Book Review: Christianity, Climate Change and Sustainable Living, by Nick Spencer and Robert White
It's quite possible that religion could be one of the big factors in getting the world to face up to the realities of climate change. It has the power to motivate people in ways nothing else can do, and it has a crucial advantage as an agent of change - faith works itself out in families and communities. Believers aren't usually solitary animals, but come attached to networks and interest groups. If the world's major religions started taking climate change seriously at the grassroots level of the local church, mosque or synagogue, supporting each other within the pre-existing communities around them, we could see a groundswell of positive action on sustainable living.
One of the hardest things about campaigning for lifestyle change is that people don't want to do things alone. Nobody wants to stop driving if all their neighbours carry on, but the faith communities wouldn't have that problem, because they could tackle the challenges together. A lot of people in cities don't know their neighbours well enough to try concerted action, but every mosque could run a car pooling scheme. People might complain that they can't afford to buy more ethical goods, but a church could facilitate buying in bulk and sharing the cost, or in planting a communal vegetable garden. Religion could be a powerful agent for change.
Unfortunately, we haven't risen to that particular challenge. As a Christian myself, it troubles me that we sometimes care less about the environment than those outside the church. According to Barna research, 51% of American Christians think climate change is a major problem, against 62% in other religions and 69% among agnostics and atheists. Narrow it down to evangelical Christians, and the number of those concerned falls to just 33%.
That makes books like this one all the more important. Billed as 'the first serious Christian engagement with the emerging issue of sustainable consumption and production', the writers are aiming to change our perspective and stimulate some new Christian thought. To do this, they summarise the science, and then ask that most crucial of questions - should Christians care about the environment?
Their answer is an emphatic yes. Christians believe in God as a creator, and you can't honour the maker and disrespect what was made. And since human beings can't live independently of the rest of the biosphere, Jesus' great command to 'love your neighbour' immediately precludes the abuse of your neighbour's land, air, water, and natural resources. Along with the Old Testament's laws about the stewardship of agricultural land for the next generation, the definition of 'neighbour' can mean other people in time as well as in geographical space. And then there are verses of the Bible like Luke 12:48, in which Jesus could well be speaking to the developed nations at a UN climate change meeting: "From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked."
I won't go into details about the theology, suffice to say the Christian tradition has more teaching on the environment than most of us have noticed. The important bit is the response towards the end, following the science and the appeal for Christians to engage. The authors have drawn up what they believe could be a Christian way of life in response to climate change, a way of life that is joyful and an act of worship, rather than sacrifice and environmental martyrdom. They call for the protection of the environment, 'willingly and hopefully'. They insist that environmental issues should not be tackled independently of social issues - for example, Churches may wish to support policies on greener cars, but, say the authors, they might like to "lend more weight to policies that sought to encourage people to drive less in the first place and to invest more time building relationships in their locality."
A Christian response should also seek justice for the vulnerable and marginalised, and support policies that will benefit the weakest in society. It should ensure equitable access to resources. They lend their support to 'alternative metrics', saying we "should not confuse wealth and value: our goal should be relational health rather than money or personal freedom." Perhaps most interestingly, they urge Christians to commit to their local environments and favour localised solutions. Finally, it should be hopeful. If Christians take their God seriously, they ought to believe climate change is not a lost cause, and their hope might just prove to be infectious.
After laying out their vision, the authors add a layer of detail on good energy companies, where to find information on local produce and so on. It's very practical advice, and all worked back to the principles of Christian living in the public square - the valuing of community, considering the needs of others, caring for those less able to care for themselves, and seeking to be an agent of good. Of course the idea of a 'good life' is not exclusive to Christianity, or to people of faith, but Christians have even less excuse for ignoring the principles of sustainability.
If you are a Christian, look out for this book. (I've read the UK edition, and a US edition is due out later this year.) If you're not a Christian but you know some, the research would suggest there's only a 50/50 chance they're taking climate change seriously. I invite you to call us on it. Demand more of the christians you know, challenge and provoke us. After all, if we got to grips with this, that would be almost 2 billion people committed to changing their lifestyles, and that would be a global movement that couldn't be stopped.
