Seeking the Kingdom - a
presentation
A multi-slide presentation has been created to help churches and other Christian groups understand that sustainable development is a 'faith' issue and requires a response. Unfortunately, it is too large and image intensive for it to be made available, in full, on the web. However, anyone who is interested in obtaining a copy can contact the author of this site (please use the email link provided below). An illustration of the titles and text of the slides is shown beneath:
1. Seeking
the Kingdom - Sustainable practices
and development are more than just secular, political, economic and social
problems they reflect current spiritual blindness and can only be healed
through greater spiritual awareness.
2. The
Long View - Jesus and the prophets
used to go to the wilderness and on to mountains to pray and seek a greater
view. As a result of manned space flight
in the late 1960s & early 70s, people saw an image of their planet that was
new and caused some to rethink their attitudes to our relationship with the
Earth.
3.
A fragile blue sphere - The image was more ‘sea, ice & cloud’
than ‘earth’. In the full light of the
sun mankind is hardly visible.
4.
By your light you shall be known - However, at night our presence is far more
obvious.
5.
Seeing creation anew - This is the way the world we know really
fits into Creation.
6.
The planet as a resource - But our secular society has removed God
from our world-view and treats the environment that we rely on as a collection
of resources to be mined to exhaustion.
7.
Human impact - Over time our numbers and capacity to consume has increased to the
point that we are making a noticeable impact on our surroundings.
8.
Suffering creation - Because we ignore the fact that we are part of the biosphere, we have
begun to squeeze the other members of creation who share it with us.
9.
Unsustainable development - Our actions have created real problems for
ourselves.
10.
Unpleasant consequences - Global warming may sound friendly but the
reality is famine (in
11.
The Flood to come? - And worse is yet to come as melting polar ice alters beneficial
currents (such as the
12.
Throw-away society - If we truly believe that this is God’s world and that we were not put
here to destroy it, we need to recognise the problems of our ‘throw away’
society.
13.
The abundance of creation - We should recognise that God has provided
an abundant creation to sustain us that we must cherish and nurture.
14.
The areas for change - Adopt practices in all areas that will
sustain us but not prevent future generations from sustaining themselves and
enjoying the abundance and beauty of creation.
15.
Renewal – sharing the Kingdom - There is a better way! God’s way, in
rhythm with the cycles of nature. Seek first the Kingdom and all shall be
added. You will be sustained in full.
August, 2002
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