Christian young people are bringing their passion for change to a U.N. climate conference in Durban, South Africa, eager to learn how to spread the message that God’s creation needs better care.

About 28 youths from church and faith-based organizations on six continents are taking “Youth For Eco-Justice” training during the 17th Conference of Parties to the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change, or COP 17, which runs from 28 November to 9 December.

Organized by Lutheran World Federation (LWF) and World Council of Churches (WCC), the courses include Bible study, workshops, training sessions on communication, campaign management and development of resources, and activities for promoting eco-justice.

“The idea is to bring young people together and impact communities at home. Young people have been demanding in our assemblies that they have to take action and this is the response,” said Roger Schmidt, LWF Secretary for Youth.

Schmidt said that creative young people, are capable of breaking the deadlock in the world in terms of climate change with a new understanding of the connection of justice and ecology.

Njideka Onwunyi, 26, a participant from Nigeria, said climate change is a major concern to Christian youths and the training has come at a time when young people are striving to influence changes in world systems.

“As Christian youths we are increasingly concerned about the ecological crisis and the way humans are treating God’s earth. Planet Earth is in peril and creation is suffering; this calls for a quick action to solve the situation,” said Onwunyi.

Onwunyi said global warming and conflicts over water resources are related to unsustainable and inequitable patterns of production and consumption, hence the need for advocating eco-justice.

“Our communities, especially in Africa and other regions, are really fighting and competing for water, food and land and we need to empower them,” said Onwunyi.

Countries represented by the participants include: the United States, Venezuela, the United Kingdom, Sweden, South Korea, South Africa, Palestinian Territories, Nigeria, Myanmar, Malawi, Kenya, Indonesia, India, Hungary, Georgia, Canada, Brazil, Belarus, Australia and Argentina.

Be Sociable, Share!

• 

Christian churches are coming to see that preservation, care and stewardship of God’s creation is an important component of practicing their faith. One megachurch, in fact, did so well in its environmental campaign that it won a national award.

The First Baptist Church, Orlando, is a megachurch that was awarded the Energy Star from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency last year for its effective practices in energy management and reduction of pollution.

In so doing, FBC generated some $373,000 in annual savings in energy costs last year. The reduction of greenhouse gas emissions from the church that same year was equivalent to carbon dioxide emissions annually of 300 homes through the use of electricity.

Darby Ray, associate professor of Millsaps College, Jackson, Miss. told Orlando Sentinel, “The surprising thing for me is there seems to be some consensus. We are seeing very conservative Protestant denominations embracing Earth care, and you are seeing some mainline, more-liberal denominations.”

The initiative to be more environmentally friendly seems to be largely coming from the worshippers themselves. Gerald Smith, religion professor, University of the South, Sewanee, Tenn., told Orlando Sentinel, “I think it’s congregation-driven rather than leadership-driven. This is what people are bringing to the church.”

However, some pastors are also taking the lead, largely inspired by the example of First Baptist. One of them is Joel Hunter, pastor of Northland, A Church Distributed.

Hunter told Orlando Sentinel, “The evangelical part of the church has always focused on saving souls. But these other issues we are facing here on Earth are just as important.”

At Northland, the church building is closed on Fridays. A team from its church ministry separates trash, and an information-technology department has been recycling old computers and electronics. Printer paper is reused before it is recycled, and there has been careful monitoring of the use of electricity.

“We’ve seen this explosion of activity at the individual and congregational level that is really a sign that this is firmly centered in terms of who we are as a religious people,” Matthew Anderson-Stembridge, executive director of National Religious Partnership for the Environment, told Orlando Sentinel.

The NRPE website is lush with stories of churches, both Christian and Jewish, that made great strides for the cause of environmentalism. One example is Northaven United Methodist Church in Dallas, TX which has been holding annual hybrid car shows.

Four years ago, the church started with just four hybrid cars for the church’s Earth Day Celebration. This year it has featured 19. Rev. Eric Folkerth said consumer choices put faith into practice.

Folkerth said on the NRPE website, “As Christian people we clearly see that God has called us to be stewards, not abusers of the environment. You can have scientific motivations for saving the Earth and for some, that’s enough. But there are a whole lot of other people for whom it is connected to faith—it’s the right scientific thing and the right moral thing to do.”

Also mentioned in the NRPE website is an initiative by the Washington State Catholic Conference WA to develop a greenhouse gas reduction plan. A new grant program was also set up to promote urban forestry programs and Evergreen Cities. It has also launched awards programs for waste reduction and recycling among private schools.

Churches are doing things, large and small, for a better earth. Winter Park Presbyterian Church grows food on its church grounds for the needy, and may consider solar power.

Christ Church Unity in Orlando uses rain water collected in a barrel to water church grounds, and sells metal bottles to replace plastic water bottles. Cloth napkins are replacing paper napkins, and china plates are replacing paper plates.

Even food scraps from church activities are recycled. It is fed to the church pig, who is named Mr. Greengenes.

Be Sociable, Share!

• 

Israel denies it, Jordan ignores it, and a green group claims that the water of the Jordan River where Jesus is believed to have been baptized is unsafe.

The ecology group Friends of the Earth Middle East claims that the Jordan River is polluted on the sides of both Israel and Jordan. Both countries claim their side of the river is where Jesus was baptized.

Gidon Bromberg, Israeli director of Friends of the Earth Middle East said water baptisms should be banned from the popular tourism sites, “For reasons of public health as well as religious integrity,” RNS said.

The river is polluted because of large amounts of sewage and fecal bacteria that is pumped into it from the West Bank, Jordan and Israel, the AP said.

Mira Edelstein of Friends of the Earth Middle East said, “The state of the river at the moment is really dire,” Voice of America said.

However the Israeli government disagrees. They said that tests conducted on Tuesday in the Qasr al-Yahud (Israel side of the Jordan River) showed the pollution levels are less than a tenth of their Health Ministry’s accepted standard, the AP said.

A Civil Administration and Nature and Parks Authority spokesman said the waters are safe for bathing and claimed they hold routine tests every three months of what is viewed as Christianity’s third most sacred site, Ynet said.

Some 100,000 Christians visit Qasr al-Yahud annually and oftentimes they hold water baptisms there, the AP said. However many tourists have begun to go to the Jordanian side instead, because of the pollution reports, Ynet said.

Bromberg has asked that all ceremonies on both sides of the river stop until pollutants are removed. Qasr al-Yahud falls within an Israeli-controlled military zone. Israel closed the baptismal site for one day, but reopened it immediately after. Jordan never closed its side of the river, nor did the Jordanian government respond to the environmental group’s report, RNS said.

Bromberg said, “Our call is to halt baptisms on both sides of the river. It is exactly the same polluted water,” RNS said. Israel is constructing sewage treatment plants that should terminate waste flow into their side of the river by 2011, the AP said.

However environmentalists feel that will not suffice. Noting the growing population, climate and constant water shortage, they feel only increasing water flow into the river will help. Edelstein says 98 percent of the water that should enter the river is diverted for agriculture, drinking and domestic use, and only two percent is left, VOANews said.

Edelstein said this was discovered when the green group recently did a study that was conducted in a regional fashion, with the help of Israeli, Jordanian and Palestinian experts, VOANews said. This is why the waters of the Jordan River have shrunk dramatically, the AP said.

The fresh water flow is diverted to Syria, Jordan and Israel, Bromberg says adding, “If the same thing were happening to a Jewish or Muslim holy site there would be a public outcry,” RNS said.

Be Sociable, Share!

• 

This year Christians throughout the United States will be celebrating Earth Day through a live simulcast nationwide, through documentaries, lectures and seminars on God’s creation and man’s stewardship of the earth.

Earth Day, slated for April 22, is intended to raise awareness and appreciation for the environment.

Now on its 40^th year, Earth Day is said to be founded by U.S. Senator Gaylord Nelson.  However its concept originated from Pentecostal minister John McConnell Jr, 95, who told the Assemblies of God (AG) Heritage magazine that he first proposed Earth Day in 1969 to promote peace and unity.  He wanted it to be held in late March at the start of spring.

McConnell said he submitted his proposal for Earth Day to San Francisco city officials on Oct. 3, 1969.  The first governmental recognition of Earth Day was held March 21, 1970 supported by Congress and the United Nations.

However, it was moved by Sen. Nelson to April 22 because he had scheduled a political protest called Environmental Teach-In Day.

McConnell’s biographer, Robert Weir, said Nelson admitted that he got the idea for Earth Day from others, but he did not specify from whom. In time, he began to publicly claim full credit for Earth Day.

Christians have commonly neglected to celebrate Earth Day as it was deemed to be identified with left leaning environmentalism and implied nature worship.

However now they see Earth Day as a time to renew their stewardship of God’s gift of creation, celebrate God and to witness their faith to others.

McConnell said, “We love God … [and therefore should] have an appreciation for His creation.”

A study in 2008 by the Barna Group, a religious research organization, found that 78 percent of self-identified Christians would like to see their fellow Christians take a more active role in caring for the earth.

Some of the things that Christians are doing on Earth Day include:

• Northland, A Church Distributed in Longwood, Fla. will hold a simulcast on April 21 that organizers say will be the largest ever faith-based gathering involving Earth Day, drawing thousands of churches.
• Blessed Earth, founded three years ago by Dr. Matthew Sleeth of Wilmore, Ky, has organized hundreds of churches for “Hope for Creation: A Live Simulcast Event,” at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday.  Sleeth is the author of “Serve God and Save the Planet: A Christian Call to Action.”  Since its founding, Blessed Earth has produced a 12-film series on the Bible and the environment.
• St. Monica-St. George Parish Newman Center in Ohio will hold its annual “Thomas Merton Year,” from April 25-May 7 with the talk, “Meeting Merton Again for the First Time: Contemplative Ecologist, Ecological Prophet.”  Merton was a 20th-century Catholic monk in Gethsemani, Ky.  The talk is presented by Sister Kathleen Deignan, a GreenFaith Fellow with training in religious environmental leadership.  She wrote the books, “When the Trees Say Nothing: Writings on Nature” and “Thomas Merton: A Book of Hours.”

Be Sociable, Share!

• 

Question: “Why is the resurrection of Jesus Christ important?”

Answer:
The resurrection of Jesus is important for several reasons. First, it witnesses to the immense power of God Himself. To believe in the resurrection is to believe in God. If God exists, and if He created the universe and has power over it, He has power to raise the dead. If He does not have such power, He is not a God worthy of our faith and worship. Only He who created life can resurrect it after death, only He can reverse the hideousness that is death itself, and only He can remove the sting that is death and the victory that is the graves (1 Corinthians 15:54-55). In resurrecting Jesus from the grave, God reminds us of His absolute sovereignty over life and death.

Second, the resurrection of Jesus is a testimony to the resurrection of human beings, which is a basic tenet of the Christian faith. Unlike all other religions, Christianity alone possesses a founder who transcends death and who promises that His followers will do the same. All other religions were founded by men and prophets whose end was the grave. As Christians, we take comfort in the fact that our God became man, died for our sins, and was resurrected the third day. The grave could not hold Him. He lives, and He sits today at the right hand of God the Father in heaven.

In 1 Corinthians 15, Paul explains in detail the importance of the resurrection of Christ. Some in Corinth did not believe in the resurrection of the dead, and in this chapter Paul gives six disastrous consequences if there were no resurrection: 1) preaching Christ would be senseless (v. 14); 2) faith in Christ would be useless (v. 14); 3) all the witnesses and preachers of the resurrection would be liars (v. 15); 4) no one would be redeemed from sin (v. 17); 5) all former believers would have perished (v.18); and 6) Christians would be the most pitiable people on the earth (v. 19). But Christ indeed has risen from the dead and has become the first-fruits of those who have fallen asleep (v. 20), assuring that we will follow Him in resurrection.

The inspired Word of God guarantees the believer’s resurrection at the coming of Jesus Christ for His Body (the Church) at the Rapture. Such hope and assurance results in a great song of triumph as Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 15:55, Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?

How do these concluding verses relate to the importance of the resurrection? Paul answers, …you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain (v. 58). He reminds us that because we know we will be resurrected to new life, we can suffer persecution and danger for Christs sake (vv. 29-31), just as He did. We can follow the example of the thousands of martyrs through history who gladly traded their earthly lives for everlasting life via the resurrection.

The resurrection is the triumphant and glorious victory for every believer. Jesus Christ died, was buried, and rose the third day according to the Scripture. And, He is coming again! The dead in Christ will be raised up, and those who remain and are alive at His coming will be changed and receive new, glorified bodies (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18). Why is the resurrection of Jesus Christ important to salvation? It demonstrated that God accepted Jesus sacrifice on our behalf. It proves that God has the power to raise us from the dead. It guarantees that those who believe in Christ will not remain dead, but will be resurrected unto eternal life. That is our blessed hope!

Recommended Resource:
The Case for the Resurrection of Jesus by Gary Habermas.

Originally here.

Be Sociable, Share!

• 

These days everything seems unsafe.

People are being caught in the merciless radar of terrorism.People are being attacked and killed in the name of politics and religion. Recent incidents show many fall victims to this evil.

On the other, big and small business establishments lace their products (food stuffs, medicines etc…) with spurious materials which lead innocent people to different kinds of ailments to a slow process of death.

Lastly the recent outbreak of bird flu which hit the country made people panic all over the nation.

In every sphere a certain kind of uncertainty and panic prevails.

People don’t want to believe each other. Trust is lost among all spheres. Everywhere a kind of fear and unbelief is taking place.

Even in such situation God’s people need not fear because we are under the great control and cover of the creator of the universe.

We are safe and secure under the wings of the almighty one.

Yes, we are under the protection of the mighty and unchanging God. He never changes nor forsakes those who put trust in Him.

When we are on this earth we too have to undergo such panic situation or to face trails and persecutions and even death. But believers need not get panic in such situation, because we are in the palms of the Lord almighty.

We have a blessed hope in Christ. When we finish our course on this earth we will meet our Savior and we will be with him forever and ever.

What a blessed hope we believers have in Jesus Christ. Whereas, others (those who are without Christ) should get panic that they do not know where they are going.

We are a blessed people Eph.1:3; 2:6 makes it very clear that we are rich in Christ, we are raised up together with him and made us sit down together giving us joint seating with Him in heavenly sphere in Christ Jesus, the Messiah, the Anointed one.

The Scripture is filled with comforting words for the believers, if we trust Him fully; we need not fear anything or anybody on this earth. Circumstances may frighten us, things may go against us, rulers and leaders may rise up against us, but you need not worry, you are in the safe hands of the Lord Almighty.

The recent incidents proclaim that our Lord’s coming is very close. Dearly beloved of God, we are so blessed people, as mentioned in Ephesians, we are rich in Christ.

What are you going to do with these riches?

Or what are you going to do with the other fellow brethren who are perishing without these riches?

Are you making any efforts to share this richness to them? Let us make note that these blessed privileges and positions He has given us not to keep it for ourselves but to share with others. Many a times we hold these blessings for ourselves for our selfish interests.

Abraham is a good example. Lord Jehovah brought him from the clutches of idol making and idolatry and blessed him abundantly.

He became a leader and the father of the nation. Even after obtaining huge blessings he did not hold back the blessings for himself. Instead he shared it with others. Let us emulate his nature, let us be in his category, so that Lord will bless us with much more blessings.

Let us be a blessing to many around us, let us share the greatness of this God which we are enjoying today to others, then they too will be blessed and through them others also may be blessed.

Dearly beloved in the Lord, we do not have much time on this earth.

Let us not hold this blessings for our own selfish interest, instead let us do something to bring the perishing souls to His fold with all the heavenly riches. Let us share it for the glory of our Lord. May God help us.

Be Sociable, Share!

• 

The Green Movement, enlisting humans to save the planet by “going green,” is no longer enough for some environmentalists. The fast-spreading word is that humanity must die out to save the earth.

Listed with a starting date of 1996 at their website, the Voluntary Human Extinction Movement is several steps ahead of the old Hemlock Society. The Hemlock Society, now called Compassion and Choices, came to the forefront in the late 1950’s to advocate “death with dignity”—voluntary euthanasia for people with terminal illnesses. The Voluntary Human Extinction Movement (VHEMT, pronounced vehement) simply suggests humans should no longer procreate.

While voluntary euthanasia goes against the biblical principle of waiting for God’s timing, VHEMT simply suggests not to breed any further humans for the sake of the earth. They equate God’s leaving one family behind to re-populate earth after the flood as an “OOPS,” and state that some other “being” will be needed to help in this situation (see this page at their website, under the question “When and Where did VHEMT start?”).

Well…that would definitely solve the problem of getting sick and wanting to die. But VHEMT’s purpose has nothing to do with soothing human pain and everything to do with putting the earth first, to an extreme degree.

Their theory is that if we stop breeding, the Earth (a word they always capitalize) will return to its original healthy state. This isn’t a one child per family rule – it’s no breeding at all.

What this reporter would like to know is…who will be around to appreciate it? Do animals appreciate things? Can animals express their appreciation? One thing’s for sure –animals won’t go around saying “Ahhhh, that’s better.”

According to the Life Issues Institute, Inc.‘s “Connector” October Newsletter, the Voluntary Human Extinction Movement is not a lone wolf in their theory that humans are the worst threat to the environment. Several animal rights and earth-worshipping groups take the same view, including big names like the Sierra Club, the Cousteau Society, and the Audubon Society. 

One thing can be said for VHEMT. They don’t approve of killing people to reduce the population (see here). However, their goal could be misinterpreted by madmen, much as our Christian faith’s purpose has been mishandled in the past, and genocides for the sake of population control could happen. VHEMT already had to speak out against a group called the Church of Euthanasia, whose founder advocates suicide to people who really want to save the earth (although the founder hasn’t killed himself). 

Meanwhile, both Oregon and Washington State now have “death with dignity” acts for legal assisted suicide. Jack Kevorkian, once called the “Doctor of Death” for participating in assisted suicides, would never be arrested today.

Be Sociable, Share!

•