I believe that strong positions need strong foundations, so as a preface to addressing environmental and climate change concerns I need to lay some groundwork.
Throughout recorded history a fundamental battle has raged between the needs and desires of the individual over against the needs and desires of the community. Anyone who has grown up in a family has experienced the inherent tension between those opposing forces. Let me add that while the tension is not necessarily bad and can, in fact, generate some wonderful creativity, it is still very real and often difficult to manage. To begin to see the implication of this dynamic process in twenty-first century life, it helps to locate it in the wider perspective of human development.
There are a couple of ways of looking at this. One frame of reference looks at how the development of an individual proceeds from dependence, through independence, and ultimately to interdependence. So, human beings begin as appendages to a community and end up as full participants in that community. Said differently, humans go through a process of differentiating themselves from a simple identification with the family in order to develop the capacity to enter into adult relationships. While the move towards independence is an essential part of the process, it certainly is not the end of the process.
Another developmental frame focuses on the breadth of the definition of “family”, or to use Jesus’ reference, on the breadth of the definition of “neighbor.” As we grow spiritually throughout a lifetime, we come to see a larger and larger group that constitutes “neighbor” for us. Jesus pushes his followers to include their enemies in the neighbor category as well. For the human race, there has always been a move to incorporate more of the world into the family. Cultures have used a variety of approaches. Some have done it by force using military conquest and others have used religious persuasion and conversion, as well as trade and economic sanction. Education and the familiarity that comes from increased contact and relationship with others also serve to draw the family/neighbor circle more widely.
In today’s world, we are able to step back to get an even broader perspective so that we see all humanity being interconnected at least through our collective reliance on the health of “mother” earth. We have learned that the decisions of a single country or multi-national corporation may well have a significant global effect. We can no longer “do our own thing” without being concerned about the impact that we have on all. Nor can we ignore the behavior of others no matter where they are on earth, because we, too, are among those who are affected.
I haven’t said a word yet about climate change, but perhaps you can already see where this argument is going. Scientific inquiry and measurement have developed to the point where we can literally “take the temperature” of our world and draw some conclusions about what recent changes might mean for us all. So, considering a broad definition of “neighbor” or “family”, how do we then “love our neighbors as ourselves”?
I see two aspects of our mandate to care in this challenging world situation. The first is the question about human contribution to global warming. I know that some people continue to argue that the scientific computer models are not sophisticated enough to show cause and effect and they argue that fluctuations in global temperature are simply following a natural cycle. From my research in this area, I conclude that, if anything, the scientific models are underestimating the scope and effects of global warming on the planet’s climate. Secondly, while natural fluctuations certainly occur, the amount and speed of this latest increase in temperature is unprecedented! It’s likely that if we do not dramatically limit our production of greenhouse gasses in the next 40 years, we may well make the Earth uninhabitable for human life within a very few generations!
If we are to care for our neighbors, we must reduce our personal production of greenhouse gases and we must help create sufficient political will to require that nations and corporations reduce their production dramatically, too.
But even if we do all this and succeed in saving humanity from mass destruction, we will not be able to avoid the inevitable consequences of global climate change entirely. And this likely outcome leads us to consider a much more urgent issue. Hurricane Katrina demonstrated without question what can happen when a low-lying coastal area has to deal with a rise in water levels. This experience tells us that low-lying areas all over the world are increasingly at risk as global warming raises the level of the oceans and potentially creates the conditions for stronger storms. Just a few months ago one of those storms devastated the coastal population of
Not only do we have a Christian mandate to love our neighbors, but the whole history of Judaism leading into Christianity has called upon the powerful and rich to take appropriate care for the disenfranchised. That is our most central calling.
We need to figure our how we will accomplish these two significant tasks: creating the political will to change our toxic behavior, and mobilizing effective ministry on behalf of humanity’s most vulnerable citizens. All ideas about how to do this are welcome.
One thing is certain. We cannot insulate ourselves from the concerns of our “neighbors” and we cannot simply look to our own comfort and enjoyment. This is true whether we are conservative or liberal Christians. I call upon us to work together.
Wayne
"Our faith is 2000 years old. Our thinking is not."
The United Church____of Christ
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