Dissertation available HERE
(Written for a Post Graduate Diploma in Theology through the University of Otago)
(Written for a Post Graduate Diploma in Theology through the University of Otago)
12 Motivations workshop seminar handout download HERE
Download article HERE
There is a growing body of literature on the role of the Christian church in responding to environmental crisis. It is written by people who are themselves passionate about ecological faith and mission, with the intention of pursuading others to become informed, motivated and involved. The language is often urgent about what this “requires” of the church. Mark Keown urges his readers to “stop vacillating, procrastinating and hesitating.” Religion is seen as an untapped resource which could be applied to motivating people to care about the environment. But what actually motivates Christian people?
The following twelve ‘motivations’ for ecological mission are aspects of a broad mission movement. Individuals and groups will connect with some facets more than others. This is by no means an exhaustive list; other motivations that I do not explore in depth include the economic benefits of a ‘green’ or ‘circular’ economy, and the spiritual motivations of people who do not stand within the Christian tradition.
Many writers in this field call for a revolution in consciousness and spirituality, some claiming that religion no longer serves the human family well in this time of ecological crisis. Thomas Berry increasingly challenged orthodox Christianity; a Catholic priest, Berry moved away from the Christian faith, in his 90s claiming that “holy scriptures limit the human search for the divine,” and advocating faith in “a natural world that we will esteem, by immediate experience, as the manifestation of the ultimate mysteries of existence itself.” This ‘post-theistic’ ‘creation spirituality’ is a fascinating topic for study, but it is not the focus of this dissertation. I stand in a place which highly values the Bible as foundation of faith and ‘standard’ of truth, and looks to the Holy Spirit to lead and guide the mission of the church. My interest lies in exploring how the Christian church in its breadth and diversity is responding to the call of God to care for the earth. I describe this in terms of twelve motivating beliefs or attitudes:
1. Faith in God as Creator
2. A vocation to be stewards of Creation
3. Confession that human greed has damaged Creation
4. Fear of impending disaster
5. Hope for the restoration of Creation
6. The ethical imperative to live sustainably
7. Caring for local ecosystems
8. Justice for “the least of these”
9. Respect for the special place of indigenous people
10. Desire for the church to be a community of Creation care
11. Wellbeing, physical and mental health
12. Delight in the beauty of Creation
There is a growing body of literature on the role of the Christian church in responding to environmental crisis. It is written by people who are themselves passionate about ecological faith and mission, with the intention of pursuading others to become informed, motivated and involved. The language is often urgent about what this “requires” of the church. Mark Keown urges his readers to “stop vacillating, procrastinating and hesitating.” Religion is seen as an untapped resource which could be applied to motivating people to care about the environment. But what actually motivates Christian people?
The following twelve ‘motivations’ for ecological mission are aspects of a broad mission movement. Individuals and groups will connect with some facets more than others. This is by no means an exhaustive list; other motivations that I do not explore in depth include the economic benefits of a ‘green’ or ‘circular’ economy, and the spiritual motivations of people who do not stand within the Christian tradition.
Many writers in this field call for a revolution in consciousness and spirituality, some claiming that religion no longer serves the human family well in this time of ecological crisis. Thomas Berry increasingly challenged orthodox Christianity; a Catholic priest, Berry moved away from the Christian faith, in his 90s claiming that “holy scriptures limit the human search for the divine,” and advocating faith in “a natural world that we will esteem, by immediate experience, as the manifestation of the ultimate mysteries of existence itself.” This ‘post-theistic’ ‘creation spirituality’ is a fascinating topic for study, but it is not the focus of this dissertation. I stand in a place which highly values the Bible as foundation of faith and ‘standard’ of truth, and looks to the Holy Spirit to lead and guide the mission of the church. My interest lies in exploring how the Christian church in its breadth and diversity is responding to the call of God to care for the earth. I describe this in terms of twelve motivating beliefs or attitudes:
1. Faith in God as Creator
2. A vocation to be stewards of Creation
3. Confession that human greed has damaged Creation
4. Fear of impending disaster
5. Hope for the restoration of Creation
6. The ethical imperative to live sustainably
7. Caring for local ecosystems
8. Justice for “the least of these”
9. Respect for the special place of indigenous people
10. Desire for the church to be a community of Creation care
11. Wellbeing, physical and mental health
12. Delight in the beauty of Creation