Christian Praxis in Creation Care

The Secretary General of the Middle East Council of Churches Dr. Michel Abs delivered this speech during the Ecumenical Prayer service that was held at the invitation of the World Council of Churches (MECC) and the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC), on Saturday 2 December 2023, at the Anglican Church of Christ in the Jebel Ali region - Dubai. The Prayer took place in parallel with the activities of the COP28 Conference of the Parties held by the United Nations in Dubai.

Dr. Michel E. Abs

The Secretary General of the Middle East Council of Churches

When we realize the depth of the infiltration of pollution and the destruction it causes to creation, as well as the power of environmental polluters and their ability to influence major decisions, we almost feel helpless and overcome with despair!

But when we look at what is required from us to protect the Creator’s gift, we feel the challenge and the greatness of the mission towards the One who has entrusted us with it, who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life!

The environment, gift of the Creator, handed-over to us to preserve and enhance, in order to have a better life, what did we do with it?

What the Creator has placed in our charge is not land, rock, water, or air, which we commodify and pollute according to our interests, neglect, and whims, but rather elements of life. It is a symbol of the Creator’s love for us and His desire for us to live within it and by it, not to destroy it, leaving for future generations a waste dump to the size of the Earth.

You know all of this and that is why you are here, and the presence of a number that exceeded all expectations is nothing but evidence of the anxiety that worries humanity, which seems to have made up its mind and decided to take the fate of its environment into its own hands, in the face of those who see in the Creator’s gift nothing but commodities put on the markets according to the terms of supply and demand, and sometimes subject to monopoly.

We do not deny humankind the right to use natural resources in order to improve its life, nor do we deny it the necessity of inventing and using technology, but going too far has brought humanity to the point of disaster.

The environmental situation in the world today calls for intervention that goes beyond science. It calls for divine intervention that awakens those steeped in environmental apathy. It reminds the creature as well of the importance of creation, and asks it what it has done. This beautiful, picturesque environment, the source of resources with which humanity has lived for millennia, has become exhausted, aging, consumed and placed on the brink of abyss.

Here, the Church of Christ must intervene to curb the deterioration, deter the saboteurs from continuing in their wrongdoing, preserve and protect what remains of creation for us, and treat what can be treated.

The church’s capabilities and areas of intervention are many and varied, and, above all, it is armed with the values ​​of the Incarnate Lord, his teachings and his behavior, based on love, love of others and love of creation. In love there is elevation, and in elevation there is detachment from matter and refraining from harming one’s neighbor in order to obtain it.

The church socially is made up of parishes, dioceses, institutions, and leaders whose voice is heard, and whose ability in influence is very high, given the credibility that the church enjoys.

What is required is to create a culture of protecting creation that becomes rooted in people's soul to the point that their thinking and reactions become directed towards protecting creation.

The approach is based on awareness and advocacy, with the church being the role model.

Awareness occurs through educational institutions, parishes, media, and cultural activities such as lectures, seminars, workshops, conferences, and awareness campaigns. As for advocacy, it occurs through environmental institutions and other church bodies, or through environmental activists. In both dimensions, activities must be institutionalized in order to achieve sustainability.

The protection of creation must be included in educational curricula at all levels, in schools and universities, and with all available educational means and techniques, in order for it to become part of the culture of society.

In addition, the culture of protecting creation must be introduced into the theology curricula and in preparing parish ministers. This is what the MECC affiliated Association of Theological Institutes in the Middle East (ATIME) did as a key partner in the Symposium on Climate Justice organized by the MECC Eco Justice Unit, last October. It hosted church leaders and local and international church-related experts, in addition to theology students from ATIME, and we will come to the results of this symposium at the conclusion of my word.

On the other hand, we must remember that the Church is one of the major real estate owners, and thus it can control the management, use, and protection of land.

In this context, the Church can propose, and even impose, legislations to optimize the use of land and to design residential and industrial areas. It can also increase natural reserves in order to preserve the environmental balance, without affecting the requirements of urban and economic growth.

In parallel, the church can be a major savior of the soil through afforestation projects that help to consolidate the soil and maintain its agricultural productivity. We started this at the MECC in Lebanon and called this project “Afforestation Days”. We seek to spread it throughout the Middle East. The enthusiasm of the communities and youth involved in the project was highly promising.

All of this requires that the church gradually transforms itself into a green church, so that its structure and orientations witness a radical change with regard to climate change and environmental protection. It carries in its culture and history what facilitates this matter, from environmental saints to environmental and agricultural events and liturgy. The agricultural dimension was present throughout the history of the Church, and the lives of the monks show that.

In this context, the Church must call for humankind to reconcile with the environment and remind it that it is only a trust in custody, and that it must maintain the trust, because in doing so it will be exercising an act of faith in the Creator to whom it owes everything.

In a related context, the church can be a reference for launching large-scale environmental projects that deal with the lifestyle of people who are accustomed to luxury which has become the primary source of waste in the world. This could be done, besides urging to move lifestyle towards a simple one, through encouragement to launch waste recycling projects not only as an environment protection measure, but also as a means for income generation and job creation.

At the end of my intervention, I would, if I may, refer to two important documents issued by the Middle East Council of Churches.

The first document is the recommendations of the above-mentioned Symposium on Climate Change, from which we extract some basic orientations:

-        Sharing, Togetherness, Collaboration and Coordination, including local grassroot participation, in order to deal with this crucial problem

-        Helping churches and working with them to go green 

-        Having green bible that sheds lights on texts and talks about nature, environment and peace and induce change in people’s lifestyles

-        Establishing environmental classes at schools and universities in view of changing children and youth’s attitude towards the environment, especially that churches run schools and universities.  

The second document is the statement that was issued by the MECC leadership. In this document the following principles were stated:

1-     Global Long-Term Commitment: The global climate emergency threat requires global response and long-term commitment.

2-     Just Climate Financing: Nations to commit for just financing of climate action and sharing of expertise. Developing nations do not have to choose between indebtedness and climate-induced poverty.

3-     Just Management of Resources: Climate justice is intertwined with political and economic justice. More political and economic justice and conflicts resolution are required in the Middle East.

4-     Simpler Lifestyles: Reconsider our relationship with nature as quality of life does not consist in the abundance of material possessions. Reflect on Jesus’ approach to wealth.

5-     Just Transitions: Decarbonizing our economies requires training and investment to create sustainable livelihoods. Avoid injustice like exploiting the nations from which resources are being extracted. Avoid replacing one harmful behavior with another.

6-     Church Commitment: Church to be a prophetic voice in living out the change we request. To be a role model and speak to its own communities, encouraging them to preach, pray and act on climate change, in their habits and activities. Promote the Season of Creation. Church is to turn faith into action.

7-     Church and Government Cooperation: Call on national governments to increase their engagement with faith communities in the climate crisis. Church is a trusted voice with years of experience in society.

The challenge is there, the tools are there, the modalities are known.

It takes will and courage to accomplish.

May God help us to do it.

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