SAT-7 TÜRK ON CARING FOR CREATION AS TURKEY FACES DROUGHT
On the heels of the COVID-19 pandemic, Turkey is now experiencing severe drought that threatens to affect the country’s crop production[1]. As viewers deal with concerns about these issues – which are affecting a large majority of them personally – the live SAT-7 TÜRK program Worldview explores the role of our faith in caring for the environment.
“We find ourselves at a time when we have to reconsider the relationship between our faith and the environment, and we need to question our attitudes towards nature,” says Turkish Pastor Volkan Er, who presents the SAT-7 TÜRK news program Worldview.
In response to news headlines that Turkey’s water reservoirs are at their lowest in 15 years, the most recent episode of Worldview discusses the environmental emergency in the country and the impact of the global climate crisis. “In a reservoir where fish used to swim, sheep are now grazing,” states a newsreel featured on the program, as photos of parts of Istanbul’s Alibeykoy Reservoir show only cracked, muddy earth. A major supply of Istanbul’s water needs, the reservoir is now only at 10 percent capacity.
During the one-hour program, Presenters Er and Senem Ekener invite viewers to take part in an online survey that asks whether they have personally experienced the effects of global warming and the environmental crisis, to which 85 percent respond “Yes”.
Turkish viewers also convey their concerns through messages. “This has to be one of the most urgent issues the world needs to dwell on right now,” shares one man. Another adds, “Greenhouse gases and so many cars. Factories that do not have filters on their chimneys and dump waste in our rivers and forests. This needs to be stopped.” One viewer comments, “I do not believe that the measures we can take as individuals will make a huge impact. Governments and industries need to change their systems.”
“GOD GAVE US RESPONSIBILITY OVER HIS CREATION”
Referring to scripture, Ekener explores the role of caring for the environment in Christian responsibilities. “In Genesis 1, we read that God looked at everything He had created and said, ‘It is good.’ He created man in His own image and gave man dominion over His creation (Genesis 1:28). Our first responsibility, given to us by God, is to care for and to protect the environment, and not to exploit and destroy it.”
“God gave us responsibility over His creation,” adds Er. “To be like a gardener who cares for a garden. However, as sin entered the world, so did human greed, selfishness, and death. The current global situation is a mirror telling us to look at ourselves,” Er continues. “To realise that life without God leads to destruction. We can’t blame God for this drought because we are the cause of it, but God can use these situations to call us back to Him and to warn us.”
Despite the challenging topic, Ekener and Er end the episode on a high note. “God promises that there will be a renewal of creation and of humanity in scripture (Revelation 21:1),” says Er and Ekener urges viewers to put their faith into action. “As Christians, we should be more passionate about caring for the environment. There is hope,” she says. “If we act now and manage the consumption and use of our resources responsibly, the current situation can be balanced out within a few decades.”
Please pray:
- Please pray for people in Turkey as they experience drought, that there will be fair distribution of resources, especially of water.
- Pray that SAT-7 TÜRK programs will help raise awareness of environmental issues and encourage viewers to care for God’s creation.
[1] https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/images/147811/turkey-experiences-intense-drought