Springwatch, Chris Packham and Christianity

Something caught my eye, whilst quickly flicking through the Radio Times (24-30 May 2014). Chris Packham is quoted blaming Christianity for the decline of species:

"Christianity doesn't help: we're made in God's image so everything is there to be exploited by us. It doesn't help people's attitudes" (page 26)

It's unlikely that Chris will ever read this blog post, but I thought it needed a reply. Chris appears to regard Christian belief/theology as instrumental in generating attitudes which disregard the environmental consequences of our actions.

My first reaction is that Christians are being credited with an awful lot of influence. We're in the midst of a debate about whether Britain is a Christian country, and whether churches/faith communities should have schools, chaplains in hospitals etc. Many would question whether many people really do hold any Christian belief in a way that influences decisions, such as Chris Packham would suggest.

However, in cases where belief influences people, it is true that it can work both ways. One body of thought has held that humans were give dominion over creation, and that meant they could essentially do what they liked. My own hunch is that is largely a retrospective justification from the industrial age.

There is, however, a much more scary way of thinking that carries a "Christian" badge. Christians (often fundamentalists) who hold a so-called "end-time" theology regard this material world as a temporary provision before it all comes to an end and the "saved" (i.e. those who believe the same as they do) can live in heaven. That means that it doesn't really matter how much oil we burn, as it will all be over soon. Environmentalism is, therefore, a complete waste of time and effort. It's a theology very agreeable to oil companies and climate-change deniers.

My problem with Chris Packham's comment is that it completely disregarded the role many Christians play in preserving the environment in the UK and overseas. Many Christians understand the 'dominion' they are given in terms of stewardship, not ownership. If you have any notion of a divine origin for the world, then humanity is accountable for how its resources are stewarded and used. As Psalm 24:1 puts it "the earth is the Lord's and all that is in it". A thankful response for the privilege of sharing the wonders of this world should surely be to look after it, and to ensure others can enjoy it too.

Furthermore, it's clear that environmental damage in one part of the world can have ramifications in distant locations. Being considerate of the neighbour you live next door to is no longer a sufficient understanding of what a neighbour is. It's not enough simply to care for the person on your street; our decisions need to take into account our global neighbours. Our connectedness increases the size of our neighbourhood, and the resources we consume are too often exploited on the doorsteps of people much more vulnerable than we are. By challenging that, we express our care for our fellow human beings.

So, how does that work out in action that achieves anything? Here in the UK, there is Christian Ecology Link, we have a Church of England initiative called "Shrinking the footprint", and ancient churchyards are being turned into mini nature reserves. Meanwhile, many Christian relief and development agencies are working hard on environmental issues, ranging from climate change to water supplies, biodiversity projects, soil erosion, and many more.

So, Chris, I am sorry for the Christians who think that being given responsibility for the earth means they can do what they like. I'm not convinced that's what's driving most environmental destruction that concerns you. I think we all know that's got more to do with money. But I hope you can see from theology and from practical action around the world that we're not all like that, and we never have been.

Pigeon update 2

We have 2 chicks! They like to duck down (boom boom!) into the nest, so getting a photo is proving tricky, but we have two really quite large chicks. Every now and then a parent perches on top of the vent for our gas fire and we get coo-ing emanating from the artificial coals! Luckily for them we're not using the fire now the weather is warmer

Pigeon update

It's hard to get a good view, but I think I saw a small brown fluffy something moving on the nest with no parent to be seen. She'll be back soon. We may have a chick!

-- Post From My iPod Touch

Lent: Day 4

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Ok, you probably don't want to admit it, but many of us will have pressed our noses against the glass of a shop or other window to see what was inside. Besides the obviously amusing results for the people inside, I guess most of us would feel pretty stupid if caught. But we do have this desire to peep inside, to get a glimpse of something more.

I have been reminded of this by a chaffinch which has become a regular visitor to my daughter Elspeth's window. She has a small bird-feeding box on the outside of the glass attached with suction cups. It's not particularly unusual for birds to drop by and feed. The chaffinch, however, knocks on the glass. It taps away for quite long periods of time, breaking off periodically to enjoy some bird seed or a quick trip round the local trees.

Presumably there's something inside, amongst the colourful and sparkly things which fill Ellie's room, that is attracting our friend. We just don't know what it is, and presumably neither does the bird.

I couldn't help wondering what the spiritual equivalent of nose-pressing-on-glass was. I think a lot of people look at the prospect of being a Christian from behind a glass wall - they see it, they like it, they are sympathetic, but somehow they can't get inside, get into it. And I've seen some people knock on the glass for years. And it's not necessarily any better for those who are active churchgoers. Many people come along, join in, go through the motions and look as if they are fully on-board, but when you get a chance to talk, sometimes it hasn't actually all fallen into place. For others, the distance is more apparent - other people seem to be more engaged, more spiritual, more 'into it' but something inexplicable holds them back.

I guess a good question for today would be whether we can get a little clearer on what holds us back - what is our equivalent to the glass for the chaffinch. For some it will be intellectual; for others it will be baggage from our past, or inhibitions we have learned; for others it may even be something about the Christian community itself.

Banging endlessly against glass you can't break just makes you frustrated and sore; better to work out the nature of what the glass is and crack it.

Birds in the hand

Currently monitoring the wildlife in our garden (well occasionally looking out of the window.)

Birds seen so far:

Robin, Sparrow, Blue tit, Great tit, wren, chaffinch, bullfinch, pair of doves, magpie, blackbird + something I couldn't identify without a book in front of me.

Nice to be in a place where there is some variety.