Wild Wonder: Look, it’s a Pangolin!
Have you ever wondered what wonder is? In the wake of much that is going on in the world, here is an invitation to pause and consider the created order […]
Have you ever wondered what wonder is? In the wake of much that is going on in the world, here is an invitation to pause and consider the created order […]
Those of us with inquisitive children in our lives face a bombardment of tricky questions around Christmas time, from ‘Is Santa Claus real?’ to how exactly God and Mary made a baby together, and did the baby Jesus actually “no crying make” (as the carol Away in a Manger says)? Some of these questions make us pause as we navigate exactly what answer we wish to give our inquisitor.
You will likely have heard of COP26 (also known as the United Nations Climate Change Conference or UNFCCC), but have you heard of CBD COP15?
It is sobering to read in the IPCC report that we may reach 1.5°C temperature rise in ten years and, however fast we move to Net Zero carbon emissions, some changes, including melting ice caps and rising sea levels, will continue for thousands of years. So, how do we react, as Christians who believe God cares about creation?
As a child growing up in church, I heard and read these words by Jesus countless times. God’s kingdom is ‘here’, it’s ‘close’, it’s ‘coming’. Yet, little did I know just how close that kingdom of God really is! Or that I would discover it in truly unexpected ways …
In this instance of the Jerdon’s Courser, what should we prioritize? Saving this endangered species? Or prioritizing human lives? It isn’t unusual in conservation to face difficult choices and it isn’t always possible to find win-win solutions.
Our own preoccupation with the usefulness of wider creation for our own gain is symptomatic of our selfishness. We forget that the world was not created for humankind, but rather for God. From the start of creation there is a relational context of interdependence.
Despite the importance of the topic that ‘Seaspiracy’ addresses, the solution it advocates – ending the consumption of seafood – is not an option nor a desirable solution to ocean health. It is just not that simple.
As I scrolled through the Facebook updates from my friends in the area, I heaved a deep sigh of frustration and lament. Again!? How could a thousand-year rain event happen every other year? Something was amiss.
I have been playing “Biodiversity Jenga” for over a decade. Players take turns to remove bricks, providing me with the opportunity to talk about the ecological role of individual species, and whether they are threatened with extinction. And, as everyone knows, ultimately the whole thing will come crashing down.