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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.

30th October 2015 | Dave Bookless | 2 comments

Three weeks last summer…

Last summer, events conspired to give me three totally different experiences: Week 1 at a Christian festival, part of Week 2 with my family at Disneyland Paris, and Week 3 at the Taizé Community in France. The question I found myself asking was, ‘What is the spirituality of this gathering? What are its “gods” – its underlying, unwritten values and assumptions about what really matters?’

Categories: Reflections
Tags: consumerism Disney Taizé
15th October 2015 | Ruth Valerio | 3 comments

God of All Ecosystems

Everything you see (and don’t see) is in relationship with something else. There is not a single thing in this world that is not linked to something else. Our whole world is permeated with ecosystems: thousands and thousands of them, interlinking and weaving in and out of each other. And I suddenly thought, ‘A-ha, of course!’

Categories: Reflections
Tags: ecology theology
31st August 2015 | Dave Bookless | 0 comments

The Papal Encyclical – now the dust has settled

When Pope Francis’ encyclical on the environment was released, there was enormous media attention. Now the dust has settled, however, what can we make of the Papacy’s foray into environmental matters? And how does it fit with A Rocha’s focus on biblically-inspired, community-based, wildlife conservation projects?

Categories: Reflections
Tags: Francis of Assisi Pope Francis Roman Catholic Church
15th January 2015 | Tom Rowley | 1 comments

Hopey New Year

The “reality” of the situation is grim. But, like a figure-ground image, what we first see isn’t all there is. Viewed with human eyes, the challenges facing the planet look insurmountable. The eyes of faith, however, see a different picture; they see more.

Categories: Reflections
Tags: figure-ground hope lament New Year vision
31st October 2014 | Dave Bookless | 2 comments

Jonah: Save the Whale!

The book of Jonah is short and contains just one story. It’s usually interpreted as reminding us we can’t run away from God, and as showing the Gospel as good news of God’s desire to forgive the sin of people who genuinely turn to him. All this is clearly there, but there’s more to Jonah and to the Gospel than this suggests.

Categories: Reflections
Tags: compassion creation Gospel Jonah
15th September 2014 | Panu Pihkala | 0 comments

Places of knowing God and nature

We live in a world where places are less valued than in earlier times. Technology and urbanization lead us away from being connected to places. As bodily creatures, we need bodily connections to places. And nature needs humans who are place-oriented, because such humans take an effort to care for places.

Categories: Reflections
Tags: H. Paul Santmire identity place prayer
15th August 2014 | Peter Harris | 0 comments

Fishing for funds – are there any rules?

It is funny what people say when you tell them you work in conservation. Their reactions are very varied, depending on how you describe it. But if you say you work for a charity (true), surprisingly often people think you are going to ask them for money (false). So as we charity workers actually depend upon people’s generosity, is there a good way to go fishing?

Categories: Reflections
Tags: fishing fundraising non-profits
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