Taking Action on Climate Change: The Eco-Mission of the Church in a Critical Time
2022, 7 pp
We are in a climate emergency.
Climate scientists have been sounding the call for decades. In recent years their call has turned to a ringing alarm: we must act, we must act together, and we must act urgently if we do not want to see massive suffering and death because of climate change. Already we are experiencing the effects of a warming climate caused primarily by human activity: an increase in extreme weather events leading to droughts and fires and floods. As is always the case in these catastrophes, it is those most vulnerable to harm—fragile ecosystems, impoverished peoples—who bear the brunt of suffering and death.
However, there is good news.
For us as Christians, the good news always starts with this: “God so loved the world” (John 3:16). God our Creator, the Creator of the earth and all that is in it, has crafted all things in love and deemed them “very good” (Genesis 1:31). We live and move and have our being in the God who is love (Acts 17:28; 1 John 4:16). Every time we as humans have destroyed God’s good world in our hubris through violence or greed, God has stepped into this world through faithful people to reverse the tide of suffering and death (e.g. Genesis 6:5-6; 9:8-17). The incarnation of God in Christ, God entering God’s good world through Jesus, is the ultimate instance of this divine redemption of the world God loves (John 1:18; Colossians 1:15-23). In Jesus God is shown to be the one “who gives life to the dead and calls into being that which does not yet exist” (Romans 4:17). With God, new life is always possible, even in the midst of suffering and death. God calls us as the church to live into this mission. Prompted by God’s love for the world and emboldened by resurrection hope, God summons us to enter into the groaning of God’s suffering creation, to walk in solidarity with all that suffers because of human greed and violence, walking toward newness and fullness of life (Romans 8:18-27). God calls us to care for creation, to stand with and stand up for the vulnerable, and to resist non-violently the powerful forces of evil in this world opposed to God’s good purposes (Genesis 1:26-28; 2:7-9, 15; Isaiah 1:16-17; Luke 4:16-21; 2 Corinthians 10:3-5; Ephesians 6:10-18; Revelation 12:10-11).
Climate scientists have been sounding the call for decades. In recent years their call has turned to a ringing alarm: we must act, we must act together, and we must act urgently if we do not want to see massive suffering and death because of climate change. Already we are experiencing the effects of a warming climate caused primarily by human activity: an increase in extreme weather events leading to droughts and fires and floods. As is always the case in these catastrophes, it is those most vulnerable to harm—fragile ecosystems, impoverished peoples—who bear the brunt of suffering and death.
However, there is good news.
For us as Christians, the good news always starts with this: “God so loved the world” (John 3:16). God our Creator, the Creator of the earth and all that is in it, has crafted all things in love and deemed them “very good” (Genesis 1:31). We live and move and have our being in the God who is love (Acts 17:28; 1 John 4:16). Every time we as humans have destroyed God’s good world in our hubris through violence or greed, God has stepped into this world through faithful people to reverse the tide of suffering and death (e.g. Genesis 6:5-6; 9:8-17). The incarnation of God in Christ, God entering God’s good world through Jesus, is the ultimate instance of this divine redemption of the world God loves (John 1:18; Colossians 1:15-23). In Jesus God is shown to be the one “who gives life to the dead and calls into being that which does not yet exist” (Romans 4:17). With God, new life is always possible, even in the midst of suffering and death. God calls us as the church to live into this mission. Prompted by God’s love for the world and emboldened by resurrection hope, God summons us to enter into the groaning of God’s suffering creation, to walk in solidarity with all that suffers because of human greed and violence, walking toward newness and fullness of life (Romans 8:18-27). God calls us to care for creation, to stand with and stand up for the vulnerable, and to resist non-violently the powerful forces of evil in this world opposed to God’s good purposes (Genesis 1:26-28; 2:7-9, 15; Isaiah 1:16-17; Luke 4:16-21; 2 Corinthians 10:3-5; Ephesians 6:10-18; Revelation 12:10-11).
This resource is part of the Together in Hope: Toward Faith-Based Intergenerational Dialogue and Action in the Climate Crisis collection.
This resource was created by the 5 regions of MC Canada in 2021, together expressing a shared vision for the eco mission of the church.
Recommended use: Individuals or book study groups
Recommended audience: adults
Difficulty level: This is a part of the Together in Hope Starter Guide.| Type | |
| Genre | Official Document |
| Expression | Institutional |
| Topic | Climate Change/Action |
| Audience | Adults, Leaders |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | Mennonite Church Manitoba, Mennonite Church Saskatchewan, Mennonite Church Eastern Canada, Mennonite Church Alberta, Mennonite Church Canada, Mennonite Church British Columbia |
| Collection | MC Canada Climate Action |
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