This course, part of the IBTS Learning Network, is open to members of all and any denominations (or even if you don’t belong to any denomination!), from anywhere in the world.

The course explores how Christians can respond to the current multiple ecological crises, no matter who and where you are placed. You will acquire biblical, theological, and ecological resources for reshaping your understanding of discipleship and attend to concrete practices that may bear witness to Jesus Christ, cultivating lives that are properly aligned with God’s redemption of creation.

Details are as follow:

• Course begins: 3^rd October 2024
• Duration: 10 weeks, 3-5 hours per week
• Format: Fully online, facilitated course of 10-20 participants, with a weekly virtual meeting
• Cost: 150 Euros, scholarships are available
• Language: English

What are you waiting for? Sign up here!

For more information, including who the facilitators are, head on over to: https://www.ibts.eu/programmes/eco-crisis-and-the-gospel-1

Download here, but also do check out www.arocha.org/marine where you will be greeted by the good work that AR is doing in this area, alongside many other ocean and faith related resources.

He was recently interviewed by Frontiers UK on his experience in creation care and mission, first as a church planter in South Asia, then later working intentionally in creation care.

Bob shares his journey from anthropocentric dualism to attempts at integral ocean mission. Give it a listen, and do share this with your friends!

https://rawmission.buzzsprout.com/1852871/15483954-creation-care-mission

Give his talk a listen, invite your friends to having this conversation and be welcome to let us know what you think!

We draw your attention to a wonderful resource on earthkeeping, a comprehensive essay by Paul Kunert, available for free digitally or to buy as a printed booklet here [at https://licc.org.uk/resources/jesus-died-to-save-the-planet/].

Paul is a businessman and chartered accountant, with many years’ experience in the electricity sector in Africa. By his own admission, for many years he’d seen climate change as a secondary issue for Christians, until the truth about ecological breakdown and God’s purposes in Christ for all creation dawned on him.

Paul’s essay is compelling and biblical. Chris Wright, of Langham International, says: “There is a prophetic, Jeremiah-like urgency to this essay, calling the church to wake up and get serious about this issue. But, also like Jeremiah, Paul Kunert calls for repentance and holds out hope.”

Field Notes Podcast, by A Rocha

Be inspired by stories of Christians engaged in earthkeeping around the world, often in challenging contexts! We invite you to these 30-40 minute podcasts [https://arocha.org/en/field-notes-podcast/] to deepen your understanding of this wonderfully created world and our place within it.

Topics to whet your appetite from A Rocha’s Field Notes include a cynical Italian journalist finding Christian faith at A Rocha Kenya, a challenge to the global church from North East India, discovering community and conservation in Portugal, food-growing leading to healing the land and its people in Canada, and a compelling story of reconnecting people with nature in Chile.

This is a resource for church leaders, giving a Christian understanding of the climate crisis, the nature crisis, and the signs of the times. It’s short and accessible and we hope it helps equip church leaders in many places. The lead author is our very own Revd Dr Dave Bookless, Director of Theology for A Rocha International and Catalyst for Creation Care for the Lausanne Movement, alongside contributions from over 20 others from around the world. 

Our friend Paul Cook, Head of Advocacy at Tearfund says, “It’s a short book for church leaders, explaining the climate and nature crisis, a Christian understanding, and how churches are responding. Do have a look. There is really thoughtful, but easily accessible, content in there, great for small groups.” 

You can get it here!

Maria Ale Andrade V and Clark Buys began by presenting Tearfund’s Abundant Community Theology (ACT). They talked about cultivating an abundant community mindset over that of a scarcity mindset: this prioritizes relationship over individual identity, a shared home over competitive market, generosity over greed, and better distribution over more production solutions.

Prof. Must Dube followed this presentation with a critical reflection on ACT. She highlighted the importance of contextual theology with concern for the communities included and excluded within our conversation. She raised the need for decolonized theology and mentioned that ‘…a spirit of inclusion does not mean a spirit of equality’. She also emphasised the importance of lament with God and God’s creation for ‘…naming oppression, calling for change and justice for earth’. She ended by reminding us that the good news extends to all creation and underscored the transformative nature of salvation.

Dave Bookless offered an overview of creation care theology trends. He first began by highlighting how early creation care theology existed among Desert Fathers, Coptic Christians, Celtic Christians, and even early evangelicals. He discussed how a great reversal took place when a fear of science, liberal theology and ‘social gospel’ concerns emerged. Integral Mission was rediscovered through the aid of theologians such as René Padilla, Samuel Escobar, and John Stott. Currently, we are witnessing a rise of eco-theologies, including liberation theologies, interfaith theologies and post-colonial and indigenous theologies. Finally, he named a few future trends including:

a) rethinking ‘stewardship’
b) questioning ‘anthropocentrism’
c) cultivating theologies of lament, loss and hope
d) exploring intersectionality of ecotheology among other issues like gender, decolonization, and so on.

A link to the recording of this webinar will be shared in the next Pollinator.

Paper: Abundant Community Theology – Buys & Andrade V. (2023). Abundant Community Theology: A Case Study in Decolonial Theological Research. Christian Relief, Development, and Advocacy 5(1), Summer2023.

Video: Tearfund – Enough for All

We need to know who we are, where we are, why we are here and where we are going, not least in a time when so much is changing. This book is Kasper’s contribution to respond to these existential questions in relation to our place on Earth, in God’s creation. Does the Christian faith and theology have anything to do with everything around us – the birds, the bees, the trees, and all in between? Does God have anything to do with the Earth, and does the Earth have anything to do with God’s salvation?

Kasper shares with us that,

“…I cover most of the central theological fields from a biblical and eco-theological perspective: Christology, pneumatology, cosmology, anthropology, hamartiology, soteriology, eschatology, and ecclesiology. I have also included a chapter on beauty and biodiversity – and biodiversity as an expression of God’s greatness.

Regarding anthropology, my basic point is that as humans we receive a three-staged calling, and that the order of these stages is very important: First, we receive a passive call to be creatures in God’s creation. Second, we receive a semi-active call to admire and revere God’s creation. This ability is what qualifies and directs our third call, an active call to be God’s servants in the world.”

If you understand Danish, or know anyone who does, we welcome you to give the book a read or as gift!

In 2023 and 2024, global leaders are negotiating a treaty to ban plastic waste. Renew Our World, a global coalition for justice and creation care including Tearfund, A Rocha and many national partners, is spearheading a campaign to put pressure on our political leaders to act on plastic waste.

While the official Rubbish campaign week of prayer just passed, we invite you nonetheless to continue to pray!

Join people around the world in responding to the world’s rubbish problem through prayer and action. Here is a prayer resource you can use: Rubbish Campaign Week of Prayer and Action.