Stimulus Vol 18 Issue 3 August 2010 |
Table of ContentsEvery creature singing The symbolism of the Trinity in the landscape Evidence of denial A century of deep anointing Galileo, science & the Church Models and metaphors: High-energy Christianity Stimulus reports a correction St Imulus: Peter, Paul, & Brian Depression, churches, and the transition movement Pulpit: Intimacy with God Euthanasia Book Reviews The lost world of Genesis One Tuamaka: The Challenge of Difference in Aotearoa New Zealand
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August 2010 |
EditorialGoing where no man has gone before
This issue of Stimulus concerns the depletion of creation. It pulls together comments on the theme while, of course, current events confirm its importance. When we see the effects of environmental degradation occurring across many different domains and on very different scales, it is difficult not to conclude that the human enterprise is coming up against intractable planetary limits.
The connections among human beings and environment go far deeper than, for example, depleted fisheries and high fish prices. This is so for the simple reason that, of course, humanity is a significant part of the environment! Whatever our nature may be in virture of our being made in the image of God, we are – precisely in that image – creatures of creation and subject to its “natural” order. Despite our technological hubris, we cannot deny that we are simply “like unto dust”. Beneath our feet are depleted soils and diminished fossil fuels. Around us we are becoming bio-deprived citizens of a data-rich, substance-abused, holographic world. Above our heads we reap the harvest of the whirlwind and the rains of history. The state of the global macro-economy is echoed at the micro-cellular level in such considerations as depressed vitamin and serotonin levels while, at the same time, there are vast stores of adipose tissue, at least in the still overly “afluent” parts of the planet. As inhabitants of Starship Earth, we are going where no man has gone before, simply because we are now so many that we alter whatever we touch. It is not hard to see how our pressure on the environment could implode upon ourselves and propel us into a future of apocalyptic proportions.
The failure to reach agreement about what is happening to our starship, let alone take action within critical timeframes, demonstrates a failure of institutions and governance structures over the last century. Behind such failure is a conflict of worldviews which cannot reconcile the beliefs of the stakeholders, nor balance the needs of today with the needs of tomorrow. This is leading to diminishing public trust in the power and abilities of those to whom authority has been delegated – yet another sign of depletion.
Ultimately, the environmental crisis becomes a faith crisis – not just in our own particular strand of trinitarian mono-theism, but a challenge to all faiths, including atheism, scientism and every kind of informal or formal belief system in which people place ultimate trust. Time will tell what faith will equip people with the best foundations for planetary life, and I expect many rusting hulks of belief will be deconstructed and discarded along the way for future generations to wonder at.
The reality of our situation is that environmental issues are complex. For example, there are long timescales and the interactions between solarsphere, geosphere, and biosphere are difficult to model and predict. But, because we have always had to make choices in a real world, in real time, without full and infallibly “accurate” information, faith becomes a precondition of action, a foundation for courage, a vital force in our lives. When that faith has its genesis in the Master of creation, instead of the mere fabric of the universe, then it should equip us with more options than a mere prayer to power up the transporter room and an escapist petition to have Scotty beam us up to another “paradise”.
Paul Marcroft for the editorial committee
Douglas Maclachlan Publisher |
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The depleted creation |
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“...to be part of the gospel imperative to transform minds and put faith in God into practice.” |
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STIMULUS THE NEW ZEALAND JOURNAL OF CHRISTIAN THOUGHT AND PRACTICE |