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Dear Reader: Creation Stewardship Task Force Note: A full-color version of this Creation Stewardship Task Force report is This report from the Creation Stewardship Task available for download at crcna.org/synodresources in order to view the Force is being presented to CRC congregations and charts contained in Appen dix A in color. classes for review. All responses to this report must Outline of the report be in the form of an Overture or Communication I. Introduction to Synod 2012. Such documents must be processed through a church council and then classis and II. The mandate: history, analysis, and approach received by the synodical services office by March III. Laying the foundation A. Knowledge of God 15 in order to be on synod’s agenda. B. Knowledge of the natural world C. Unity of knowledge If you have any questions regarding proper IV. Biblical principles on caring for creation procedures, please contact the executive director’s A. A biblical, contemporary testimony office or refer to the “Rules for Synodical B. Basic principles for earthkeeping Procedure” (pp. 6-7) available on the Synod V. History of caring for creation A. The habitable world Resources site: www.crcna.org/synodresources. B. A just, ordered, and lawful creation C. The Word made flesh and the covenantal context of creation care Rev. Joel R. Boot D. Misappropriation of dominion Executive Director of the CRCNA VI. The current status of creation 2850 Kalamazoo Avenue SE A. Degradation of the earth’s habitability Grand Rapids, MI 49560 B. Environmental complexity and solutions VII. Climate change Phone: 616-224-0832 or 800-272-5125 A. The climate system B. Climate change: Is the earth warming? Email: [email protected] C. Cause of climate change D. Whom do we believe? VIII. Implications of climate change for the future A. What are the impacts? B. Vignettes C. Mitigation and adaptation IX. Translating knowledge and gratitude into responsible action and joyful service A. Previous declarations on creation care and climate change B. What can we learn from these declarations? C. Position statement on climate change D. Walking the talk X. Recommendations XI. Items for further study and action Creation Stewardship Task Force 1 Appendices committee, assigned to review segments of the work of the Board of Trustees, Appendix A: A Climate Change Primer could not agree on recommending ratification of the Board of Trustees’ previ- Appendix B: Refereed, Gray, and Popular Literature ous endorsement of the “Declaration on Creation Stewardship and Climate Appendix C: Declarations on Creation Care and Climate Change Change.” This declaration, the product of a 2009 Micah Network1 conference Appendix D: Background to the Cornwall Declaration in Limuru, Kenya, was signed by senior staff of CRWRC and the Office of Appendix E: Recommended Publications and Resources for Action Social Justice and was subsequently endorsed both by the executive commit- Appendix F: Glossary tee of CRWRC and by the Board of Trustees of the CRCNA. The core concern Appendix G: Biographies of Contributors of a significant segment of the committee was the declaration’s assertion that human activity has contributed to the degradation of creation and the po- I. Introduction tentially dangerous warming of earth’s climate. Neither the science nor the We acknowledge that “the earth is the LORD ’s, and everything in it” (Psalm theology behind this assertion was clear to them—thus the recommendation 24:1), taking seriously our task of imaging God’s love for the world and all cre- to form a task force. Similar concerns were raised by individual members of ation (cf. Gen. 1:26). We acknowledge and honor our Creator as we serve and the church, illustrating the urgency and timeliness of this issue. keep his creation (cf. Gen. 2:15), ever seeking to act justly, love mercy, and walk At the same time that Synod 2010 was dealing with objections and dis- humbly with our God (cf. Micah 6:8). We are stewards of God’s gifts, stew- agreements arising from climate change issues, it was instructing denomina- ards of God’s world. The foundation for our stewardship is the Bible, through tional staff to do more to raise the awareness of members of the CRC around which we come to know God’s will for our lives (cf. 2 Tim. 3:16-17) and for creation stewardship issues. creation (cf. Rom. 8:18-25). Scripture also explains that creation is an eloquent Widening our historical lens a bit, we observe that the CRC has a long proclaimer of God’s glory (Psalm 19:1)—a revelation so convicting that not history of making significant intellectual, theological, and spiritual contribu- a single human being has a valid excuse for not knowing God’s everlasting tions toward environmentally responsible living. Because of our Reformed, power and divinity (Rom. 1:20). Christian view of this world and of God’s plan for its redemption, CRC It is with gratitude to God for the blessings of his Word and his creation that members have the theological roots to affirm a commitment to work vigor- we convey this, our task force report on caring for God’s creation, to Synod ously to protect and heal the creation for the glory of the Creator, as we 2012 of the Christian Reformed Church in North America in response to its wait for the restoration of the creation to wholeness. Long before “ecology,” mandate of 2010 (see Acts of Synod 2010, pp. 870-72). “environmental protection,” and “creation care” became buzzwords, CRC members were living out a deep commitment—in their callings and in their II. The mandate: history, analysis, and approach lives—to the respectful treatment of God’s earth, honoring the claim of The committee carefully reviewed its mandate and its approach to these Psalm 24:1 that “the earth is the LORD ’s, and everything in it.” issues to ensure it stayed true to the intentions of Synod 2010: However, the prophetic voice calling us to fulfill our appointment by the Creator as “earthkeepers and caretakers to tend the earth, enjoy it, and love That synod instruct the Board of Trustees to assemble a task force that will report to Synod 2012, to identify a biblical and Reformed perspective of our our neighbors” (Our World Belongs to God, para. 10) has often come more position on creation stewardship, including climate change, applicable to this from faithful individuals, congregations, and scholars than from a prophetic millennium, for congregations, society, and our global gospel partners. consensus at the level of the denomination or its agencies and institutions. Grounds: There is good anecdotal evidence to conclude that for decades CRC mem- a. Our World Belongs to God, paragraph 51—“We commit ourselves to honor bers and congregations have examined their behavior in light of the biblical all God’s creatures and to protect them from abuse and extinction, for calling to be stewards of God’s creation and resources. They have found both our world belongs to God”—makes clear our responsibility to address small and large ways to resist the allure of wastefulness and overconsump- this concern. tion by making personal lifestyle choices to reduce, reuse, and recycle. They b. Sufficient relevant material already exists from which we may draw to create such a position statement. have contributed much to assisting others in times of distress and in devel- c. A great deal of the science on this subject elicits widely varying opinions oping their potential. that often retard any active response. CRC scholars also had, and still have, a prophetic voice for creation care, d. There is an urgent need to focus on the biblical and Reformed perspec- producing much helpful information and suggesting many practices for sus- tive so that we may unify our community around common ground and enable the formulation of concrete positive action strategies. tainable development and responsible living. Already three decades ago, the (Acts of Synod 2010, p. 871-72) Calvin Center for Christian Scholarship researched and produced the book Earthkeeping (Loren Wilkinson, Peter DeVos, Calvin DeWitt, Eugene Dykema, In order that our work be of maximum assistance to the Christian Re- formed Church, we also noted the immediate and longer term denomina- tional contexts in which our task force came to be. 1 The Micah Network is a global coalition of approximately 350 Christian, evangelical relief, The immediate event that precipitated the formation of our task force by and development organizations that meet periodically to discuss and cooperate around Synod 2010 was a divided synodical advisory committee. This “pre-advice” major issues confronting the poor and disenfranchised. Both CRWRC and the CRC Office of Social Justice are members and active participants. 2 Study Committee Creation Stewardship Task Force 3 and Vernon Ehlers [Eerdmans, 1980]), a pioneer publication in the field of passion and diverse opinions on many levels, and that some of our conclu- Christian environmental stewardship. sions may draw opposition. Nevertheless, it is our hope that the report may Several synods have made an effort to address creation care. First, in serve to enhance and deepen the critical conversations and engagement of response to various overtures in the early 1990s, the synodical Task Force the wider church and society. Our hope is that this report will at least serve on CRC Publications and the Environment examined the use of resources to unify our community around common principles and understandings at the denominational level, and synod commissioned CRC Publications to regarding care for God’s creation. We also deeply desire that the in-depth produce study guides on the ethical framework of environmental steward- information about the science of climate change and potential implications ship.

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