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Dave is Director of Theology for A Rocha International, where he works to embed creation care into international Christian organizations, theological institutions, and mission movements. His past roles with A Rocha include being an International Trustee and the co-founder of A Rocha UK (with his wife Anne). He has a PhD from Cambridge University on biblical theology and biodiversity conservation, and has contributed to many books and articles, including Planetwise, available in six languages. Born and raised in India, Dave has a love for Indian food, Indian culture and Indian Christianity. Dave is also a qualified bird-ringer and loves birding, islands, running and mountains.

31st October 2016 | Dave Bookless | 2 comments

Time for remembrance … and restoration

Despite the ordered, lovingly-tended beauty of the cemetery on a sunny autumnal day, and the perfect brick-by-brick recreation of pre-war Ypres, a heart-breaking heaviness hung in the atmosphere. It seemed more than collective memory… it goes deeper. Nature herself seems to react to the horrors of bloodshed and war. Biblical Christians should not be surprised by this.

Categories: Reflections
Tags: Belgium Iraq Syria war
30th September 2016 | Dave Bookless | 3 comments

Obsessed with beginnings and endings

Recently, I was in Kathmandu, speaking on creation care to a group of about 90 Christian leaders from across Nepal, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. They were really receptive… until I got to God’s future plans for creation. Surely we’re all going to heaven? What about the Rapture? Won’t there be a new creation? Won’t the earth be destroyed by fire?

Categories: Reflections
Tags: catastrophe creation future meetings Nepal
15th June 2016 | Peter Harris | 2 comments

Love Actually for nature

It will not be technology, but a fundamental change in our deepest desires that will be how we can help the earth’s species and habitats survive the devastating assault to which we are subjecting them. But we need to think carefully if we hope that we can simply learn to ‘love nature’. What might that actually mean – what is love, actually?

Categories: Reflections
Tags: conservation culture love
15th May 2016 | Barbara Mearns | 0 comments

The real Jungle Book

The Jungle Book: What a fabulous world it would be if we could feel safe with a pack of Wolves, sing with Sloth Bears, ride on a Leopard and talk to Asian Elephants. But the sad reality is that most of us face a dilemma which is the opposite of Mowgli’s. In the UK, where I live, most of us feel safest in our villages, towns or cities and react with fear or even aggression when nature threatens our security, our income, or our convenience in some way.

Categories: Reflections
Tags: fear India movies
15th April 2016 | Ruth Valerio | 1 comments

Father God, Mother Earth and a birthday newt

In my happiness, I tweeted and posted up the picture at the top of this article, with a note saying thank you to Mother Earth for my birthday present. I was then slightly bemused when someone gently reprimanded me for what I said, asking if I wasn’t maybe overbalancing into paganism, and why didn’t I thank Father God instead?

Categories: Reflections
Tags: amphibians Francis of Assisi paganism Pope Francis