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INTERVIEW
I THINK WHAT IS CLEAR , FROM PASSAGES LIKE 1 CORINTHIANS 15 AND ROMANS 8 , IS THAT CREATION WILL BE RENEWED .
Photo © Synchronicity Earth
It is not green , except in very rare circumstances . It is one of the biggest drivers of freshwater extinction out there . It ’ s fantastic that the UK has stopped investing in funding overseas carbon based energy , but the same has to apply for hydroelectric as well . We have to look at things more broadly .
Is it a problem that Greta
Thunberg , Extinction Rebellion and that sort of radical activism are associated with a left-leaning political stance ?
I think it is very unfortunate if conservation becomes aligned to one political ideology . It ’ s actually good that the current UK Government have advanced a strong conservation agenda . That is healthy . I want to see conservation across the political spectrum .
I suppose the ultimate question is : are we willing to change the way we live ?
We ’ re all to blame when it comes to our lifestyles . But what are the consequences of not doing it ? Are we going to take responsible decisions now that might include some sacrifice ? Or are we going to be forced into even more radical sacrifices down the road ?
Look at the pandemic – it forced us to make sacrifices that we had no intention of making . And this pandemic , and a lot of disease in the world , has come from poor environmental management and poor treatment of animals , to put it bluntly .
What do you hope will be the legacy of the work that people like Miranda , Chris and Susanna began ?
Miranda Harris demonstrated
God ’ s love to people in a very practical way . At a social gathering , you would see her in some corner in deep conversation and you could be sure that conversation would have a life changing experience on the person being spoken to . After she died , so many of those stories have come out . She allowed herself to be used by God to help all sorts of people .
Chris , and Susanna Naylor led A Rocha ’ s work in the Bekaa Valley in Lebanon . That was difficult work and continues long after they left it – a flickering light of Christian engagement in conservation in the Middle East . They chose to do the difficult thing , not the spectacular thing . And as we know , from countless
stories in the Bible , that ’ s how God works . It was God honouring .
Ultimately , do you find yourself optimistic that Christians will contribute to a change in our lifetime ?
I am optimistic about that . I think there is a change afoot , especially among young Christians . They nearly always want to see these sorts of changes .
And I would like to see A Rocha and other organisations really promote among ordinary Christians how we see our responsibility to the creation come out from the pages of the Bible . We ’ re already seeing it start to happen .
For more on the work of A Rocha www . arocha . org
To hear the full interview visit premierchristianradio . com / theprofile
Justin Brierley
Justin Brierley is the host of the Unbelievable ? radio show and podcast and author of Unbelievable ? Why , after ten years of talking with atheists , I ’ m still a Christian ( SPCK ).