Hear The Cry Of The Earth

As the Glasgow Climate Summit approaches the Pope, the Ecumenical Patriarch and the Archbishop of Canterbury ‘appeal to the heart and mind of every Christian, every believer, and every person of good will to hear the cry of the earth and work together to ‘choose life’ (Deuteronomy 30:19)’.

Without a massive revolution we have less than a decade left of civilized life on earth. Yet even churches use non-eco heating, fail to re-wild their churchyards, promote local food sharing or teach the biblical truths about creation-care. Now, however, Norham Anglican Deanery has appointed Anne Horne as its Environment Officer. Every church can install eco-friendly heating, re-wild its churchyard, share its members’ home-grown foods every Sunday, and teach creation truth.

From start to finish the Scriptures teach that we reap what we sow. The Bible starts with the story of the human lust to take control of earth: the blood spilt by Cain’s lust to control makes the earth sterile (Genesis 4:8-12). The Gospels end with an earthquake and the sun’s eclipse caused by humans killing the Son of God through whom all creation gets its life (Matthew 27:45-52; John 1:3). The prophets repeatedly point out that human mistreatment makes the earth sterile: ‘Because everyone… is greedy and deals falsely (Jeremiah 8:10) the mountains and pastures are laid waste’ (9:10). ‘The earth will become a wasteland because there is no one who cares’ (12:11). 

Stop the Cumbrian power station and the new Scottish oil drilling today. Stop buying fruit from the other side of the world in Berwick supermarkets. Keep clothes until they wear out.

For, as Saint Columbanus taught, if we trample the earth the earth will trample us.

 Berwick Advertiser