Emerging Africa

If we do not have a solid, ongoing, loving relationship to the earth, how can we claim to be righteous? Righteousness is about right relationship.

G-d has chosen to express through the created order, hence to "incarnate"; to be made flesh. I cannot see how there is any other true way to G-d than through (AOT apart from) the world, creation.

Evangelicals and many other streams of Christianity have emphasied transcendance over immanance because of neoplatonic/ gnostic influences of which denies matter its place in things, demoting or demonising it, and creating a false dualism between The World and The Kingdom of Heaven.

"The Environment" is not just an objective "issue", it is about our home and the very air we breathe. If we can't take care of our earth, how are we going to take care of the "new earth" (whatever that means)? The fact / belief that all will be made new is seen by some as an excuse not to care for this earth, now.

Now then, are we materialists in religious clothing or short term, myopic pseudo-leaders in the mould of Henry Ford and George Bush, or are we followers of Christ who is Lord?

I've heard about that series, and I hear it's fantastic! Would love to see it sometime.

Environmental issues, to me, are certainly on the agenda. I believe that God is healing all of creation, and his plan is to uncorrupt it (Rom 8:19-25) as He wishes to uncorrupt US, as human beings.

The issue you and Nic raise, I think, is a real problem. There are Christians who see our living in this world as 'sinful,' and I have a hunch this is because of the teaching of original sin being taught incorrectly. You may be interested in seeing the latest post on my blog - Original Sin and the Sinful Nature pt 2 - I am busy trying to explore this topic.

If we start seeing our salvation as one of healing us from corruption to uncorruption, we can understand that God's plan is to do the same for ALL of creation -- evidently by what we read in the Bible (Romans above, and the new heavens and new earth.) Our job HAS to be making this a reality, in the power of the Spirit. So, yes, environmental issues are integrally part of what the Gospel message is about, because the Gospel message is one of complete and total healing. Of our entire world. We ought to be working towards ways of using it's resources in a manner that brings healing to it and us, rather than just subjecting it to further corruption (which is a sign of our corruption.) We are to rule over creation - a good king does not rule in the way we are ruling.

Since you mentioned homosexuality, I think it deserves some consideration - one has to decide whether homosexuality is, in fact, a returning to what is natural or a corruption of what is natural. I think this is probably still the main point. An argument that some animals are homosexual is still not a valid one, in my mind, because (1) all of creation has been subject to corruption and death (what the Scriptures say) and (2) we're human beings, made in God's image, so I'm not really interested in comparing us with animals. I'm not sure if God was either, since He showed all the animals to Adam in Genesis and then created woman only after Adam noticed that none of the animals could make a suitable partner.

The human being's desires are all natural, and good. My desire for food and procreation and whatever else is all good. But the desire for procreation, corrupted, ends up in lust. Lust is unnatural. "Sinful nature" has made us think that lust is 'natural' and the Christian life is working towards a life that is lived beyond nature, as something else. Something 'higher' than nature. As Nic says, this is a Platonic thought. Not Christian thought. The desire for intimacy and happiness (all good desires) now corrupted, not because of the persons own doing, but because of a number of other issues - one that we are born as mortal beings without God (unnatural when compared to the original design) and the other that we're born into a corrupted world, with corrupted systems and thought, could lead to many things - many unnatural desires, such as lust, jealousy, envy, war ... is homosexuality one of these?

Our sexuality is perfectly good and natural. Everything about our sexuality is holy. The fact that I'm a guy, with a desire to have sexual intimacy and pleasure, is actually a holy and good desire. I was created that way. There's nothing evil about it - it's perfectly natural. Only when it becomes lust, has the good desire become corrupted and unnatural, and trying to fulfil that corrupted desire is done in unnatural ways (pornography, or sleeping around, is not natural.)

Is homosexuality true sexuality, or not? These are some of the questions on mind mind...

www.ryanpeterwrites.com
"The Glory of God is man fully alive" - St Iraneaus

I thought of this today, and think it probably should be discussed elsewhere :) (the homosexual thing.)

But I think this is the challenge. Perhaps a look at babies makes it a little clearer (in some obscure way, I guess.)

I don't agree that sin is a moral issue that needs to be preached from the pulpit... not in the traditional sense, at least. In other words, sin-avoidance preaching is not real preaching. Jesus seems to take a different angle on preaching. Speaking for forty mins about why lust is wrong is hardly 'keeping the main thing, the main thing' (as my pastor says.) Perhaps more preaching around the Gospel message of restoration, reconciliation, transformation, renewal, healing, grace, and the planting of churches and taking this message to the nations is what we need. Environmental issues would spring up naturally from that - and helps to avoid turning things into a political arena.

I'm not making a light issue of sin, I'm just saying that while the gospel means sin must go - it also means sin DOES go. We need to be focused on Christ, not sin, and listening to the Holy Spirit. Grace far supersedes sin, and grace is the main message of the Bible - not sin.

I loved what Nic said about this (hope you don't mind me quoting you, Nic) : - "If we start our theology with sin, sin is what we will have, morning day and night. Sin sin sin. Sin sin sin sin. Sin. OK lets layer some Redemption over that, oh no the colour of sin starts bleeding right on through."

He's right.

Perhaps making environmental issues another issue that's JUST about sin is not what we should do. Teaching that not taking care of the environment is a sin is not necessarily wrong (I believe it is a sin) but preaching the bigger picture of healing, restoration and reconciliation is probably a better idea than just ending at sin. I think I see homosexuality the same way, as a side note :)

I've never really met a real Christian who isn't concerned over environmental issues, but I've also never met (many) Christians who are really doing anything about it, save those that work in conservation / the environment industry. I myself wanted to get involved in the 'environment industry' a few years back, but found myself limited by what I could study etc. The scientific stuff is probably too much for me any way - I can do more (in the lines of my interest) through writing :) Oh well...

Great post. Hope to see more thoughts here! This theme of the environment / nature MUST become a part of our theology, indeed creation needs to take a central place of sorts - both in orthodoxy and orthopraxy. I'm loving our conversations here.

Interestingly, Michael Eaton (not well known, but a brilliant Biblical theologian whom I'm sure you would all like) said in PMB that he has always struggled to find a good book on creation. Every book he picks up wants to talk about evolution vs. creationism. As far as he is concerned, that's hardly the real issue (and a red herring anyway.) He goes so far as to admit that creation is probably the weakest part of his theology, and couples that by saying that there's just not that much writing out there, or theology out there, that incorporates it correctly. Interesting crit on where the church is right now on this issue, I think.

www.ryanpeterwrites.com
"The Glory of God is man fully alive" - St Iraneaus

Awesome, if you're coming up, let me know when and where and I'll be there! ;)

www.ryanpeterwrites.com
"The Glory of God is man fully alive" - St Iraneaus

Simon
What exactly is your research, and why do you feel that participants on this website might be able to help?