Eco Church

[Carl Emerson]

Looking at Anglican communion.org we read...

The first Mark of Mission, identified with personal evangelism at the Anglican Consultative Council in 1984 (ACC-6) is a summary of what all mission is about, because it is based on Jesus’ own summary of his mission. This should be the key statement about everything we do in mission.

The Five Marks of Mission:

The mission of the Church is the mission of Christ

1. To proclaim the Good News of the Kingdom
2. To teach, baptise and nurture new believers
3. To respond to human need by loving service
4. To transform unjust structures of society, to challenge violence of every kind and pursue peace and reconciliation
5. To strive to safeguard the integrity of creation, and sustain and renew the life of the earth

So if No. 1 is the key statement - proclaiming the Good News - I am not sure how the creation would hear this...

The Great Commission is inter-personal.

 

[Paidiske]

Looking at Anglican communion.org we read...

The first Mark of Mission, identified with personal evangelism at the Anglican Consultative Council in 1984 (ACC-6) is a summary of what all mission is about, because it is based on Jesus’ own summary of his mission. This should be the key statement about everything we do in mission.

The Five Marks of Mission:

The mission of the Church is the mission of Christ

1. To proclaim the Good News of the Kingdom
2. To teach, baptise and nurture new believers
3. To respond to human need by loving service
4. To transform unjust structures of society, to challenge violence of every kind and pursue peace and reconciliation
5. To strive to safeguard the integrity of creation, and sustain and renew the life of the earth

So if No. 1 is the key statement - proclaiming the Good News - I am not sure how the creation would hear this...

Proclaiming the good news is done in word and deed. The kingdom - the reign of God - extends beyond humans and over all of creation. I would argue that stewardship of creation is a proclamation of the reign of God even over the created world and its fragile webs of life.

 

[Carl Emerson]

Proclaiming the good news is done in word and deed. The kingdom - the reign of God - extends beyond humans and over all of creation. I would argue that stewardship of creation is a proclamation of the reign of God even over the created world and its fragile webs of life.

For sure the reign of God extends past humans but the message of the Good News is interpersonal and doesnt extend to creation.

It seems the Commission is what we are told to do and the Mission is our (the Anglican) response - and the two don't match.

 

[Paidiske]

For sure the reign of God extends past humans but the message of the Good News is interpersonal and doesnt extend to creation.

Given that it is the good news of the kingdom, I disagree.

It seems the Commission is what we are told to do and the Mission is our (the Anglican) response - and the two don't match.

I disagree that the great commission is the only thing that we are told to do in mission.

 

[Carl Emerson]

Ok let's quote the Great Commission...

Matt 28:
Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

The Great Commission is interpersonal.

 

[Paidiske]

Ok let's quote the Great Commission...

Matt 28:
Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

The Great Commission is interpersonal.

It's interesting that in Mark's version, they're told to "proclaim the good news to the whole creation" (Mark 16:15, emphasis mine).

However, nobody is saying there is no interpersonal dimension to mission. Simply that mission is more than two verses of Matthew's gospel.

 

[Carl Emerson]

Moving on then - the Eco Church with denominational mandate is immediately presenting Carbon Neutrality as a Morality yet the scientific community is split on the issue of climate change being Anthropogenic. (man made)

Given that much of science these days is no longer free of commercial bias through funding for research, the Eco Church movement is a political movement aligning with commercial interests.

I say back to the Great Commission and keep the Church out of politics.

 

[Carl Emerson]

One of the wonderful strengths of the Anglican Church is tolerance to opinion, so you and I @Paidiske
can share the one cup and the Body of Christ is rightly divided.

 

[Carl Emerson]

Well, we need to focus on Jesus first, then on following the Bible. See post #2.

Mmmm... somehow splitting the two is rather dangerous.

How about He is revealed by grace as we read ???

 

[Carl Emerson]

What do folks think about the serious pollution caused by blood in Egypts rivers...

Likewise the devastation ecologically by the global flood -

It would seem that God's dominion over the earth can include destruction and pollution in some cases.

 

[AlexB23]

Mmmm... somehow splitting the two is rather dangerous.

How about He is revealed by grace as we read ???

God revealed Himself through Jesus.

 

[Akita Suggagaki]

What do folks think about the serious pollution caused by blood in Egypts rivers...

Likewise the devastation ecologically by the global flood -

It would seem that God's dominion over the earth can include destruction and pollution in some cases.

God also calls us through death. But that is not a pass for us to murder.

 

[Carl Emerson]

God revealed Himself through Jesus.

Correct - but your human experience of Him does not stand unless it aligns with Scripture.

 

[Carl Emerson]

God also calls us through death. But that is not a pass for us to murder.

Agreed but there is a difference between caring for our environment, and bringing a spiritualised version of this stewardship into the heart of the Church's mission.

 

[Akita Suggagaki]

Agreed but there is a difference between caring for our environment, and bringing a spiritualised version of this stewardship into the heart of the Church's mission.

No need to compartmentalize. Both/and. Care for the Earth can be a way to evangelize, just as a virtuous life.

 

[Carl Emerson]

No need to compartmentalize. Both/and. Care for the Earth can be a way to evangelize, just as a virtuous life.

Of course - I am not bagging stewardship.

 

[Akita Suggagaki]

I think it's a mistake to reduce mission to any one thing, rather than seeing that it is multi-stranded.

The Anglican church globally has set out five "marks of mission" which are, together, a summary statement of what we believe God calls us to do in the world. Both proclaiming the good news, and caring for the environment, find their place in that statement:

"The mission of the Church is the mission of Christ

1. To proclaim the Good News of the Kingdom
2. To teach, baptise and nurture new believers
3. To respond to human need by loving service
4. To transform unjust structures of society, to challenge violence of every kind and pursue peace and reconciliation
5. To strive to safeguard the integrity of creation, and sustain and renew the life of the earth."

When Jesus said, "The Kingdom of God is at hand, in your midst drawn near." He was talking about a lot more than simply believing in Him. Along with all the prophets he has justice for the poor and oppressed at heart. His teachings and commandments gave us an actionable program of practical conversion including stewardship.

“His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!'” – Matthew 25:23

So, yes, these five broaden the scope of evangelization.

 

[Carl Emerson]

Well I guess Satan doesn't care what you do as long as souls are not being saved and he present is as spiritual, and can moralise about it.

 

[Akita Suggagaki]

Well I guess Satan doesn't care what you do as long as souls are not being saved and he present is as spiritual, and can moralise about it.

Can you say more? I miss your point.

 

[Carl Emerson]

Can you say more? I miss your point.

Yes sorry a typo.

I said...
"Well I guess Satan doesn't care what you do as long as souls are not being saved and he present it as spiritual, and can moralise about it."

Not sure we have the same scriptural foundation to mutually understand what I was saying.

Look at it this way.

Jesus came with a message about freedom and bondage.

The Kingdom of Light and the kingdom of darkness.

The Church was commissioned to share the message of the Gospel which was the good news of being released form the dark kingdom we are all born into.

Jesus also spoke about the arch enemy of our souls who is determined to keep folks captive in darkness by whatever means necessary.

Sadly the focus of church life is often anything but preaching the gospel and seeing people saved from eternal darkness. We have often intellectualised Christianity and folks are fed a more humanistic message missing the central reason for the church's existence.

So preaching Eco-sensitivity is easily an add-on to what is already missing the mark creating a feel good diversion that does not address the centrality of Jesus message.

Especially if it coated with spirituality and is presented as a moral imperative and folks who resist are stricken with the guilts.

The danger then is no one is saved from darkness which was the intent of Jesus message.

And the Arch enemy of our souls rejoices in his victory. He doesn't care what we do as long as souls remain in darkness under his control.