Creation Care and the Gospel – Reflections from Jordan

I am here to both listen to other Christian brothers and sisters on this topic and to share and network with them about SAT-7’s own plans to produce programming that addresses all areas of human life under four integrated areas, one of which is stewardship of creation.

This is going to be a dynamic meeting. Here are some of my reflections and notes from the conference so far:

It was very striking to hear from those on the stage how the Lausanne/World Evangelical alliance series of conferences on Creation Care have been bookended. Ed Brown and Dave Bookless, two older gentlemen who are veterans in this area, shared with those gathered for the final conference in the series, this time in the Middle East, that when they had their first meeting, Hurricane Sandy was making history as it devastated the islands of Cuba and the Bahamas along with the eastern United States. Ten years later, “as we speak, at this very moment,” Hurricane Ian is making landfall in Florida, hours after wreaking havoc in Cuba. The poignance of that moment really brought home the importance and urgency of the matter we have all gathered to engage with.

These extreme weather events and their impact on people, communities, and nature are devastating. These events are said to be growing in number and severity due to our changing climate and humanity’s role in stewarding its environment. The Middle East has the lowest level of concern of any region regarding the environment. Given the prevalence of poverty, war, economic collapse, displacement and the like, it is hardly surprising that the focus is elsewhere. Those gathered here seemed attentive and concerned with due sobriety. Aside from the fact that many of our region’s more visible ills can find roots in environmental issues (cascading risk), two strong convictions were reflected upon:

1. Creation Care is indeed a “gospel issue within the Lordship of Christ”, and…
2. We are faced with a pressing, urgent crisis that must be resolved in our generation (see the Jamaican call for action for more)

And that was just session 1…

Please keep this event and SAT-7 in your prayers. I am here with Juliana from Lebanon and Rafik from Egypt. Pray that God would help us dig into what He is already doing in this area within MENA so we can make all the necessary connections to faithfully partner in this critical area of His mission.