of all
things, the “dominion” role of humanity is best
understood as a “stewardship” role, taking care of God’s
creation. As noted in Richter (2020) xxvi, at the creation of
humanity in the image of God on the sixth day, humanity
was granted stewardship—appointed as God’s
custodians, as loyal representatives—over a complex and
magnificent universe, as the embodiment of God’s
sovereignty on earth. The stewardship mandate granted
to humanity also provides the biblical basis for
Sustainable Development. The stewardship mandate may
also be elucidated in economic, social and environmental
terms, similar to the economic, social and environmental
aspects of sustainability.
King David provides a powerful illustration of humanity’s
stewardship mandate, while blessing the LORD before
the assembly of Israel, as they made generous and willing
offerings, with a loyal heart, to build the temple for the
LORD God (1 Chronicles 29:9-20). David stated
unequivocally that everything comes from the LORD; that
their offerings to God was only what they had received
from Him; and emphasized their own unworthiness in
being able to give generously (1 Chronicles 29:14-16).
The stewardship mandate also comes with accountability
for humanityxxvii, given the associated responsibility of
representing God in the world. Humanity can exercise
dominion only under the delegated authority of God,
where all authority rests (Romans 13:1-5). As caretakers
of the earth and created in the image of God, humanity
has to bring the material world into the service of God
and its own good as God’s blessing on humanity. Bible
also teaches that as stewards, humanity must shepherd
and care for the governed (Titus 1:7-8).
Rest. In addition, God’s provision for rest—including
sabbath rest—supplements the biblical basis for
sustainable development. Beginning with creation
(Genesis 2:2-3), rest is a repeated, desirable theme in the
Bible. God rested on the seventh day, setting the
standard and pattern for humanity to follow. God also
built into humanity the need for sleep, like the rest of
creationxxviii.
God established a pattern of regular rest through the ten
commandments, when He made resting on the Sabbath a
requirement of the Law for all God’s people, their
servants and the animals (Exodus 20:8-11, Deuteronomy
5:12-15). Upon entering the Promised land, the children
of Israel were also commanded to give a sabbath of
solemn rest to the LORD in the seventh year, without any
sowing or reaping (Leviticus 25:1-17). As Christians, our
ultimate rest is in Jesus, who invites all who are weary
and burdened to come to Him and cast their cares on
Him (Matthew 11:28; 1 Peter 5:7). Just as Sabbath rest
was instituted to relieve humanity from labor, Jesus has
come to save humanity from the futile effort to achieve
salvation by works.
Economic Stewardship.
Walter Brueggemann—the pre-eminent Old Testament
theologian—has suggested that the cancellation of debts
mandated for the children of Israel every seven years and
in the Jubilee year—the sabbatical 50th year after seven
cycles of seven years (49 years)–is the most explicit
teaching on economic stewardship in the Biblexxix
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(Leviticus 25:8-17, Deuteronomy 15:1-18). The regulation
protects the wellbeing of the land from unrestrained
predation, as well as those who become impoverished
and indebted. The Bible teaches Christians to help the
poor and the afflicted, the orphans and widows, and
people unable to support themselves (Isaiah 1:17; James
1:27).
Social Stewardship.
Bible teaches that God is a God of justice (Deuteronomy
32:4), with concern and care shown to the poor and
afflicted (Deuteronomy 10:18). Israel was commanded to
care for the fatherless, the widow and the sojourner,
people who were not able to fend for themselves or had
no support system. In His Olivet Discourse, Jesus speaks
about caring for the least (Matthew 25:40), underpinned
by the second of the greatest commandments, love your
neighbor as yourself (Matthew 22:39). Jesus also showed
deep compassion for the poor, the sick, the
dispossessed, and the outcasts of society (Matthew
xxx
11:5), albeit with a focus on spiritual needs .
Environmental Stewardship. As discussed earlier, the
Bible states clearly that the earth and everything in it
belongs to God, with God granting humanity a
stewardship over role at Creation. Stewardship implies
caretaking—intelligently managing God-given
resources—in order to preserve and protect. A good
example of environmental stewardship comes from the
Old Testament, where God commands the fields and
vineyards to be sown and harvested for six years, then
left fallow for the seventh year in order to replenish the
soil’s nutrients, both to rest the land and ensure
continued provision for His people in the future (Exodus
23:10-11; Leviticus 25:1-7).
Given our collective carbon emissions as humanity,
Climate Change presents an unprecedented ethical
problem to Christians, impinging on Jesus’s foundational
command to Love One Another, across time and space.
Humanity is called to care for the neighbors of the future
and the present. The relationship between the ethical
considerations of climate change—the knowledge that
our actions directly or indirectly cause harm to others—
and the practice of the Christian faith has been
challenging.
SDGs and the Church.
At its core, SDGs reflect the interrelatedness of creation
and the interdependence of human needs. By His grace,
the Church has been invited to be a part of God’s work
for humanity, even as perfect justice and perfect peace
remains a vision for the future. Faith demands the people
of God to be ambassadors for change, striving for justice
and peace in the world, with the SDGs serving as
progress markers.
Almost all of the 17 SDGs are connected to the work of the
Church and related organizations at some level, with a direct
connection to five SDGs : (i) SDG 3 - Good health and well-
xxxi
being; Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at
all ages (“I am the Lord who heals you.” Exodus 15:26); (ii)
SDG 4 - Quality education; Ensure inclusive and equitable
quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities
for all (“How much better to get wisdom than gold.”
Proverbs 16:16); (iii) SDG 5 - Gender equality; Achieve
gender equality and empower all women and girls (“There is
no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ
Jesus.” Galatians 3:28); (iv) SDG 10 - Reduced inequalities;
Reduce inequality within and among countries (“… do not
oppress the widow, the orphan, the alien, or the poor …”
Zechariah 7:10); and (v) SDG 16 - Peace, justice and strong
institutions; Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for
sustainable development, provide access to justice for all
and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at
all levels (“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be
called the children of God.” Matthew 5:19)
Sustainability and the Mission of the Church.
Based on the considerations outlined in this essay,
sustainable development—based on economic, social and
environmental sustainability—is fully consistent with the
Church’s mission to share the good news of the Gospel in
the world. The stewardship mandate—economic, social and
environmental stewardship—granted to humanity at Creation
provides the biblical basis for sustainable development and
the related SDGs.
Meeting the physical and spiritual needs of humanity has
been central to the mission of the Church from the very
beginning. The Early Church shared all they had (Acts 2:44-
45, Acts 4:32-37), taking special care of widows (Acts 6:1-7),
and working together to meet specific needs. For example,
when the church in Jerusalem was suffering persecution and
a famine, the church in Antioch sent relief (Acts 11:29–30).
Likewise, local churches have been a tremendous blessing
to communities during the peak of the recent COVID-19
pandemic . There are also ongoing initiatives to identify and
xxxii
serve most urgent spiritual and physical needs globally .
Conclusions.
Sustainable development—based on economic, social and
environmental sustainability aspects—is fully consistent with
the mission of the Church to proclaim the Gospel and make
disciples. Stewardship mandate—covering economic, social
and environmental stewardship—granted to humanity at
Creation by the LORD provides the biblical basis for
sustainable development. Ultimately, stewardship is
humanity’s obedient submission to God’s sovereignty.
Lastly, Climate change presents an existential threat to
humanity, as well as a fundamental challenge to Jesus’s
radical Love One Another command to Christians.
Sustainability considerations are also central to the ex-post
development impact assessments of private sector projects
that reduce poverty, meet people’s needs and contribute to
the Church’s mission.
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(The Carpenter’s Son - Continued from Page 21)
He became poor so that we may become rich because of
His grace. When we live in a market-oriented culture we
often forget about the Christ. Christmas should be an
experience of emptying ourselves. The birth of Jesus
Christ was a painful experience for Joseph and Mary. But
they listened and obeyed God so that their agony
became our joy. Unless and until we experience the pain
and agony of others we cannot celebrate the joy of
Christmas in its true meaning.
Christmas must be an embodiment of the sacrifice and
obedience to God. Our celebrations should reflect the
pain and sufferings of others, then only it would become
a real celebration. God is the master carpenter who
created the whole world. Are we still searching the Christ
in the manger or the crucified Christ on the cross? His
birth and death should challenge the way we live and
should enable us to transform ourselves, and the life of
others around us. The resurrected Christ’s presence in
our lives should enable us to face the various challenges
of the world.
In Fort Worth, a city on the west of Dallas, the City owned
buses carry an advertisement by an atheist group, which
reads – “Millions of Americans are good without God.”
We should be blamed if millions of Americans are good
without Jesus since they did not see the resurrected
Christ in the lives of the so-called Christians. Becoming
annoyed by the advertisement on the city buses, the
Christians placed a counter advertisement, which reads
like this – “Millions of people are good with God.” Is it just
for being good for us that we are Christians? No, we
should be able to be good for the people around us. They
should see Jesus through our lives and taste that He is
good.
It is comfortable to move with the crowd, but it is difficult
to move with God. Christians need to move to the other
xxxiii
side of the world in order to be with God. A true believer
should live the Gospel and not of the materialistic world.
Christianity should be a way of life. It is not about wearing
a cross but cross should be our way of life. Christ should
be revealed through our lives. Time magazine had
portrayed Mother Teresa as the most beautiful women in
the world. It is not her outer beauty, but her inner beauty
that Time magazine has recognized.
The message of Gospel should enable us to glorify God
through our lives. The Gospel should enable us to be with
God and to walk with God. Jesus wants us to have a
personal encounter with Him in our daily lives. We need
to step out of the nets that prevent us from being with
God. When we encounter Jesus, His glory will be
revealed through our lives. Our faith should outflow our
emotions to have real encounter with Him.
(Continued on Page 49)
Sustainability of Nature and Mission of the Church:
Towards an Integral Eco-Theology
Revd George Abraham Kallooppara, Austin
Ecology in general refers to the living animals and
organisms that live on earth and their influence on each
other. Ecology is the science of the symphony of life, and
the science of survival. Ecology, economics and
ecumenism comes from the same root word ‘oikos,’ they
are inter connected but in real life this togetherness is
missing. There is a terrible imbalance in ecology because
of the imbalance in economics, which in turn affects the
unity among the whole creation. The world is moving
towards a culture of accumulation of wealth, which is
against the natural law of eco-system. The result is an
unwarranted and irresponsible exploitation of plants,
animals and natural resources resulting in land conversion
and habitat destruction, land degradation, resource
conversion and wastes, hazards in means of production,
pollution of air in the form of acid rain, ozone depletion,
greenhouse effect, pollution of seas, rivers and lakes
because of toxins, chemicals, pesticides, oil
contamination, nuclear pollution, thermal pollution etc. It
is not possible for the individual to live without being
concerned about the environment as the individual lies
with it and in it and by it. The role of religion is very
interesting when seen in the light of ecology. Every
religion holds nature in high esteem. Ecology from a
theological perspective was not part of traditional
theological schools as exploitation of natural resources
was considered as a God given right justified by
scripture. Modern theologians however use the same
scripture to show how the Bible views ecology and its
interpretation of creation.
Theological Task
The word “theology” literally means simply “words about
God.” A Cosmo centric theology must be theocentric:
theology is about God and the world. The responsibility of
theologians is to bring the perspectives of the Christian
faith to bear on the current and pressing issues of our
day. The distinctive voice of theology is the voice that
speaks of God in relation to the pains and pleasures, the
crisis and opportunities, the dilemmas and despairs of life
on planet Earth.
Theology is an aspect of discerning God’s will, and hence
cannot be done apart from ethics and spirituality:
thinking, doing and praying belong together. One cannot
think about God or act rightly in the world apart from
being grounded in God. The important character of any
theology is the context in which it occurs. A theology that
begins with the statement that we live to give God glory
by loving the world has two foci: a theocentric and a
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Cosmo centric one. The cosmological context says that
theology should be done from the perspective of the well-
being of the entire planet and all its creatures in which
each one of us are a subject in a community of subjects,
both human and earth subjects, all of whom have value.
“To turn toward God (theocentrism) was simultaneously
“to turn toward God’s beloved world (geocentrism)”
(Larry. L. Rasmussen, Earth Community- Earth Ethics,
New York: Orbis Books, 1996). The integrity of creation
refers to the value of all creatures in themselves, for one
another, and for God, and their interconnectedness in a
diverse whole that has unique value for God. To forget
the integrity of creation is to forget that the earth itself is a
splendid whole.
The rising privatization of the land by the rich, the elite
and by the ruling class for ‘development’ projects results
in the victimization of the poor. The ecological
movements today, noted that the poor masses are
fighting for their survival and the right to homeland. ‘Land
is life’. Hence a theology of creation should also be a
theology of land. Claus Westermann refutes the
traditional interpretation of ‘dominion’ as ‘right to
exploitation.’ God expects human beings to act like
viceroys, to be just and responsible and render real
services to the created order. Viceroys are forbidden to
exploit people on the earth. What is expected for God’s
viceroy on earth is to: defend the cause of the poor and
be concerned about the fertility of land (Psalms 72:4-6).
Christian love is not the kind of selfish possessiveness,
which is lavished solely on our children and
grandchildren, but is given to all household of God, all the
children of the one and the same parent. It is the divine
‘agape’, which is applicable not just to people with whom
we share values or our generation but also to all people in
all time. By doing so we keep right relationship with
nature and the whole creation of God as stewards and
caretakers of everything that is given to us for our use.
There is a need for each one of us to live differently in
order to love nature, and to live differently we need to
think differently- especially about ourselves and who we
are in the scheme of things. Market ideology has become
our way of life; almost our religion, telling us who we are
(consumers) and what the goal of life is.
Ecology to Global Consciousness
The major problems we face today are pollution, nuclear
and bacteriological threats, deforestation, desertification,
famine, and the demographic explosion due to the
industries, factories and multi-national companies. They
all point to the essential importance of the ecological
problem. This, in turn, leads to the development of a new
culture based primarily on a revision of our technological,
political, and social outlook. The new outlook of each of
these aspects should link ecology to global
consciousness. Only by doing this will we be able to
avoid catastrophe and think in terms of a “new heaven
and a new earth.”
COVID 19 has given the nature a ‘healing time’ with
reduced human interference in natural environment. But
when the epidemic finally subsides, then carbon and
other pollutant emissions get back then it would be as if
this clear sky view never happened and the changes, we
see today will not have lasting impact. It is a known fact
that anthropogenic activities are the major cause behind
degraded environmental condition and disturbed ecology,
but from the lock down times, it has become evident that
still it can be restored significantly if sufficient restorative
measure and strategic government policies are planned
before removing all the restrictions. Human interaction
with the ecosystem must remain balanced; otherwise, we
will risk disrupting nature, which has consequences as we
are seeing in the COVID-19 pandemic
Environmental Ethics
An environmental ethics is basically a human ethic based
on social justice for all without discrimination of caste,
creed, race, color, sex, ideology, religion or nation. They
are our moral values and principles decide whether an
action is environmentally positive or negative. In regard to
environmental ethics, we need to know about frontier
ethic and sustainable development ethic. Frontier ethic is
the belief that the earth resources are meant for human
consumption and hence they can be used without any
regard to how their use affects the environment.
According to them, economic growth is more important
than conservation of nature. Sustainable development
ethics, on the other hand, believes that resources are
limited, and hence we have to use them judiciously and
carefully. They believe that humans are part of nature and
do not have a right to control nature.
Ecology and Biblical Hermeneutics
An area that requires urgent attention in the context of
ecological crisis is our interpretation of the Bible. We
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need to develop an ecological interpretation that takes
God’s creation seriously and does not discriminate
between humanity and rest of creation. We should move
away from an androcentric and anthropocentric
interpretation to a life centered emphasis. The new
reading of the Bible should emerge from our commitment
to the preservation of life. The concerns of Biblical
authors were much different
Environmental Ministry of the Church
The churches need to play a prophetic role to pioneer
awareness programmes. The roles of the churches are
crucial since stewardship is an important ingredient of
Christian faith and practice. Churches have adopted
symbols and customs from our natural environment but
seldom have these been integrated into mainstream
thinking or practice. A conscious effort is needed today to
express the Biblical insights on creation spirituality.
Materials for Bible study, worship and Christian education
to help us celebrate and learn God’s design for creation
and human responsibility should be made available.
Acting together globally and locally with
environmentalists, scientists, social activists, young
people, political leaders, economists and others from
different backgrounds and religions who are searching for
just forms of society, which help maintain the ecological
balance of creation. By rejecting over consumption and
promoting models, which encourage recycling, providing
adequate shelter and appropriate transportation,
providing sustainable for of agricultural and industrial
production, and meet the basic needs of all people.
Rejecting and fighting hierarchical thinking, which puts
one race above another, men above women, or people
above the natural environment, and accepting the
responsibility of constant self-examination is needed for
building a more harmonious world. Participating in
networks with other churches, environmental
organizations, popular movements, scientific associations
and other groups committed to education and action to
resist the causes of atmospheric destruction is the need
of the hour.
As a church we need to form special study groups or task
forces around specific environmental issues, Bible study
and theological concerns. As we reflect together, we will
realize how quickly the world scene is changing and new
challenges are emerging. As a church we need to
recognize that we have failed to do what God has called
us to do. We have failed to be stewards of God’s,
creation. Not only have we not defended the oppressed
and exploited, but also have we often taken sides with
the oppressors and exploiters. There is therefore the need
to stay together in the process of mutual commitment to
justice, peace and the integrity of creation, and to prepare
for a new vision, commitments and actions.
Ecology and Spirituality
Dr. Zac Varghese, London
John Philip Newell is a Celtic teacher and author of
spirituality who calls the modern world to reawaken to the
sacredness of the earth and every human being. In his
poem, ‘Praying with the earth’, he wrote:
“Whichever way we turn, O God, there is Your face
in the light of the moon and patterns of stars,
in sacred mountain rifts and ancient groves,
in mighty seas and creatures of the deep.
Whichever way we turn, O God, there is Your face
in the light of eyes we love,
in the salt of tears we have tasted,
in weathered countenances east and west,
in the soft skin glow of the child everywhere.
Whichever way we turn, O God, there is Your face,
there is Your face among us.”
There is a basic proposition that God has given us two
books: one is the Bible and the second is nature, the
physical world of earth, which is not created by human
efforts such as animals and plants; nature is God’s green
book. This idea is poetically expressed in Psalm 19:1-4:
“The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim
the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth
speech; night after night they reveal knowledge. They
have no speech; they use no words; no sound is heard
from them. Yet their voice goes out into all the earth, their
words to the ends of the world. In the heavens God has
pitched a tent for the sun.”
So, we learn about God from both the Bible and nature.
The non-human living world around us has the ability to
express gratitude and a sense of profound respect for
what God has done for this earth and all who live in it.
This idea reminds me of Charles Kingsley’s thoughts,
which he expressed during his nature walks: “I am
immersed in the infinite ocean of God.” Great artists
remind us that the physical world and the spiritual are not
separate, but overlap and are inter-mingled - the “veil”
between them is thin. God’s coming to us as a human
being reminds us that it is not helpful to try to draw lines
between what is “sacred” and what is “secular”. Even
more to the point, great artists like Turner, Constable, Van
Gogh and such people teach us that we need to really
use our eyes not only see but also to perceive the inner
beauty. To do that, we need to focus so that we see
through the veil. Maybe at times this will not be easy but
it will always be worthwhile! John Constable, who saw
and painted the beauty in ordinary country scenes and
nature said: “There is nothing ugly; I never saw an ugly
thing in my life. Let the form of an object be what it may –
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light, shade and perspective will always make it
beautiful.” The romantic poets such as Wordsworth were
proponents of natural theology, understanding God
through the observation of nature. Wordworth ends his
poem ‘The Rainbow’ with the following lines: And I could
wish my days to be / Bound each to each by natural
piety.” The joy he felt at the sight of a rainbow for him
was the truest worship of God. There are others who feel
closer to God through their intimate relationship with
nature and its beauty. In the creation story, at the end of
the 6th day, God saw everything that he has made, and
said it was very good (Ge 1: 31). St. Paul expresses this
in Rom 1: 20, “For since the creation of the world God’s
invisible qualities –his eternal power and divine nature –
have been clearly seen, being understood from what has
been made, so that men are without excuse.” However,
natural theology cannot teach us the love and mercy of
God, for that we need to rely on the revelations through
Jesus Christ.
Dan Papworth (1) in his book, ‘The Lives Around Us’,
highlights that human existence is a gift from God and
stewardship entrusted to mankind of the created world is
a privilege and hence it is important to respect the fact
that all created things have their rightful place in
maintaining bio-diversity and ecological balance.
Sometimes, a feeling of superiority over other creatures
around us whether they are wildlife, pets, trees, or weeds
can easily get out of control. Subjugation of others,
power and control, may be deep within our psyche; a
restless spirit needs self-control, but it is not easily
attained when the surge of activity springs from within.
‘Fragrance and Abundance’ (2) is another book, which I
reviewed previously for this journal, helps us to
understand our responsibilities to care for the
‘oikoumene’, the whole Inhabited world, and maintain a
sustainable lifestyle. It is important to realize that the
major religions own around seven percent of the
habitable surface of this good God-given earth.
Therefore, faith communities have a major responsibility
as stewards of the whole inhabited earth. Various
environmental activists have been telling us over the last
several years that our living planet is slowly being
diminished, polluted, over populated and built over or at
the edge of total destruction. It is increasingly clear that
human activity has assisted in global warming and other
ecological issues. The authors of, ‘Fragrance and
Abundance’, have also provided ideas and possibilities of
tackling ecological issues with a Christian perspective.
Arundati Roy, the Booker Prize-winning author and social
activist, recently wrote: “Oceans are rising, coasts and
coastal cities are insecure, forests are burning, the fames
licking at the edges of settled civilisation, devouring
whole towns as they spread. Rivers are drying up.
Drought haunts lush valleys. Hurricanes and floods
devastate cities. As groundwater is depleted, California is
sinking. The reservoir of the iconic Hoover Dam on the
Colorado River, which supplies fresh water to 40m
people, is drying at an alarming rate. If empires and their
outposts need to plunder the Earth to maintain their
hegemony, it doesn’t matter if the plundering is driven by
American, European, Chinese or Indian capital. These are
not really the conversations that we should be having.
Because while we’re busy talking, the Earth is busy
dying” (Arundhati Roy, Economist, 3rd September, 2021).
The secretary General of the United Nations at COP26
conference on 1st November this year said, “humanity is
digging their graves.”
World’s Response to Ecological Crisis in 2021:
COP stands for ‘Conference of the Parties’, a United
Nations climate summit where world leaders coordinate
their actions to stop the rise in global
temperatures. Originally planned for November 2020,
COP26 was delayed due to COVID-19 restrictions and
finally took place from 1-12 November 2021 in Glasgow.
The Paris Agreement was first negotiated in 2015 at
COP21 which committed countries to keeping the global
temperature rise below 2°C and ideally below 1.5°C in
order to avoid the worst consequences of climate
change.
At Glasgow, Head of States, Prime Ministers, and political
leaders from 194 countries were joined by civil society,
international organisations, businesses and youth to mark
the start of the COP-26. More than 30,000 people from
diverse background were involved at Glasgow in one way
or other. Over the first two days featuring national
statements and a series of high-level meetings and
events, 120 Heads of States and Governments were clear
in their determination to take ambitious action to tackle
climate change and seize the opportunities for a clean
and resilient transition. These leaders made clear that
climate change is a global problem. The world is
welcoming in a new era of economic and political
partnership with climate action at its heart. The task of
the decade will be to deliver the finance, resources and
tools to rapidly deliver climate action at scale. During the
Summit, leaders outlined what must be achieved in
Glasgow; sending a signal to negotiators to work together
to accelerate climate action in this crucial decade,
stressing the need to drive progress on all issues and
write the rule book to support delivery of the Paris
Agreement goals and building a net zero and resilient
future.
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Many of these leaders spoke about the vital importance
of charting a path to keep the prospect of limiting global
temperature rise to 1.5°C within reach; including by
closing the gap between the current nationally
determined contributions to 2030 and requirements of
science; revisiting and updating them as necessary. They
issued clear calls to continue to scale up climate finance
from all sources, including urgently delivering the $100bn
per year goal and deepening work across the financial
system to align financial flows with the Paris Agreement
and Sustainable Development Goals. Additionally, they
called for agreement on an inclusive approach for setting
a new collective quantified goal beyond 2025, fit for
purpose for delivering the Paris Agreement. There was a
clear commitment to working together to achieve climate
aims, including with the private sector, international
organisations and civil society.
Leaders highlighted the need for all countries to urgently
scale up action to adapt to climate change. A number of
developed countries were clear about their commitment
to achieve a balance between mitigation and adaptation
in their climate finance, including through a new
Champions Group on Adaptation Finance, and with some
committing to 50% adaptation finance. Further support
for adaptation was showcased through the African
Adaptation Acceleration Programme and a new
Infrastructure for Resilient Island States fund. Many
leaders spoke about their national and locally-led plans,
with 32 countries now having submitted Adaptation
Communications or National Adaptation Plans, now
representing more than 2 billion people, helping share
best practice and mobilise action.
The following are some memorable quotes from the
leaders at the conference:
"It is the hope of many that the legacy of this summit —
written in history books yet to be printed — will describe
you as the leaders who did not pass up the opportunity,
and that you answered the call of those future
generations. That you left this conference as a community
of nations with a determination, a desire and a plan to
address the impact of climate change and to recognize
that the time for words has now moved to the time for
action." — Queen Elizabeth
"To the world's most vulnerable who need us to act, to
Indigenous people who can show us the way, to young
people marching in our streets in cities around the
world. It's true, your leaders do need to do better. That's
why we're here today." — Canadian Prime Minister
Justin Trudeau
"There's no more time to hang back or sit on the fence or
argue amongst ourselves. This is a challenge of our
collective lifetimes. The existential threat, threat to human
existence as we know it, and every day we delay the cost
of inaction increases. So let this be the moment that we
answer history's call here in Glasgow." — U.S. President
Joe Biden
"Our addiction to fossil fuels is pushing humanity to the
brink. We face a stark choice: Either we stop it — or it
stops us. It's time to say: enough, . . . Enough of treating
nature like a toilet. Enough of burning and drilling and
mining our way deeper. We are digging our own graves."
— UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres
Climate activist Greta Thunberg said, “Real leadership
on climate change will not come from politicians
attending the COP26 gathering in Glasgow, Scotland,
because they are only 'pretending to take our futures
seriously.' Change e is not going to come from inside
there — that is not leadership, this is leadership. We say
no more 'blah blah blah,' no more exploitation of people
and nature and the planet."
Sir David Attenborough, the naturalist and broadcaster,
reminded: "We are, after all, the greatest problem solvers
to have ever existed on Earth. If working apart, we are a
force powerful enough to destabilize our planet. Surely
working together, we are powerful enough to save it."
Chronological Unfairness and the Ecological Crisis:
Chronological unfairness is destroying the future
possibilities, hopes and aspirations of generations that
would follow us because of our greed and throw-away
consumeristic culture. In a historic Joint Statement on 1st
September, 2021, Pope Francis, Ecumenical Patriarch
Bartholomew and Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby
said, “Today’s children and teenagers will face
catastrophic consequences unless we take responsibility
now, as ‘fellow workers with God’ (Gn 2.4–7), to sustain
our world. We frequently hear from young people who
understand that their futures are under threat. For their
sake, we must choose to eat, travel, spend, invest and
live differently, thinking not only of immediate interest and
gains but also of future benefits. We repent of our
generation’s sins. We stand alongside our younger sisters
and brothers throughout the world in committed prayer
and dedicated action for a future which corresponds ever
more to the promises of God.”
Boris Johnson, the Prime Minister of the UK, confessed at
COP-26: "The people who will judge us are children not
yet born and their children, and we are now coming
centre stage before a vast and uncountable audience of
posterity, and we must not fluff our lines or miss our cue,
because if we fail, they will not forgive us." Greta
Thunberg and other young leaders have highlighted this
aspect through their Friday School protest movements
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across Europe over the last three years. Pope Francis (3)
in his encyclical, Laudato Si: On Care of Our Common
Home, lays out for all people the ethical and moral
implications of climate change and Eco-Justice. “. . .
today’s problems call for a vision capable of taking into
account every aspect of the global crisis.” . . . we are not
faced with two separate crises, one environmental and the
other social, but rather one complex crisis which is both
social and environmental.” As a result, “Strategies for a
solution demand an integrated approach to combating
poverty, restoring dignity to the excluded, and at the same
time protecting nature.” In such an “economic ecology,”
the protection of the environment is then seen as “an
integral part of the development process and cannot be
considered in isolation from it.” As Mother Earth gasps for
life, so do economically marginalized individuals, women,
and children who experience lasting health and lifestyle
effects of fossil fuel extraction. Implications of rising sea
levels, increased heat waves, droughts, floods, storms
and food insecurity. Women, children, and future
generations are disproportionately affected. Life depends
upon making the links between economic policy, trade,
extractive industries, and energy, immigration, food and
water security, war and peace, and climate change.
Borrowing again from Laudato Si, what is needed is an
“integral ecology” as we address policies and laws.
Many leaders of churches continue to highlight the
importance of the environmental justice (Eco-justice) for
the survival of the ‘oikoumene’. Environmental justice
addresses connections between the well-being of earth
and the human community with special focus upon those
who are disproportionately affected by environmental
degradation because of economics, race, gender and
age. Eco-Justice describes the relationship between the
systemic problems facing individuals, communities and
the natural world. OIKOS implies taking care of the
household, which is made up of a variety of relationships,
including people, creatures, eco-systems, economy,
environment, food, water, air, and rules facilitating social,
cultural, spiritual and emotional well-being of all in the
home which is held in common. Increased implications of
global climate change add to the complexity of Eco-
Justice. Humans and future generations cannot have
quality of life without recognizing their place as part of the
natural world and caring for, Mother Earth.
Let us return to Psalm 19, which reflects on the ways that
God is revealed. Nature, especially the vast expanse of
the sky, star-studded at night and filled with the sun’s
light during the day, points to God’s glory (vs 1–6). Yet
nature’s ‘speech’ is not heard; it is without sound or
words (v 3). Like God’s work in human history, there is a
hiddenness about nature’s revelation of God, which for
many is incomprehensible. Worse still, sceptics point to
the ‘cruelties’ of nature to discredit the belief that creation
is God’s handiwork. As the psalmist is exposed to the
beauty and flawlessness of God’s will, he also recognises
how far removed he is from such perfection and cries out
to God for help in prayer (vs 12–14). It is only through
God’s revelation in his Word that we come to know him in
a personal way and learn to call him our rock and
redeemer.
It’s now time to say “enough”. Enough of brutalizing
biodiversity. Enough of killing ourselves with carbon
abundance. Enough of burning and drilling and mining
our way deeper. Our planet is changing before our eyes
— from the ocean depths to mountaintops; from melting
glaciers to relentless extreme weather events. Sea-level
rise is double the rate it was 30 years ago. Oceans are
hotter than ever — and getting warmer faster. Parts of
the Amazon rainforest now emit more carbon than they
absorb. Recent climate action announcements at
Glasgow might give the impression that we are on track
to turn things around, but there is much more to do
individually and collectively.
Jurgen Moltmann (4), in his Gifford Lectures of 1984-85,
reminded us of an ‘ecological doctrine of creation’. He
said, “If the creator is himself present in his creation by
virtue of the Spirit, then his relationship to creation must
rather be viewed as an intricate web of unilateral,
reciprocal and many-sided relationships. In this network
of relationships, ‘making’, ‘preserving’, ‘maintaining’, and
‘perfecting’ are certainly the great one-sided
relationships; but ‘in-dwelling’, ‘sympathizing’,
‘participating’, ‘accompanying’, ‘enduring’, ‘delighting’
and glorifying are relationships of mutuality which
describe a cosmic community of living between God the
Spirit and all his created beings.” Therefore, we need to
look at ecology with sacred sensitivity and understand its
spiritual dimensions.
Let us thank God for his amazing gift of revelation in
nature and in His Word that we can know him and call
him our ‘creator, redeemer and Sustianer’(5), and the
healer of this fractured world; that he does not leave
us without guidance; he teaches us the right way to
live. If we truly love God with all our heart, mind and soul,
and love our neighbour as ourself, Mother Earth and all
her creatures being included in that love, then we have no
choice but to make the principled decisions and the
actions for change we know so very well that are
required, the science has clearly shown us what lies
ahead, and human willpower and creativity can again
pivot towards ecological justice and truth, and above all
love. As human beings we are part of God’s whole
creation and have a responsibility to love and care for
what God has entrusted to us as stewards of his creation
to love sustainably for the welfare of the future
generations to remove all traces of chronological
unfairness.
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Reference:
1. Dan Papworth, Published by Christian Alternatives, (2015),
ISBN 978 1 7835 256 0
2. Kanayathu C. Koshy and Elizabeth Koshy, ‘Fragrance and
Abundance’, CSS Thiruvalla, 2021, ISBN 978-81- 7821- 678-8.
3. Pope Francis, Encyclical ‘Laudato, Si’, June 2015.
4. Jurgen Moltmann, ‘God in Creation, An Ecological Doctrine
of creation, SCM Press Ltd., 1985; page, 14.
5. Zac Varghese, ‘God as the Creator, Redeemer and Sustianer,
FOCUS, Vol.7 (3), July 2019, page 23-29.
The Carpenter’s Son – Continued from Page 43)
God also answers to our prayers with His silence at
certain times. This is the mysterious paradox of God’s
grace. Spirituality should involve emptying ourselves or
having the experience of nothingness. Strength creates
competition and weakness makes community. We need
to practice faith in our life. Good things can be done only
with heavenly wisdom. Heavenly wisdom is revealed
through our humble deeds. Humility is defined as strength
under control. Worldly wisdom generates jealousy, anger
and speaks against truth. Heavenly wisdom on the other
hand creates purity, peace, yielding, submission and
mercy. Worship should be breathing in and breathing out
God’s love.
Doing things differently is what Jesus did in His public
ministry. There is always a tendency to do things pleasing
to others. This is called going with the crowd or flowing
with the water. But Jesus took the opposite way, doing
things differently. He gathered His disciples who were
ordinary people and made them to do extra ordinary
things. He associated with sinners, tax collectors and
prostitutes, whom the so-called religion condemned. If
we do not do things differently, there will be a famine in
our lives. We need to have faith to do things differently.
The four leapers did something differently (2 Kings 7: 1-
11), which changed their lives. Their way of doing things
was God’s plan to save an entire nation. God expects us
to do something differently, not just to fill the pews of the
sanctuary and just soaking sermons week after week.
Believers are called to do things differently so that God’s
glory may be revealed through our lives. Let us live the
gospel and not living on the gospel.
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