Praying for Creation
October 24, 2008
I’ve recently become involved in Renewal: Students Caring for Creation. These are students and recent grads who have a heart and love for all that God has made. The mission of the Renewal network is “to inspire and equip the student generation to lead its communities with justice and compassion in Christ-centered stewardship of all of God’s creation.” It’s a beautiful vision and one that I think will have a tremendous impact in the days ahead.
One of Renewal’s first activities is a Day of Prayer for Creation Care. These students are calling on the entire creation care community to set aside October 29, 2008 as a national day of prayer. They are asking all of us to pray for the church’s stewardship of creation, for our own repentance from callousness towards creation, and for the renewal and wisdom from God to walk boldly in the light of the Lord on this matter. So gather, fellowship, and worship the Lord Jesus on October 29th and pray for the renewal of all that he has made.
Below is my contribution. You can find out more at
http://www.renewingcreation.
Praying for Creation
Father, we come before you as your children. We come to repent for our poor stewardship of creation. Lord we know that in our materialistic age that we abuse all that you have made, particularly your creation. Though you have given us Christ, in this present age we poorly reflect your intent when it comes to creation care.
We confess that we have sinned against you in thought, word and deed, by what we have done, and by what we have left undone. We have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. We have neglected your truth, we have turned from your ways, and we have abused your creation. We are truly sorry and humbly repent. For the sake of your Son Jesus Christ, have mercy on us and forgive us; that we may delight in your will, and walk in your ways, to the glory of your Name.
Father help us to have discernment to understand the times that we live in. Give us, and indeed all peoples who call upon the name of your Son Jesus Christ, wisdom to care for what they have been entrusted with. Help us to steward creation in such a way that all might come to know you and glorify your Son.
Lord we ask that you would empower this generation with your spirit to boldly be who you are calling us to be. Help us to lead with your heart for creation. Help your servants, especially our present leadership, to more truly reflect your will in the church.
Father your word says that the Creation eagerly waits with anticipation for the children of God to be revealed. Your word says that the creation itself will also be set free from the bondage of corruption into the glorious freedom of God’s children. Father your word speaks of the hope, reconciliation, and peace of Jesus Christ for the whole of creation. Lord we long for your scripture to be fulfilled! We long for our own freedom from sin, corruption, and decay. We long to live in such a way that we might walk with you in humility and truth. We long to be instruments of your reconciliation to all creation.
Father may our prayers be added to the groans of creation as we call upon your Son Jesus Christ to be our wisdom and shield of protection. Help our work in creation care to bring us and all peoples closer to you.
Amen.
Alexei Laushkin, a graduate from Claremont McKenna College, works for the Evangelical Environmental Network. He and his wife live in Alexandria, VA.
Science Gateway: Extinction and Its Causes
October 20, 2008
by Kyle S. Van Houtan, from Creation Care magazine Issue 37, Fall 2008
Extinction
A key word scientists use to describe the biodiversity crisis may surprise you. “Extinction” literally refers to putting out a fire or light, and some of its early uses appear in Christian texts. The 1549 edition of the Book of Common Prayer, for example, petitions Christ to “grant that all sin and vice here may be so extinct” and so extinguish the fire of one’s sin. Other uses of the word are perhaps more familiar. In the King James Bible, an exasperated Job cries, “My breath is corrupt, my days are extinct, the graves are ready for me” (17:1), and the Oxford English Dictionary declares “the dodo went extinct.” This last example is what we might recognize. The passenger pigeon, ivory-billed woodpecker, or any number of other creatures come to mind. But a scientific account of animals and plants cannot by itself describe the significance of extinction. Driving an entire group of creatures to oblivion is more than a biological act: it is the extinguishing of a light kindled by the One whom James refers to as “the Father of lights” (1:17). Extinction is a theological act.
What Is a Species? How Many Are There? Read more
The Joy of Bees
October 20, 2008
by Margie Haack, from Creation Care Issue 35, Spring 2008
A long time ago when our children were young and we lived in Albuquerque, Denis traveled a lot. The reason I mention he traveled a lot is because when he was out of town there was some kind of cosmic balance that shifted and it did nothing to favor me. Thus trips to the ER, little fires in the kitchen, escaped animals, and most annoyingly, the times when our bees swarmed, happened when he was gone and I was left to deal. It was easy to imagine him in El Paso drinking Corona, eating chili rellenos someone else labored to make, and having lively conversations with students and staff about theology and culture while I tried to capture bees from the yard of a neighbor who was calling the police and demanding I be arrested.
It was a time in our lives when we were determined to live simply, become urban farmers, and eat healthy. (I admit tanning rabbit hides in the garage didn’t work. Just five minutes at midday was hot enough to give a lizard heatstroke. My dreams of stitching rabbit hides into mittens, slippers, and rugs perished when the hides rotted with such ferocity the odor would have killed a dung beetle.) In all the books I read no one mentioned any of this would be difficult or dangerous. Read more
A Covenant with Creation
October 20, 2008
by Peter Illyn, from Creation Care magazine issue 37, Fall 2008
Fifteen years ago I cut my teeth as an environmental activist by building theological support for the protection of species and biological diversity. My story is simple. After 10 years as an evangelical minister, I bought two llamas and went on a 1,000 mile hike up the spine of the Cascade Mountains. During the four months of hiking, I developed a heart-felt relationship with the mountains, the meadows, the groves of trees, the songbirds, and the elk. Day after day, I sensed the praise and worship that Scripture says all parts of creation are offering to God. It was a sacred time.
Extinction Isn’t Stewardship
But it was also a conflicted time. Read more
Climate Change: Making Poverty Permanent?
September 2, 2008
Despite working in the field of creation care for over fifteen years, I had, until recently, been marginally aware of the implications of climate change. Floresta’s work with reforestation kept me focused, and I rationalized that whether climate change was real or not, it wouldn’t change what we were doing. We would still help the rural poor to fight deforestation and poverty. There was no need to focus on something as controversial as climate change. After all, I had donors to placate.
However, just a little research points out the fallacy of this approach. First, climate change is already having a huge impact on people around the world. It is affecting lives today. My Hezekiah attitude (“At least it won’t happen in my lifetime”) was not only selfish, it was misplaced. Furthermore, climate change will have a much greater impact on the poor, whose cause we claim to champion. Read more
The Friendship Collaborative: Part 2
August 19, 2008
This post originally appeared in Creation Care Magazine. This is Part 2 of 2. Part 1 appeared yesterday.
…continued from Part 1
CC: What do you have in common that you might not have realized before?
KEN: It sounds strange to say, me being such a chronic hopelessly religious or spiritual person of the Christian variety, but I feel like I have a worldview, or at least major parts of a worldview, in common with Carl. As an ecologist or conservationist (I’m never quite sure what Carl is, but I know he’s one of those!), Carl is a bit of a zealot—meaning a man with a mission that he passionately pursues. And, like a believer such as myself, his vision has an apocalyptic quality to it—meaning he sees things looming on the horizon that could devastate life as we know it. He even views himself, if I’m not being presumptuous here, as someone who has some important message that more people ought to be listening to and if they did, the world would be a better place. And he’s part of a minority group that wants to convince the world to act differently. So, in a lot of unexpected ways, we see the world through a very similar set of lenses. Read more
The Friendship Collaborative: Part 1
August 18, 2008
This interview originally appeared in Creation Care Magazine. This is Part 1 of 2. Part 2 appears here.
Pastor Ken Wilson and scientist Carl Safina met in an unexpected way. They’d both agreed to attend a retreat in the longleaf pine woods of South Georgia that brought together evangelical leaders and some of the world’s top scientists. They were responding, in part, to the invitation made by scientist and author E.O. Wilson in his book The Creation, in which he called on conservative Christians and scientists to work together to honor and protect God’s handiwork.
At that meeting, the participants discovered that they had much to agree upon. Months later they released an “Urgent Call to Action,” which stated in part “We clearly share a profound moral obligation and sense of vocation to save the imperiled living world before our damages to it remake it as another kind of planet.” Read more
The Ocean Revealed: Part 2
August 12, 2008
This post originally appeared in Creation Care Magazine. You can find Part 1 here.
Hidden Changes In The Sea
The trouble is, climate change is not the only stress on ocean life. Long before greenhouse gases ever rose to record highs, fishermen—from the big commercial captains to small island locals—were taking fish from the sea. Scientists like me who conduct research on coral reefs have become accustomed to a new undersea loneliness, emptiness on reefs that were formerly filled with sea life. What happened to all the fish? We ate them. And we continue to do so around the globe. When we take out more fish than the fish themselves can replace by reproduction, the number of fish declines. Also, our fishing gear can damage the homes and habitats that produce the fish, or it can catch and kill unwanted species—called “bycatch”—in the process. Read more
The Ocean Revealed: Part 1
August 11, 2008
Marah Hardt is a research fellow at Blue Ocean Institute where she works to share the message fo cliamte change effects on oceans and potential solutions with people around the globe.
Seen from the shore, the ocean looks the same today as it did centuries ago: a vast shimmering silver-blue mirror of sky. This reflective veneer, however, masks an emptier, more polluted, warmer, and chemically changed sea. The collective weight of humanity presses upon the ocean now as never before, as we pull out too many fish and pour in too much garbage, fertilizer, and other pollutants. Our fishing and mining techniques scrape the bottom of the seafloor, raking up sea fans and crushing corals, destroying productive habitat. And by burning fossil fuels we not only raise the temperature of the water but also make it more acidic.
Why does this matter? Because the ocean supports all creation, in the sea and on land, including us. We are not as disconnected from this watery world as we may think. Tied to the shore, we also remain bound to the sea—by our need for food, oxygen, a stable climate, and the countless other life-sustaining services the ocean provides. We should understand something of how the ocean works, why we depend upon a healthy ocean, and why, despite all the damage that has been done, we can still be hopeful. Read more
A Photo Essay by Aaron Chang
July 31, 2008
Aaron Chang is a legendary name in the sport of surfing and the craft of photography. With over 100 magazine covers to his credit, Aaron’s work has appeared in a multitude of publications in many genres— from sports, to rock and roll, to fashion. Aaron continues to pioneer the intersection of stunning photographic imagery and evocative clothing design in his apparel company aptly named Aaron Chang. Aaron also maintains a thriving commercial and artistic photography business. This summer Aaron will open a gallery in Solana Beach, California.
For more information on Aaron and his work go to aaronchanggallery.com.
As a professional photographer for the past thirty odd years, I have spent most of my days looking. It is, perhaps simplistically, one of the most important things I do. You can’t shoot what you don’t see and you can’t see what you aren’t looking for. It takes more than vision to make a great photograph; but a great photograph can rarely be made without seeing something new and different—or seeing something ordinary in a new and different way.
For years God presented Himself in the places and people that came into the path of my eye. For years I saw God, but didn’t realize what I was looking at. Now that I see Him, I hope to convey through my images a sense of wonder with the amazing architecture of life. It’s my hope that the images I create inspire viewers to appreciate what surrounds them.
The images in this journal are entirely comprised of what is currently hanging on the walls of my home. They are images that I enjoy and that I have captured throughout my travels. From my home surf break in Del Mar, California to the south island of New Zealand these photos reflect, in a small way, the breadth and scope of my career. When I view this group of photos I give thanks for the incredible experiences I have been privileged to witness and to the glory of God.
Surfer Kevin Johnson in the tube as seen from underwater, Taapuna, Tahiti, French Polynesia - by Aaron Chang
Lion, South Africa - by Aaron Chang
Elephant in Kruger Park, South Africa - by Aaron Chang
Del Mar River Mouth, Del Mar California - by Aaron Chang
Mountain Stream, Milford Sound, New Zealand - by Aaron Chang
Waimea Bay, Oahu, Hawaii - by Aaron Chang
For more information on Aaron and his work go to aaronchanggallery.com.
