Weekly Green Thought

"See my works, how fine and excellent they are! All that I created, I created for you. Reflect on this, and do not corrupt or desolate my world; for if you do, there will be no one to repair it after you." Ecclesiastes Rabbah 7:13 (sixth-eighth centuries)

Weekly Green Thought

"How can a person of flesh and blood follow God?...God, from the very beginning of creation, was occupied before all else with planting, as it is written, 'And first of all, the Eternal God planted a Garden in Eden.' Therefore...occupy yourselves first and foremost with planting." Leviticus Rabbah 25:3 (fifth-seventh centuries)

Weekly Green Thought

"If a dead man is raised to life, all men spring up in astonishment. Yet every day one that had no being is born, and no man wonders, though it is plain to all, without doubt, that it is a greater thing for that to be created which was without being than for that which had being restored. Because the dry rod of Aaron budded, all men were in astonishment; every day a tree is produced from the dry earth...and no man wonders...Five thousand men were filled with five loaves;...every day the grains of seed that are sown are multiplied in a fullness of ears, and no man wonders. All...wondered to see water once turned into wine. Every day the earth's moisture, being drawn into the root of the vine, is turned by the grape into wine, and no man wonders. Full of wonder then are all the things which men never think to wonder at, because...they are by habit become dull to the consideration of them." Pope Gregory the Great (540-604)

A Little Busy Lately

I have seriously been slacking on this blog lately - but at least I have a somewhat decent excuse: I bought a house! It's been an exciting/terrifying thing, but most of the "new" is beginning to wear off as I actually make payments, put holes in walls, and start to fix things that are broken. With the homeownership deal comes tons of "creation care questions." The house is fairly new, and it seems to be energy efficient overall. I bought a very efficient refrigerator - although, there were admittedly models that were better than the one I got. I suppose I am making some sacrifices and compromises involving the size and price of things. Generally I am a zealot about things, but lately I find myself trying to find peace in doing the best I can with what I have. Guess that's really what stewarship is fundamentally all about. We'll see.

Weekly Green Thought

"We should remain within the limits imposed by our basic needs and strive with all our power not to exceed them. Once we are carried beyond these limits in our desire for the pleasures of life, there is no criterion to check our onward movement, since no bounds can be set to that which exceeds the necessary." Nilus of Ancyra (407-94), Ascetic Discourses, vol. 1, Philokalia

Should Christians Be Vegetarians?

Today I led a Bible study on Genesis 3, and an issue came up that occurred to me for the first time in college. There is a reading of the first few chapters of Genesis that sees the eating of animals by humans as a consequence of "The Fall" (human disobedience of God). See Genesis 1:29-30 - "God said, 'See I have given you every plant yielding seed that is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit; you shall have them for food. And to every beast of the earth, and to every bird of the air, and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.' And it was so." (NRSV) This seems to be saying that plants were given to ALL animals for food as the initial setup of creation. So, should Christians seek to live in a way that reflects this by being vegetarians?

If not, and to be fair I am not a vegetarian, I think there is at least a responsibility for Christians to offer a response for the way they come by the meat they eat. We are for the most part not a society that hunts our food the way Native Americans did - and there is consequently much less reverence for the animals we eat. Some might claim the way many of our food animals are treated borders on abuse. If we are to eat animals, shouldn't we at least see that they are treated from pasture to plate as humanely as possible?

I have enjoyed reading The Omnivore's Dilemma immensely. The chapter that probably had the most effect on me was the one where the author participates in slaughtering the chickens on a sustainable farm. He argues that every meat-eater should have to do this at some point, and I wondered to myself if I could bring myself to kill my food - at least if not doing so was still an option. I think this will no doubt have some lasting impact on what I eat. And I'll share with you an Emerson quote mentioned in the aforementioned chapter that struck me:

You have just dined, and however scrupulously the slaughterhouse is concealed in the graceful distance of miles, there is complicity.

"Weekly Green Thought"

"We should remain within the limits imposed on our basic needs and strive with all our power not to exceed them. Once we are carried beyond these limits in our desire for the pleasures of life, there is no criterion to check our onward movement, since no bounds can be set to that which exceeds the necessary." Nilus of Ancyra (407-94), Ascetic Discourses, vol. 1, Philokalia

What's Eating Us?

I'm finally reading a book I've been meaning to read for a while. It's called The Omnivore's Dilemma. Essentially, the omnivore's dilemma is "What shall I eat?" For many animals this is not a problem. They eat generally the same thing all the time. My dog, for instance, gets dog food twice a day and after two and a half years, she has yet to complain or go on a hunger strike. She seems content to eat the same thing every day.

Well, not me. As an omnivore I desire variety. And the question of what to eat or what I want to eat plagues me. Even with unlimited options, sometimes it takes me what seems like an eternity to decide. But even when I decide what to eat there's an underlying problem of getting the food. The problem stems from the fact that I am not a farmer or a hunter. I am at best a gatherer, but my gathering takes the form of picking up things and putting them in a grocery basket. But where did the grocery get the food that I'm buying and eating?

This is the ultimate question of the book: "Where does our food come from?" I've never read The Jungle by Upton Sinclair. I like both Chicago and meat too much to read it, but from what I've heard the awakening it brought about in our consciousness seems to be the desired effect of The Omnivore's Dilemma. That I would know the difference between beef from a cow that was fed corn and one that was fed grass and why the difference matters. That I would understand what "organic" actually means - if it means anything.

I'm loving the book, but at the same time wondering if there's a way to go on eating the same way after I finish reading it. I feel like what we eat is a tremendously important thing, for our health but also the health of the planet. And yet I think most of us are completely ignorant about our food. I am hopeful that this book and other movements will bring about momentum to steer us back to a time when people knew exactly what they ate, primarily because it was in their backyard.

Weekly Green Thought

"Some people, in order to discover God, read books. But there is a great book: the very appearance of created things. Look above you! Look below you! Read it. God, whom you want to discover, never wrote that book with ink. Instead, He set before your eyes the things that He had made. Can you ask for a louder voice than that?" Augustine (354-430), De Civitate Dei, Book 16

When Nature Fights Back

I'm not sure if I've talked about "species arrogance" before or not, but basically it's the concept of a certain species thinking they are supreme above all others. Trouble is, I guess it can only be theoretical because we don't really know if a walrus ever actually thinks it is superior to a penguin or a seal. Sometimes we sense it in animal behavior; but confirming "species arrogance" is dicey.

I think a special consideration must be made for humans though. It seems humans routinely think they are somehow on a different plane from other creatures. To a degree this may be relevant in that humans seems to have cognitive abilities beyond most other animals. We can certainly hatch plans and do taxes (for the most part) that our fellow creatures don't bother to do. However, does this necessarily mean we are the most advanced? The more we observe family units in other species and fascinating behavior that seems written in the DNA of other animals, the less I think our claims of supremacy stand up to the test of reason.

Leaving some of these questions aside, it became abundantly clear to me recently that while I consider humans a "strong" species - we are by no means the mightiest, and in truth are quite vulnerable. We of course know this for the most part. We generally don't swim with powerful sharks or get too close to lions. We are aware that even smaller creatures like spiders and snakes can kill us with a bite. But that even plants can inflict severe pain on us should give us pause and perspective of our place in nature.

I point this out because a couple weeks ago I was playing disc golf (a great "nature game" that I wrote about a few posts ago), and I found myself looking for a disc in a patch of poison ivy. I washed thoroughly when I got home. No matter - it took over my leg anyway. What followedwas several WEEKS of severe itching and discomfort - all from a few leaves.

So when we get the arrogance to think that we are the biggest, baddest, and best on the planet - I hope something makes us itch really, really badly.

Weekly Green Thought

"Even if you are old, you must plant. Just as you found trees planted by others, you must plant them for your children." Midrash Tanchuma, Kodashim 8 (fourth-fifth centuries)

A Limited Perspective

The other day I was visiting with an amazing church member who has been battling cancer for some time. Throughout it all she has maintained her sense of humor and an amazing perspective on life - realizing how small we are in the grand scheme of things.

We were talking about caring for creation and sharing some dismay at how so many people (especially Christians) don't seem to "get it." She asked me what I thought was the biggest problem, and in that moment I said "I think we humans have such a limited perspective." For the most part, we are not very good at looking at the bigger picture and considering the long-time ramifications of our decisions and use of technology. We are great at taking a good idea and expanding it to the point that it does damage.

Take, for example, sidewalks. Some cities may have great sidewalks and may be very walker friendly. But for the most part, cities are built for cars and have been for some time. In the city I live in sidewalks on main roads are almost non-existent. In neighborhoods, they start and stop with no rhyme or reason. Part of my block on the side opposite me (not the whole block - part of it) has a sidewalk, but nothing on my side of the street. It's pretty ludicrous. Why isn't the whole town laid out with sidewalks first so we know everyone can get around on foot (which we learn to do long before we drive mind you) before we worry about cars?

Walking more would help decrease smog and harmful emissions. Walking is cheaper - free to be precise. Walking is safer. Walking is very healthy. Walking is the transportation we were naturally created to utilize. Why can't we see this? Let's expand our perspective.

Weekly Green Thought

"Without earth, there is no rain, and without the rain, the earth cannot endure, and without either, humans cannot exist." Genesis Rabbah 13:3 (third-fifth centuries)

Confession

Wow, pretty unbelieveable that it's taken me this long to post since the move. Of course, I didn't even move until mid-June, so how that month ended up being a wash is anyone's guess. It is a big change though. This was my third move in as many years and each to a different state (although, now I'm back in my home state - and actually town).

In addition to my slackness in blogging, I have found that the move has brought challenges to my ability to practice care for creation to the extent that I had been. Of course, I was practically living on a farm before, and it's pretty easy to be sustainable on a farm if you put forth any effort. Things can be slightly more difficult in the city.

It seems like most things have been a trade off. I'm much closer to the church I serve, and there will be considerably less driving in my life. But the house I'm living in (renting for now) is not really eco-friendly at all. My first WEEK's power usage here was equivalent to a MONTH's where I was before. Of course I hope to adjust now that I'm learning some things, but it is difficult. I'm hoping I can help bring more recycling options and other creation care practices to the city. But I guess working on myself in my new place is the first goal.

Weekly Green Thought
"Even though you may think them superfluous in this world, creatures such as flies, bugs, and gnats have their allotted task in the scheme of creation." Genesis Rabbah 10:7 (third-fifth centuries)

Community Gardens Catching On

I wrote not too long ago about Anathoth Community Garden in North Carolina and celebrated the concept of dedicating an empty plot of land to God so that it might be a flourishing garden: http://www.anathothgarden.org/

I hope this concept catches on in more communities, but I am overjoyed to report that my hometown of Jackson, TN has started such a project: http://jacksonfumc.org/home/communitygardens.php In a few weeks, I will be moving back to Jackson to serve as associate pastor at the church helping to initiate Jackson Community Gardens (First United Methodist Church). I cannot wait to see this take off, and I promise to write more about it. But for now, here's a wonderful article written by one of the church members who has been instrumental in this mission: http://memphissite.brickriver.com/news_detail.asp?pkvalue=355


Weekly Green Thought

"There is nothing that has been created without some reason, even if human nature is incapable of knowing precisely the reason for them all." John Chrysostom (ca. 354-407), Homilies on Genesis 7.14

Weekly Green Thought

"The world has been created for everyone's use, but you few rich are trying to keep it for yourselves. For not merely the possession of the earth, but the very sky, the air, and the sea are claimed for the use of the rich few...The earth belongs to all, not just to the rich." Ambrose of Milan (340-97), De Nabuthe 3.

If people in industrialized nations (the rich - speaking generally as the world is concerned) lived like people in non-industrialized nations, imagine the lack of pollution in the seas, air, and earth. And yet rich nations continue to make life even worse for the poor who live more closely in dependence on the land. Many rich nations build large, mass-polluting factories in poor nations where they can obfuscate environmental laws and employ cheaper labor. These are central issues of justice about which the Church cannot remain silent.

Weekly Green Thought

"I want creation to penetrate you with so much admiration that wherever you go, the least plant may bring you the clear remembrance of the Creator...One blade of grass or one speck of dust is enough to occupy your entire mind in beholding the art with which it has been made." Basil the Great (329-79), Hexameron, Homily V, "The Germination of the Earth"

As I've mentioned before, a couple of the churches I serve have been going through the Green Bible Trail Guide as a Bible study. At the end of each study there is a practice to re-connect someone with creation. The practice last week involved planting something - a tree, a flower, perhaps a garden. Most of the church members chuckled as this is a rural area with farms all around, and many of them are indeed farmers. However, it did occur to me that there are places in the world in which people have essentially no positive connection with plants and animals on a regular basis. I think one of the worst realities I can imagine is that of a child in a huge city who is kept indoors all the time and even when outdoors enjoys no connection with creation. I recognize the ways camping and hiking when I was a child shaped me to love and enjoy creation, and I pray that churches will pursue initiatives to connect people in all places with the marvels of the world around us.

Weekly Green Thought

"By the greatness and the beauty of the creatures, proportionately the Maker of them is seen." -Athanasius (297-373), Against the Heathen 45:1-2

Some of the greatest figures in the history of the Church have believed and taught that through "natural theology" (looking at the world and wonder of nature) anyone with the capacity of thought must believe in a Creator - even if that Creator is not the Christian God. But how much more should Christians be amazed at the delicate intricacies of creation and work to care for it by all means possible?! Not only does creation speak about the Creator, but the way we treat the creation of which we are a part speaks about our love for the Creator.

Happy Belated Earth Day

Yesterday was "Earth Day." I mostly feel about it like I feel about other more made up holidays. You should love your mother every day, not just on Mother's Day. Same thing goes for Mother Earth - but I appreciate the nice sentiment, and certainly the attention can only help.

So to celebrate we launched a new Bible study focused on creation care. We are using the study in The Green Bible called "The Green Bible Trail Guide." It is a six session study that includes several scripture passages with a central theme. The first theme was "And It Was Good" the elaboration of which is "God made all things and declared them good. God continues to show love and care for creation throughout human history and for all eternity."

Probably my favorite part of the study is that I actually learned something (which really happens quite often when I teach, especially the Bible). Although, maybe it is more accurate to say I was reminded of something. One of the scripture passages was Genesis 9:8-17 which details the covenant God made after the Flood. We usually focus on the (rain)bow and God's promise not to destroy the earth again with a flood. However, the study focused our attention on the fact that God made the covenant not only with humans (Noah and his family) but with all the living creatures (the writer repeats this several times for emphasis).

So again, we are reminded that on Earth Day and all days humans are to care for creation for the sake of all creatures of our God and king.

Weekly Green Thought: "While the sage, Honi, was walking along a road, he saw a man planting a carob tree. Honi asked him, "How long will it take for this tree to bear fruit?" "Seventy years," replied the man. Honi then asked, "Are you so healthy a man that you expect to live that length of time and eat its fruit?" The man answered, "I found a fruitful world because my ancestors planted it for me. Likewise I am planting for my children." Babylonian Talmud, Taanit 23a (second or third century).

An Easter Message About Creation

Sunday was Easter - the day central to the Christian faith. Of course Easter is about Christ's resurrection from the tomb, but a component of this resurrection is central to a theology that leads us to care for creation. This central belief is that Jesus experienced a bodily (physical) resurrection. The gospel testimonies agree that Jesus body was not in the tomb on Easter Sunday. This belief retained importance in the early centuries of the Church and is expressed in creedal statements: "I believe in...the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting."

I harp on this because some branches of Christianity - and even some individual Christians not in those branches - seem to ignore this central belief when they make statements about physical things being bad or wicked or evil and spiritual things being all that God cares about or redeems. We find this particularly in times of death, when people disparage the body and claim that the spirit has already gone on to be with God in heaven. But, with this we are forgetting that God created our bodies and proclaimed them good. Certainly our bodies are flawed in that the ones we are currently given are not fit to enjoy God eternally - but scripture teaches not that bodies are useless in heaven, but that we will be given a heavenly body.

Of course this is essential also in the incarnation. God put on flesh. God took a human body. God honors the physical, the material. This is how God has chosen to create and live among us. And a disembodied, spiritual-only Christianity - one that disparages or dismisses creation and teaches it isn't crucial to care for it because it won't matter in heaven - well that's really not Christianity at all. It's a form of Gnosticism or Manicheanism.

The resurrection of the body which Christians celebrate at Easter makes the powerful claim that God will not simply restore the spiritual - but will re-create from the physical that we are to be stewards of here and now.

Weekly Green Thought: "Whoever destroys anything that could be useful to others breaks the law of bal tashchit, 'Do not waste.'" Babylonian Talmud, Kodashim 32a (second or third century)

More Paperless Possibilities

Very early on I wrote about ending, or at least extremely reducing, paper use in church services - particularly with bulletins. But it has occurred to me that this act of creation stewardship should extend to all church mailings.

I currently serve three churches. I receive the official mail for all three churches at the same address. Quite often, I receive exactly the same thing from another ministry within the conference or a program entity in three mailings. If these groups would go through their mailing list, they would realize they are mailing three identical things to one address - and they could save on postage, paper, and environmental impact by reducing their mailings to me by two thirds. All it would take would be communication that I will receive only one mailing that I am to share with all three churches. When's the last time your church mailing address was audited?

To go even further - almost everything I receive from these ministries could be sent to me through e-mail. Then I would have the option to print as much or as little as I need. I understand many people feel that sending something through e-mail decreases its chances of being seen because of all the other forwards and useless things users receive - but it simply takes a commitment to operate differently. For that matter - I get just as much useless snail mail.

Many other entities are asking people to go paperless. I do so with banking, credit card, and other bills. So how about we ask people to go paperless with the church newsletter or calendar? What a difference this change could make!

Weekly Green Thought: "Nature is schoolmistress, the soul the pupil; and whatever one has taught or the other has learned has come from God - the Teacher of the teacher." - Tertullian (160-ca. 230), De Testimonio Animae

Weekly Green Thought

"The sending of rain is an event greater than the giving of the Torah. The Torah was a joy for Israel only, but rain gives joy to the entire world, including animals and birds." Midrash Psalms 117 (second century)

The other night I sat on my front porch and listened to the rain. Occasionally the wind would blow, and the rain would hit me. It was pretty cold, and I would flinch a bit. But all in all, it was wonderful. Sometimes we gripe about the rain, but just consider what a miracle it truly is.

Playing Green

One of my closest friends is a youth director, and he has really gotten his youth group into playing disc golf. He has "bag tags" with ranking numbers on them, and youth (and some adults) play challenges against each other to try and improve their ranking. Recently, I have joined the group, and I am obsessed! I play at least once a week. It has occurred to me that it's a great sport to get people (especially youth) walking through the woods and experiencing nature. I am not an expert in building courses, but it seems to have a very low impact on changing areas. Trees seem to be kept more than they are cleared in order to increase the challenge involved. I was most excited when I came across some eco-friendly organic discs. These discs, made by Gateway, are made by "combining renewable resources with recycled rubber." I got two (a midrange and a putter), and they are my favorite discs. I can only hope there will be more discs like this as the concept fits perfectly with such a great, green game.


Weekly Green Thought: "The initial step for a soul to come to knowledge of God is contemplation of nature." - Irenaeus (120-202)

Green Teaching

"Let us turn our eyes to the Father and Creator of the universe, and consider...the total absence of any friction that marks the ordering of His whole creation." Clement of Rome (ca. 37-101), Letter to the Corinthians 1:19

Green Words and Thoughts

I keep trying to come up with ways to be more disciplined about writing on this site, and I think I may have something. I was going through the resources in my new Green Bible (see previous post), and I found the section "Teachings on Creation through the Ages" to be very inspiring. One of the contributors, J. Matthew Sleeth, compiled a collection of sayings about care for creation. So, regardless of whether or not I have a new post, I am going to attempt to offer one of these sayings each week. Perhaps it can shape your prayer and meditation for the day or week.

Here's the first one: "I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth." -The Apostles' Creed (first century)

The Green Bible

Not long ago Harper Collins released The Green Bible. This version puts a spin on "red letter" Bibles which have the words attributed to Christ in red. In The Green Bible passages that speak of God's care for creation or include material about the human mandate to care for creation are printed in green. But that's not all The Green Bible offers.

First, it is printed in an eco-friendly way with recycled paper, soy-based inks, and has a natural, cotton/linen cover. Second, there are additional resources about creation care throughout the Bible including a green subject index, The Green Bible Trail Guide - a series of studies based on God's care for creation to be used for personal devotion or group study, and a resource guide to offer advice for one's next steps in caring for creation. Finally, the best feature might be the various essays from contributors such as Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Brian McLaren, Ellen Davis, N. T. Wright, and Barbara Brown Taylor (to name a few). These contributors approach the issue of creation care from their particular disciplines. One sees a sample of the many different angles from which environmental stewardship can be pursued.

I'll admit I have wondered about some of the passages that are green and equally some that are not. For instance, Jonah is my favorite book in the Old Testament, and I would argue the last line should certainly be green as it conveys God's care even for the animals in Nineveh. But no resource is perfect, and a rationale is given for the selection of the passages which makes pretty good sense. I was pleased that the cover page has the quotation of Genesis 1:31, which I selected as my profile quotation for this page.

If you want to find out more about The Green Bible, go to http://greenletterbible.com/

Resolve to be Green(er)

If you aren't practicing "green" habits, I think the new year would be a great time to start trying. If you are already, it would be great to deepen your commitment and intensity. It's so satisfying to set a goal and accomplish it. So resolve to set a green goal, and tell others so they can keep you focused and committed.

Several months ago, I worked with one of my church's youth groups to come up with ten habits that care for God's creation to share with the congregation. So I'll share them now and hope that one (or all) of them might appeal to you as you seek to be green(er) this year and in the years to come.

1. Pick up trash and litter
2. Reuse/recycle as much as possible
3. Turn off lights/t.v. when you leave a room ~ unplug appliances when they aren't being used
4. Use your own bags at the supermarket/recycle plastic bags
5. Take a "Car Sabbath" - don't drive at least one day a week and carpool regularly
6. Give alms to the poor/donate to charities
7. Plant a tree
8. Buy recycled and recyclable items
9. Donate to ASPCA/Humane Society ~ if possible adopt a pet
10. Use environmentally friendly cleaning products