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It's God's World: Christians, Care for Creation and Global Warming

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It's God's World: Christians, Care for Creation and Global Warming It’s God’s World: Christians, Care for Creation and Global Warming Contents Introduction....................................................................................................................................................page 1 Session 1: “And God Saw That It Was Good” ......................................................................................page 2 Session 2: “The Whole Creation Groans”............................................................................................page 4 Session 3: “Standing at the Crossroads” ............................................................................................page 7 Session 4: “Reconciling the World”......................................................................................................page 10 Session 5: “A New Heaven and a New Earth”....................................................................................page 13 This resource, first published in 1997 by the National Council of the I The Global Warming Strategy and Churches of Christ in the USA, was Information Packet contains a written by Vera K. White, a Christian variety of materials you can use in Educator and revised in 2002 by your congregation. Order number members of the Eco-Justice Working EJ9900. Price $3.00. Group of the NCCC. I God’s Creation and Global The Eco-Justice working Group Warming is a 12 minute video consists of representatives of tape on the nature of the problem twenty-three participating Protestant and why people of faith care and Orthodox communions. For more about it. It is an excellent supple- information on the Eco-Justice Working ment to this study. Order number Group go to www.webofcreation.org. EJ 0017. Price $10.00. The phone numbers are 212-870-2385 or 2386. The address is 475 Riverside These materials can be ordered from Environmental Justice Resources, Drive, New York, NY 10115. National Council of Churches, PO Those who wish suggestions on Box 968, Elkhart, Indiana 46515, how to respond to climate change 800-762-0968. in their own homes, in congregations and by joining with others as well as updates on important federal Scripture quotations are from the legislation are urged to join the New Revised Standard Version of the Interfaith Climate Change Network. Bible copyrighted 1989 by the Division of Learn more by going on line at Christian Education of the National www.protectingcreation.org. Council of the Churches of Christ in the Those using this resource are USA and are used with permission. also encouraged to order the following: It’s God’s World: Christians, Care for Creation and Global Warming Introduction We have been hearing a lot I As Psalm 24 tells us, “the One of the most challenging is about threats to the environment. earth is the Lord’s and all that global warming: a rise in the Is this merely the opinion of envi- is in it.” We are called by God earth’s temperature because gases ronmental fanatics or is our world to treasure and care for the that trap heat are being added to facing real crises? earth as a sacred trust. the atmosphere by human activity. Often people tune out the I Global warming has been warnings. It’s so confusing. It Jesus instructed us to “love hard to detect with certainty. Its can’t be that bad. It’s a shame our neighbor as ourselves.” effects are delayed. It is irre- other people are trashing the Harm to the earth brings versible on a human time scale. earth, but what does this have to harm to people, and we are Everything on earth will be do with me. There are enough responsible for each other’s affected in ways that cannot be pressing social problems to keep well being. known until they happen. The me busy for a lifetime. What I God requires that we deal only way to slow global warming good does it do to worry about justly with one another. is to stop adding more heat-trap- the environment? The earth is a Environmental harm falls ping gases to the atmosphere. big place and one person can do most heavily on the poor, and This won’t happen unless we all very little. will fall even more heavily on resolve to act together, in our per- It is understandable that peo- those yet to be born. sonal lives, in our local communi- ple react this way. But Christians ties, and in the global community. cannot ignore the prospect that We are only now coming to the environment is being serious- recognize many of the ways our ly harmed by our industrial/con- industrial/consumer society is sumer way of life. harming the earth and its people. Using This Resource This resource contains five sessions designed to help Christians make some sense of the issues relating to global warming from the perspective of their faith. For each session there is a suggested format for a one-hour study session. Leaders may want to adapt the study to fit another time frame. It’s God’s World: Christians, Care for Creation, and Global Warming can be used: I by an adult church school class I by a women’s group or men’s group I as part of a retreat I for personal study and devotions I by an adult Bible study group I for an environmental justice group I for a Lenten study I for an ecumenical study group I as the basis for a sermon series A chalkboard or newsprint pad will be useful for the leader, and each participant will need a Bible. Please photocopy the pages of this resource you will need for group study. It’s God’s World 1 It’s God’s World: Christians, Care for Creation and Global Warming Session 1: “And God saw that it was good.” include: Jesus (Matthew 4:1- Scripture: Genesis 1:1-2:3, Psalm 148 11), John the Baptist (Matthew 3:1-6), Moses (Exodus 3:1-6, Theme: The earth was lovingly created by God who called it 19:1-6), Hagar (Genesis 16:6- “good.” The creation exists in a delicate balance, suitable to the 13), Elijah (1 Kings 19:1-15), nurturing of all life. We experience the nature of God through etc. the creation. If people are not able to sug- gest examples themselves, ask Materials Needed: volunteers to look up some of the I Bibles Bible passages. I newsprint and marker or chalkboard and chalk 10 minutes Ask a volunteer to I copies of page 3 read aloud Genesis 1:1-2:3. Since this reading is long, you may choose to have two readers read Session Plan alternate verses. Lead a group discussion using the following 20 minutes Open with prayer. Comment that nature is com- questions: Introduce yourself. Introduce the plex and at times seems unpre- 1. What parts of God’s creation theme of the study, It’s God’s dictable to human beings. are “good” and what makes World: Christians, Care for Creation Destruction can be a part of the them good? and Global Warming, using some natural world. Then ask the fol- 2. What does this suggest about information from the Introduction lowing questions: how humans are to treat the on page 1. Describe the theme of 1. When have you experienced creation? session 1. the fearsome or destructive 15 minutes Ask the following Ask participants to introduce quality of nature and how did questions: themselves by telling their names you feel? and describing an aspect of God’s 1. What qualities are needed for 2. What was your experience of creation that gives them particu- human life to flourish? God during this situation? lar joy. If your group is ecumeni- 2. What qualities are needed for cal or interfaith, you may ask 10 minutes Comment that the natural world (plants, ani- people to name their faith com- although we know that God is mals, land, etc.) to flourish? munity when giving their intro- with us always and in all places, Distribute copies of page 3. ductions. If the group is large, the there has been a tradition going introductions can be done in back to biblical times of people Ask a volunteer to read small groups of 5 or 6 people having an experience of God in aloud, “What Is Climate and How each. Then ask these questions of the natural world. Remind the is it Shaped?” on page 3. Then the whole group: participants that as people of faith, lead a discussion using the Questions for Discussion. 1. How has the natural world we understand that the creation made you more aware or helps us to experience God, but 5 minutes Close by reading appreciative of God? we do not worship the creation. Psalm 148 responsively by 2. How does nature help you to Ask : dividing the group into halves understand the character of I What examples can you name and have the two groups read God? of biblical characters who have alternate verses. encountered God within the natural world? Examples may 2 It’s God’s World It’s God’s World: Christians, Care for Creation and Global Warming What is Climate and How is it Shaped? Climate is the sum of all the that absorb some of the earth’s The carbon cycle is only one of weather conditions in a certain heat that would otherwise escape many biological cycles that help place over a period of years. It into space. For thousands of years create stable conditions on the includes all the variations in daily there has been just enough CO2 in earth so that living communities and seasonal weather, and unusu- the atmosphere to keep the earth can flourish. al events such as tornadoes, about 60 degrees F warmer than When people hear about cli- floods or droughts. Climate is it would otherwise be. This heat- mate change, they often think shaped by complex interactions trapping feature of CO2 is called about what’s been happening among many factors. These the greenhouse effect, and it is with the weather.
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