Living sustainably
As Christians we are called to be transformed by the Holy Spirit not conformed to the patterns of this world. This is just as true for the area of looking after creation too.
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We invited Hannah Bowring to come and speak at the Stronger Conference earlier on this year on the subject of ‘Sustainable Living’ and we thought you might like to have access to an abridged transcript of her talk.
Hannah Bowring leads Tearfund’s work supporting churches to respond to the climate crisis. She’s passionate about seeing people capture God’s heart for justice and respond through a life of worship.
Unsustainable living
It’s great to be with you today. I work for Tearfund, which is a really fun development charity based in West London, and we work alongside the lowest income communities in fifty countries across the world.
I've been working at Tearfund since 2015 and in those days, it felt like stories of hope were flowing in abundance. We would have amazing stories of breakthrough and all the statistics going in the right direction, and there were plans to see the end of extreme poverty. But then it was like a different story emerged. The stories of hope were still there, but the impact of climate change meant that things were getting harder for the communities we worked with.
“...even though I’ve been aware of fairtrade issues for a while, and the impact of unfair wages and working conditions. It became increasingly apparent to me that these were just the tip of the iceberg. ”
Tearfund has been talking about climate change since 1992. But in 2016, climate change, and its impact had accumulated to the point that after years of seeing the levels of world hunger decrease, it started increasing again.
Now, world hunger is not a simple thing and I'm not an expert on it, but two of the main factors that affect it are climate change and conflict. In fact, the United Nations has said that climate change threatens to undo the last 50 years of progress in development in global health and in poverty reduction.
Through hearing these stories and seeing the impact that climate change has on these factors caused me to really think about my lifestyle and the way I live, even though I’ve been aware of fairtrade issues for a while, and the impact of unfair wages and working conditions. It became increasingly apparent to me that these were just the tip of the iceberg.
The fact is that our way of life has become unsustainable. The way our society uses the Earth's resources, the way things are made, the way we travel, the way we heat our homes, even what we eat, has all been chipping away at this glorious planet that our Creator has made.
God’s Mission
In Genesis 1 and 2, we see relationships as they were originally intended. Humankind walked in the garden with our Father, we had good relationship with each other, there was no shame, we had good relationship with our own selves, and we had all our needs met by the land. But we know the next part of the story, Adam and Eve, eat the fruit.
As a result, these relationships are broken, their relationship with God, with each other with themselves, and with creation. However, we also know that Jesus’ mission is to reconcile all things to himself. In Colossians 1, we read that all things were created in Christ, and that ‘through the cross, God is reconciling all things, whether things on earth, or things in heaven to himself’.
The message of the New Testament is that Jesus is reconciling us to God, to each other, to ourselves and to the whole of creation. This is God's mission, and he is inviting us, the Church to join him in it.
“Often, we split the gospel up, and we make it only about our personal sin, but the cross is so much more than that. ”
Often, we split the gospel up, and we make it only about our personal sin, but the cross is so much more than that. Imagine it with me now with its foot planted in creation, restoring our relationship with the land, with the cross reaching up to heaven, restoring our relationship with God, and reaching out to the right and to the left, restoring our relationship with ourselves and each other.
So in Genesis 1 and 2, we have this picture of good relationships, including a good relationship with creation. And what did that good relationship look like? In Genesis 2, we are told that Adam and Eve are given the land and take care of it, and then in Genesis 1.26 which is a verse that's often been used to describe our relationship with the rest of creation. In that verse, there is a Hebrew word radah, which has traditionally been interpreted in a lot of places as ‘rule’, or ‘dominion’, or more recently, ‘stewardship’.
When that word is used in other places in the Bible, it's interpreted as ‘caring for’, or to ‘have compassion for’, it's often linked to the idea of a benevolent ruler, or a loving father, one who leads as God leads. The Message version of this verse, really expresses that:
‘Let us make human beings in our image, make them reflecting our nature, so that they can be responsible for the fish in the sea, the birds in the air, the cattle, and yes, Earth itself, and every animal that moves on the face of earth.’ – Gen 1.26.
Not too late
So, whether we look at pollution, or the number of species going extinct, or the increase in the numbers of natural disasters, we are not doing our job of looking after creation very well. The fact is that we in the global north have over consumed, we have taken more than our fair share of the earth’s resources, and we have given back more than our fair share of polluting emissions.
“The fact is that we in the global north have over consumed, we have taken more than our fair share of the earth’s resources, and we have given back more than our fair share of polluting emissions. ”
The science is clear that the climate crisis has been caused by humans, especially those living in more developed countries like the UK. And the impacts are accelerating. The people who have contributed the least to this crisis are suffering the most and our call as Christians to love our neighbour includes caring that our lives are impacting millions of people in this way, especially those who are most vulnerable.
So what does it mean to be a follower of Jesus in this context? What does it mean to love our neighbour, our global neighbours in 2022? How can we be bringers of hope in the climate crisis because it can sound like there is no hope, especially if you hear some of the climate scientists talking about what is going on, it can seem that we are too late and in some ways that is true, but in many ways that is not true. It is not the case that we are too late, there is so much we can do in our own lives and in our church communities.
The time to act was yesterday, but we can act today, we can act together as a global community of believers who want to honour God.
Be conformed, or be transformed?
At the start of Romans 12, Paul writes, ‘I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God. This is your true and proper worship’.
“I used to think that the top environmental problems were biodiversity loss, ecosystem collapse and climate change. I thought that with 30 years of good science, we could address these problems, but I was wrong.”
For me, my life of worship was all about spiritual things or choices about my relationships. Mostly, that was how I viewed it, but I began to see that there were really practical choices I could make that enabled me to bring God into my everyday life. What I eat, what I buy, how I travel, how I heat my home, it challenged my ideas about consumption and what it means for me to be a consumer.
And I believe it enabled me to offer up more of my life as a living sacrifice. Paul in Romans 12 urges us to not conform to the pattern of the work of this world, but to be transformed in this area where we have conformed, where we have not questioned the patterns of this world.
I find that I have to be very intentional to resist the cultural pressures of endlessly working to achieve more and more and acquire more and more, it feels so normal doesn't it, and our culture tells us we are worth what we have. But God doesn't want us to conform. He wants to transform us.
An environmental lawyer and scientist recently said ‘I used to think that the top environmental problems were biodiversity loss, ecosystem collapse and climate change. I thought that with 30 years of good science, we could address these problems, but I was wrong. The top environmental problems are selfishness, greed, and apathy’. He went on to say that if we want to deal with those issues, we need a spiritual and cultural transformation, but scientists don't know how to do that.
1.Embedded in discipleship
Are we open to God's transformation in this area? What might God be shining a light on? It is another area like so many parts of our discipleship, where God is not asking for perfection, but just for the next step and for us to be open to His leading. I believe this journey can bring us into freedom as we let God into every detail of our lives.
Learning to value creation is joining God on his mission of restoration, and I personally think this is one of the best ways of modelling Jesus and his mission to our world in this century.
2.Incorporated into church life
How can we change culture in our churches so that this is a normal part of our worship and discipleship, I would encourage you just to start talking about it and I guarantee that there will already be some people around you who are taking steps on this journey, or who are deeply concerned about the changes we're seeing in our climate.
I spoke to a church leader the other day who had done their first talk on climate on a Sunday, and there were people who came up in tears afterwards, just relieved that the church was talking about it. So open up the conversation, talk about it, find out what others are thinking and doing. Could you do a small group series on it or dedicate a Sunday to looking at it? Could you get together with others in your church and think about how you can respond as a church community.
3.Owned across society
As individuals there is a lot we can do to change the way we live, but it's not just about us as individuals. Governments and businesses have to be much more ambitious with their plans to tackle climate change, and that is what COP26, the UN climate talks which took place in Glasgow in November, were all about. Crucial decisions were made that will shape our economy, society and climate for decades to come.
There is still a long way to go and we still need to see more systemic change, to halve the global emissions by 2030 so that we can keep global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius. Governments and businesses need to make those changes, but they will only do it if they see that that is what we as their constituents and consumers want.
We must show global leaders that there are so many of us who care passionately about this issue and that we want to see urgent action. It feels like something that is really growing around the country. We have seen Christians engaging with their MP on this issue, talking to local councils, schools and businesses, alongside reducing their carbon footprint as a church community.
4.Prayer and action
The climate crisis can seem big and overwhelming, but we aren't on our own in this. We have direct access to the creator who is restoring and renewing all things and inviting us to join him in his work. Spending time with Him, listening to His heart on this, sharing our fears, our areas of struggle, bringing this issue before God and also asking him for specific things is a key part of what we can do to respond.
In the story of Esther, we see a brilliant example of how prayer and action go together. Esther doesn't take the easy road, she takes a risk and she speaks out. She asks for just leadership and for the King to think about the impact of his actions, but she knew that she could not do it alone which is why she called the Jewish people to pray and fast for her.
This is what is needed, communities of people who come together in prayer and action. I believe that we will then see extraordinary things.
What can make the world more like the kingdom of God, a kingdom where we were all able to flourish, including God's whole creation? I believe it’s about praying for God's kingdom to come and then asking God what can I do to help that happen? How can I use my voice, my influence, my life to bring in your kingdom? Why don’t you pray that today.
