Gods Green Book: Seven Bible studies about the environment
Contents:
In his model of "general relativity," the faster things go, the slower time moves. You'd have to be going pretty fast to see time affected significantly, however. And the one thing that does move that fast is light, which travels at , miles per second. So time can't be absolute, because it all depends on your point of reference. But the reference frame by which those days were measured was one which contained the total universe," Schroeder wrote -- a universe that was rapidly expanding.
Giberson, author of "Worlds Apart: But, he continues, "There is no evidence of any sort -- scientific or biblical -- to suggest that this contrived explanation is relevant to Genesis. Schroeder's take on creation also does not sit well with Bible literalists like Ken Ham, director of the Creation Museum and the organization "Answers in Genesis.
Ham and his museum believe that the Bible should be taken literally, rejecting theories of evolution in favor of the Bible's stories. He said Schroeder "has accepted the secular view of 15 billion years as the age of the universe, so his ultimate motivation is to fit 15 billion years into the Bible's account. He then develops this model, to fit that model. Perspectives from Buddhism, Sufism, Christianity, and Native American beliefs as well as physics, deep psychology, and other environmental disciplines, make this a well rounded contribution.
Susan Murphy Roshi, Fr. Moral Ground is a book that brings together the testimony of more than eighty visionaries-theologians and religious leaders, naturalists, scientists, elected officials, business leaders, activists, and writers-to present a compelling call to honor our individual and collective moral responsibility to the planet. In the face of environmental degradation, species extinction, and climate change, scientific knowledge alone does not tell us what we ought to do.
Nor can political processes or economic incentives give us all the answers. The missing premise of the argument and the much-needed centerpiece in the debate to date has been the need for ethical values, moral guidance, and principled reasons for doing the right thing for the future of our planet, its animals, its plants, and its people. Practical Steps for Low-Carbon Living offers expert advice from the Union of Concerned Scientists on the best ways to reduce your global warming emissions.
Based on an in-depth, two-year study, this new book shows you the most effective strategies for reducing your global warming emissions, and how to take action at work, in your community, and politically.
God's Green Book - Seven Bible studies about the environment [Charlotte Sleigh, Bryony Webb] on www.farmersmarketmusic.com *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. God's Green Book: Seven Bible studies about the environment - Kindle edition by Charlotte Sleigh. Religion & Spirituality Kindle eBooks @ www.farmersmarketmusic.com
Do books or e-readers cause more emissions? Is it worth washing clothes in cold water? Is buying organic cotton really a better option for the climate? This book highlights eight key ministries: Cohen-Kiener and contributors clearly outline the shared values of our faith traditions that drive our commitment to care for the earth.
Acknowledging the challenges in working together to implement positive change, they present steps-both big and small, for individuals and groups-for reversing our direction from consumption to sustainability.
Right Relationship poses five basic questions: What is an economy for? How does it work? How big is too big? And how can it best be governed? A Climate for Change: Global Warming Facts for Faith-Based Decisions , by Katharine Hayhoe and Andrew Farley, untangles the complex science and tackles many long-held misconceptions about global warming.
Authored by a climate scientist and a pastor, A Climate for Change boldly explores the role of the Christian faith can play in guiding our opinions on this important global issue. The Heart of Sustainability by Andres R. Edwards , delves into the human dimension of this burgeoning international movement to build a better world. Author Andres Edwards frames the conversation about consciousness and sustainability by: Explaining how self-development is a key driver for planetary change. Describing how the confluence of the consciousness and technological revolutions provide unique opportunities for balance and fulfillment.
Exploring how we can move forward individually and collectively to create a thriving, livable future from the inside out. The Land of Curiosities , by Deanna Neil, is the first tale in a series of highly-acclaimed eco-adventures that explore themes like the relationship between faith and ecology. This is a great gift to teach environmental history and promote eco-values for young readers.
Click here to order. Saving energy can be fun! Make it a family activity! Teach your children and grandchildren the value of saving money and protecting the planet. You will find as your energy saving activities increase so does your wealth. Use this newly created wealth to fund other things such as vacations, college education or energy saving home improvements.
Additional ways to conserve energy include personal transportation, water conservation, landscaping to save energy and energy sources for the future. The Green Bible , ed. The Bible includes a topical index and green Bible trail study guide, and inspirational essays from leaders and thinkers. Printed with soy-based ink on recycled paper. Your Will Be Done on Earth: Jenkins, is an excellent resource for anyone working with youth. Relevant religious and scientific background is provided for each activity. This page guide is divided into children and youth sections, each containing several games, activities, crafts, songs, plays, and youth liturgies.
An older resource, but still relevant. Thispage PDF resuorce contains lesson plans for children. Keepers of the Earth: Native American Stories and Environmental Activities for Children , by Michael Caduto and Joseph Bruchac, helps children connect with the natural world while telling important environmental concepts.
Each section contains a Native American story, discussion ideas, interesting questions, and related indoor and outdoor activities. Eco-Fables from Ancient Israel , by Barry Schwartz, retells the wondrous deeds of Honi-the-Circlemaker, who wandered over the land of ancient Israel planting carob seeds and spreading goodwill. These short and simple stories can be told to young children or acted out. The North Pole is Sinking!
Ecology Crafts for Kids: Projects include gift wrap, planters, envelopes, bird feeders, mosaics, puppets, and candles. This world is not just a passage to another. In fact, the assurance of life after death is promised in Scripture as a springboard for action and commitment in this world , here and now. Reading the Bible Out of Care for Creation: Notice the extraordinary number of passages that refer to nature. To help you see how pervasive these references are, get a copy of this Bible and read it as a spiritual discipline.
Read all passages of scripture with creation as an integral part of the scene, whether it is explicitly mentioned or not.
How did you like the book?
Even when not mentioned, creation is always assumed to be there in the worldview of the writers. See what a difference it makes in your understanding to be aware of this assumption. This will change the way you read the Bible as a whole. Notice how much God values all of nature throughout all parts of the Bible—in the creation stories, in the Sabbath regulations, in the Psalms e. Read carefully the creation stories and other passages of the Bible that show ways in which humans are to care for creation—take responsibility, serve earth, and preserve it. The Bible presents care for creation as our foundational human vocation.
Resources for Worship, Reflection and Action Author: How does it work? Thoughts and Actions for People of Faith , by David Cain, consists of seven brief essays about the intersection of the climate crisis with issues of faith. Praying with Francis of Assisi is not a biography about St. Cosmic Grace, Humble Prayer: Ham and his museum believe that the Bible should be taken literally, rejecting theories of evolution in favor of the Bible's stories.
Observe how integral the state of nature is tied up with human justice: When there is injustice among the people, the land and the crops wither. When you read, give a voice to the aspects of nature present there. Identify with nature, empathize with nature, and celebrate with nature. In passages where the rest of nature is ill-treated in the biblical stories, read against the grain of these stories in light of other, more foundational biblical passages that show a deep commitment to care for creation—just as we put biblical passages of violence in context by critiquing them in light of the overarching biblical principles of love and justice.
What follows is a profile of some of the main themes of the Bible related to creation. They are accompanied by key Bible passages that illustrate these themes. There are many more points to be made and many more passages to consider. However, this profile will provide a good overall picture of the importance, role, and status of all creation in the biblical materials.
Books and Booklets
Humans belong to the Earth. The creation materials make it quite clear that human beings arise from Earth and are embedded in this world. Then the Lord God formed a human adam from the dust of the ground adamah and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and the human became a living being. Out of the ground the lord God made to grow every tree. We are rooted in the earth like trees are rooted in the earth. And we are dependent upon earth every bit as much as animals are dependent upon the earth.
Adam was made from the dust of the earth. Dust we are and to dust we shall return. And so it was. As such, Earth is a co-creator with God in bringing forth plants and animals. Like plants and animals, Adam came from the dust of the ground. We humans have a spiritual problem in our relationship to Earth. We tend to think that we live on Earth rather than that we are embedded in it. With our civilization and human-made world, we are artificially separated from land and from so much of nature, and from the sources of our food.
Consider how we might go for months in the winter from house to sidewalk to driveway to street to parking lot to work or stores—without setting foot directly on soil. In fact, however, we are dependent on Earth in ways we seldom think about—sun, air, trees, beetles, fields, crops, fresh water, and on and on. It actually takes the whole of Earth to raise one human. Spiritually, we need to re-root ourselves in Earth and return to our sense of kinship with animals and plants, all of which, in the biblical picture, have commonly arisen from Earth.
Also, from a modern scientific point of view, we are kin to other creatures of nature, sharing commonalities of mind and body, DNA, and the environment. Humans are mammals, higher primates, and more. We have evolved with all plants and animals. We are embedded in Earth and its systems. And it is consistent with what the Bible has told us about the understanding that the ancients had about the relationship of humans to Earth. Creation was not formed for human beings alone.
We tend to think that God created life for the benefit of humans. We think of everything else in life as our environment, there to serve us. But why not think of ourselves as part of the environment, interrelated with all the plants and animals? How would we act if we knew that the well-being of other species depended on how we functioned as part of their environment? From a scientific point of view, life emerged over a period of billions of years. God was creating and loving all the plants and animals for billions of years before humans evolved.
In addition, there are species of plants and animals in the depth of the sea and the interior of the forest and in vast desert areas about which we humans know absolutely nothing.
Reward Yourself
Can we come to see all of life as good, to value it, to delight in it, and to love it—as God does? That is what the Bible calls us to do. God wants all creatures to thrive. We tend to read Genesis as if God said only to people: No, God said it to the fish and to the birds. As for humans, we have already multiplied and filled the Earth—to the point where human population is putting stress on almost every species of plant and animal and every eco-system.
In many places, at least from the point of view of animals and plants, we humans are akin to an invasive species that takes over and threatens every other life form. One problem is that we humans have little sense of limits on ourselves, our activity, and our human products. We consider that Earth has unlimited resources, that there is unlimited space in the land and sea for garbage, and unlimited space in the air for pollution.
We are called to put limits on human activities so as to minimize our impact on Earth, an impact that prevents plants and animals from thriving, or even surviving. Hence, God loves creatures for their own sake. God loves all creation for its own sake. Psalms and show God delighting in all creatures. Notice how God made many parts of creation for the benefit of other creatures! For example, God made the springs of water for the wild animals. God made the grass for the cattle. God made the trees for the birds to nest. God made rain to water the forests and the mountains. God made the mountain crags for the goats.
God delights in all creatures and provides for them. God calls humans to honor their right to life and to foster their well-being.
How manifold are your works! In wisdom you have made them all; the earth is full of your creatures. These all look to you to give them their food in due season. We have come to recognize not only human rights but animal rights, the rights of other parts of creation to survive and thrive. As we claim for humans, animals also have a right to food, and animals have a right to be treated humanely. When we make decisions about human activity, we need to consider our impact on the rest of creation. We need to give voice to those plants and animals and eco-systems that are affected by our actions.
We cannot disregard them. Human beings were created so that they could take care of the garden Earth that God had created, so that they serve and preserve it. This is the critical part.
According to the Bible, what is the role of humans in creation? This understanding has had a tragic impact on our common life in the West. It has given us authorization to do just about anything we want to do to nature, without limits, for human benefit and for human pleasure. The biblical mandate for humans is that we are to have dominion not domination. A ruler who had dominion over Israel would be expected to be like a shepherd caring for and protecting the sheep—expected to take responsibility for the people in his realm, not to tyrannize or exploit them but to see that the people were protected and that justice was done for the poor, the widows, and the orphans.
Humans are to serve the land, not dominate over it.
And we are to preserve creatures and plants so that they survive and thrive. In a sense we are all to be like farmers, called to care for the land so that we preserve it in a sustainable way for future generations. We are called to cultivate the land—to help the land fulfill its God given role to bring forth plants and animals. We see the nature of these responsibilities to care for creation in Bible stories that follow, such as the story of Noah preserving all species from the flood.
And we see it in subsequent biblical traditions, such as the Sabbath laws that give rest to cattle on the seventh day and direct that the land should lie fallow on the seventh year. This mandate to serve Earth is reinforced by the teaching of Jesus who says that our whole ethical posture in life is to be one of service. For even the son of man came not to be served but to serve and to give his life.