Statement

Published by The National Herald, August 5, 2005

SCOBA Endorses NCC Statement on the Environment

In an effort to refute what they call a “false gospel” and to change destructive attitudes and actions concerning the environment, a group of theologians, convened by the National Council of Churches of Christ USA, released an open letter calling on Christians to repent of “our social and ecological sins,” and stating that caring for the Earth and protecting its environment is the “central moral imperative of our time.”

This letter, which cites His All Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople for taking a leading role “among senior religious leaders in his concern for Creation,” was endorsed by the hierarchs of the Standing Conference of Canonical Orthodox Bishops in the Americas during their recent meeting in New York City on June 21.

The NCC (of which the Orthodox Church is a member communion) hopes that the statement, “God’s Earth is Sacred: An Open Letter to Church and Society in the United States,” will stimulate conversations in churches, seminaries, colleges, universities and throughout society, according to NCC General Secretary Rev. Dr. Bob Edgar.

The statement intends to reflect a growing religious awareness of humanity’s role in protecting Creation, he said.

“We will begin circulating this statement to all of our member churches and others to stress the importance and urgency to begin to change how we care for God’s creation,” he explained. “From Genesis to Revelation, it is clear that God has given us the responsibility to care and seek justice for all of His creation, and we want to make sure that people in the pews are equipped to be ambassadors for this message and good stewards of the environment.”

The statement, first released on February 14, points out that there is both an environmental and a theological crisis which must be addressed.

The statement calls on Christians to take two important steps to enable socially just and ecologically sustainable communities for future generations: first, to “repent of our sins, in the presence of God and one another,” and second, to pursue, “with God’s help, a path different from our present course.”

The statement links economic inequity with environmental abuse, and maintains that an intact environment is necessary for human health, prosperity and general welfare: “Among human members, justice demands meeting the essential material needs and conditions for human dignity and social participation. In our global context, economic deprivation and ecological degradation are linked in a vicious cycle… one of the essential conditions of human well-being is ecological integrity.”

It also identifies eight norms to guide humanity on a new environmental path: justice, sustainability, bioresponsibility, humility, generosity, frugality, solidarity and compassion.

According to Father Chris Bender, an Orthodox priest who helped to bring the gathering together, “Some people say that the environment doesn’t matter” because the Second Coming of Christ will usher in the end of the world as we know it.

GOD’S AGENDA

“To make such a statement is the height of arrogance,” Rev. Bender said. “We don’t know when the Lord is coming back, but we do know that, one day, we will have to give an account for making the environment unlivable for those who come after us, and for those who are the poorest among us,” he said referring to the belief by Orthodox and other Christian churches that each person will have to stand before God and account for their actions. How humanity treats God’s creation “will be on God’s agenda,” according to Rev. Bender.

“No one can read Scripture and deny that caring for Creation is part of what God has asked us to do,” said Dr. Ann K. Riggs, NCC Associate General Secretary for Faith & Order.

The statement also appeals to Christians and “all people of good will” to join together in understanding humanity’s responsibility to care for Creation; to integrate this understanding into what it means to be the church; and to advocate boldly on behalf of those most vulnerable to the negative effects of the global environmental crisis.

“As humans, we have a tendency to desecrate Earth and minimize the biodiversity of life. While theology is usually ahead of practice, we must at least aim for a relevant theology that informs what we ought to be and do.

Theology and ethics are joined here to the end that human communities may be more just and all of life may be respected,” said NCC President Rev. Dr. Thomas L. Hoyt Jr., a Christian Methodist Episcopal Bishop who also participated in the gathering.



Volume 7 Number 32 - Tuesday, August 9th, 2005	A Publication of the ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN LAITY