COLUMN | CREATION CARE
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IN OTHER WORDS , WHEN DAILY LIFE IS A STRUGGLE AGAINST PREJUDICE AND PRACTICALITY , GLOBAL ISSUES SUCH AS CLIMATE CHANGE MAY APPEAR TOO REMOTE OR HUGE TO ADDRESS .
Another sensitive theological issue is the nature of ‘ new creation ’. If Jesus will finally ‘ make all things new ’ [ Revelation 21:5 ], does that mean physical and mental disabilities will disappear ? The short answer is , not necessarily ! Revelation states that suffering , pain and death will be no more [ 21:4 ], and Jesus demonstrated God ’ s kingdom in healing the paralysed and restoring sight to the blind . However , the risen Jesus in his glorified eternal body retained visible scars from the wounds of his crucifixion . Many Christians feel their disabilities are integral to their God-given identity and vocation . What society labels a disability has been turned by God into a superpower . Others , though , long to be physically or mentally released from pain and bondage . Sometimes , especially concerning eschatology , the Bible is not definitive . Just as theologians differ on whether passages about lions , snakes and bears becoming harmless and gentle are to be fulfilled literally or poetically , so we need to remain agnostic about exactly how God will transform our minds and bodies in the new creation . What we can be sure of , is that we will be set free from sin and suffering , death and decay . Our bodies and our minds will be transformed and redeemed and our identities will be reoriented entirely towards the Risen Christ .
‘ Receive the world that God has given . Go for a walk . Get wet . Dig the earth .’
1 . Dr . Maria Kett , Gaya Sriskanthan , Ellie Cole . ( 2021 ). Disability and Climate Justice : a research project . Open Society Foundations . p . 8
2 . Louv , R . ( 2005 ). Last Child in the Woods : Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder . Chapel Hill , NC , Algonquin Books .
Dave Bookless
Rev Dr Dave Bookless is Director of Theology for A Rocha International ( www . arocha . org ). He is passionate about communicating God ’ s Good News in all its fullness , and speaks globally for conferences , colleges and churches . He also writes widely , and his book Planetwise has been translated into numerous languages .