Welcome to Glengormley Methodist Church
Part of the Methodist Church in Ireland
“Green” is now a trendy issue …think back to the “Live Earth” Concert, with celebrities telling (but not showing) us to live environmentally ethical lives. Even our local council is encouraging us to “Reduce, Re-use and Recycle” (and going to bi-weekly bin collections…but that is another story!) So what do Christians have to say about all this environmental friendliness…can we argue that God is Green?
The following story was told by Jennifer Potter at the 2000 Methodist Conference and was drawn from a Radio 4 ‘Thought for the Day’ given by Colin Morris. It was inspired after Colin Morris had watched tonnes of rock fall into the sea near Beachy Head - a process accelerated by global warming and the subsequent rise in sea-level.
“If the Bible were to be rewritten for the twentieth century, it would have to begin not like the original one with Genesis, the story of how God created the world, but with a sort of Genesis in reverse, the story of how we, humankind, dismantled it. It would tell of the pollution of the air and of the seas and rivers, of the piling up of waste materials from an ever-expanding consumer society and of the diminishing varieties of plants and animals. It would tell of the enormous difference between those human beings who have too much and those who barely survive. It would end with a ravished and uninhabited Earth, made uninhabitable by humankind itself. God would shake his head sadly, realising that he had to start all over again.”
An interesting idea…if you consider the creation narrative in Genesis, it clearly commands mankind to look after and be good stewards of our planet. God thinks being green is a good idea…it was originally His good idea.
So what is the barrier to energizing people of faith to live greener lives?
Living an environmentally friendly life is hard work. Riding the bus takes longer, and that means getting up earlier. Walking to work can get you sweaty or mess your hair. Riding a bike can get you knocked over. Recycling involves sorting out and washing your rubbish. ‘Re-using’ means actually remembering to bring your own carrier bags to the shops. Even writing a letter to your local council can cause you to miss 15 minutes of Eastenders!
Plus, we have some excuses. The science is confusing; the government should do more before telling us what to do; energy efficient and Fairly Traded products can be more expensive, and; this whole lifestyle is just so time consuming.
We have at least one legitimate reason. Much of the problem lies beyond our control. By walking to the shops (your own bags in your pocket) how much of a difference can you really make, especially when many poorer countries are just beginning to industrialise; creating even more pollution?
But, instead of throwing up our hands, we should be motivated to do more. Aren't Christians commanded to love our neighbours as ourselves? Consider for a moment that more than 10 million Chinese still have no electricity. Imagine that! Perhaps we should be helping them build nuclear power plants as a clean alternative energy source? Perhaps we should start seriously investing in the development of renewable energy resources?
People of faith have been at the forefront of nearly every great social movement in history. The jury is still out on whether we will rise to the occasion this time. Let's hope we do.
The following story was told by Jennifer Potter at the 2000 Methodist Conference and was drawn from a Radio 4 ‘Thought for the Day’ given by Colin Morris. It was inspired after Colin Morris had watched tonnes of rock fall into the sea near Beachy Head - a process accelerated by global warming and the subsequent rise in sea-level.
“If the Bible were to be rewritten for the twentieth century, it would have to begin not like the original one with Genesis, the story of how God created the world, but with a sort of Genesis in reverse, the story of how we, humankind, dismantled it. It would tell of the pollution of the air and of the seas and rivers, of the piling up of waste materials from an ever-expanding consumer society and of the diminishing varieties of plants and animals. It would tell of the enormous difference between those human beings who have too much and those who barely survive. It would end with a ravished and uninhabited Earth, made uninhabitable by humankind itself. God would shake his head sadly, realising that he had to start all over again.”
An interesting idea…if you consider the creation narrative in Genesis, it clearly commands mankind to look after and be good stewards of our planet. God thinks being green is a good idea…it was originally His good idea.
So what is the barrier to energizing people of faith to live greener lives?
Living an environmentally friendly life is hard work. Riding the bus takes longer, and that means getting up earlier. Walking to work can get you sweaty or mess your hair. Riding a bike can get you knocked over. Recycling involves sorting out and washing your rubbish. ‘Re-using’ means actually remembering to bring your own carrier bags to the shops. Even writing a letter to your local council can cause you to miss 15 minutes of Eastenders!
Plus, we have some excuses. The science is confusing; the government should do more before telling us what to do; energy efficient and Fairly Traded products can be more expensive, and; this whole lifestyle is just so time consuming.
We have at least one legitimate reason. Much of the problem lies beyond our control. By walking to the shops (your own bags in your pocket) how much of a difference can you really make, especially when many poorer countries are just beginning to industrialise; creating even more pollution?
But, instead of throwing up our hands, we should be motivated to do more. Aren't Christians commanded to love our neighbours as ourselves? Consider for a moment that more than 10 million Chinese still have no electricity. Imagine that! Perhaps we should be helping them build nuclear power plants as a clean alternative energy source? Perhaps we should start seriously investing in the development of renewable energy resources?
People of faith have been at the forefront of nearly every great social movement in history. The jury is still out on whether we will rise to the occasion this time. Let's hope we do.