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.
Pope Francis has been making waves. Almost every public address the new Pope has given has mentioned both justice and stewardship. Caring for the poor and caring for creation are not alternatives. Both flow from the character of God, and both are indivisible in practice.
‘Horsegate’ has become a pan-European scandal of producers, suppliers, and manufacturers, and revealed the complexity of our globalised food system. It’s not just about horsemeat, but the whole way in which food is produced. Most urbanised citizens have no idea where their food comes from. It is collective denial, because if we really did know we might have to do something about it.
It seems a simple question, childlike even, but actually it leads into all sorts of minefields. Will God’s new creation include other animals, and if so… will my rabbit / cat / dog / snake be there? Will I know it personally? Will we be able to communicate? How will there be enough space? And should we keep pets anyway?
I watched ‘Life of Pi’ last week, taking a break from working on a PhD which includes looking at the relevance of the book of Job for wildlife conservation. As I watched the film I noticed some parallels.
Happy New Year!? What will 2013 hold? More hurricanes, droughts, floods, crop-failures, wildlife extinctions, urban-drift, and desperate people attempting to escape poverty. Not to mention global economic gloom. Perhaps the scarcest commodity of all is hope. What hope can Christians have for the future of the earth, or of our own species?
One month ago, sixty people from six continents gathered in Jamaica to pray, listen, reflect and call for action. The Lausanne Consultation on Creation Care and the Gospel, co-sponsored by the World Evangelical Alliance, was based on the belief that creation care is a gospel issue within the Lordship of Christ, and also that today there is a vital urgency about our task.
Where do you feel most at home? Is it a place filled with childhood memories, or is it where you live now? Is it in a beautiful landscape, or amongst people you love and trust? Is it safely locked behind the door of your house? Or are you longing for eternity – to be ‘at home’ with Christ?
I’ve grown up with the future according to Hollywood: visions of a scary, dystopian future with a world devastated and destroyed. It’s not surprising that popular Christian literature has followed suit. For years I assumed the central assumption was true: that this world would be destroyed completely when Christ returned in judgment. But as I started reading the Bible myself, my questions grew.
When I preach for A Rocha, the hymn ‘How great Thou art’ is often chosen. It’s often voted amongst all-time favourites, and verse two makes it an obvious choice for the Christian conservationist. Yet, whilst I love the tune and many of the lyrics, my heart sinks every time I hear the last verse…
“If creation care is so important, why didn’t Jesus speak about it?” The question wrong-footed me at first: after all, when Jesus summed up the Law and the Prophets he said, ‘Love God and love your neighbour’, not ‘Go hug a tree’!
