Ecology and Roman Catholicism (Outside Reading)

            For one of my reading posts, I will look at the ecological views of the present Roman Catholic Church. As the head and representative of their church, Pope Francis will be my primary resource in looking at how this religion views ecological concerns. Like Patriarch Bartholomew of Eastern Orthodoxy, Pope Francis views climate change as the number one ecological problem today. The Pope sent out a papal encyclical to all bishops in the world concerning the issue of climate change; this is significant because it is one of the most significant things the Pope can do. This is similar to the Papal Bull except the Bull is a more of a legal pronouncement. Also due to this, the Pope visited the US congress to give a speech on the importance of fighting climate change. The Pope has gone so far as to say God always forgives but nature never forgives, and he has said that a Christian who does not care for the environment is a Christian who is not concerned with God’s work. Similarly to Patriarch Bartholomew, Pope Francis believes that the main cause on man’s end is greed. We have decided to ease our own lives by taking carelessly from the earth’s life. Overall, I tend to agree with many of Francis’ comments; he makes some good points about Christian’s having a sacred duty to care for the earth because it is God’s handiwork. 

Ecology and Eastern Orthodoxy (Outside Reading)

            For one of my readings, I will review the views of current Eastern Orthodoxy on Ecology. One of the most active environmentalists in this religion is the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew. He views what has happened to the earth as evidence for the sin of mankind; climate change is seen by him as a sin by humanity against God because his creation is desecrated from the purity it should have in order to satisfy man’s unceasing need for ease of life. The reason for the waste on the environment is because humanity has lost its spirit of worship; no one seeks to love the earth as God does. By looking solely at the earth’s economic value, we have ceased to love the first of God’s creations. This whole ordeal in not a “political or social fashion”; it is a necessity for all humans of all varying beliefs to repent and turn to the Creator to escape from the mess we have created. Turning means action. Action requires sacrifice. Only through this can we seek to see what God originally called “very good”. I tend to agree with the Patriarch on many of his points. Should we claim to love God, we must be willing to sacrifice for the safety of what God made. This extends to all things: the environment, the poor, the unborn, and even all who are already well off.

Christ as Lord (Student Topic)

In the beginning, Jesus Christ was with God and was God. Through him, all things were created, and without him not a single thing which has been made was made. He was in the Garden when Adam and Eve desecrated God’s Commandment; he was with Noah when he clung to the rafters of his boat amongst the disastrous storm; he was with Moses when the sea opened wide; he was with David when a single stone brought down the Philistine; he was upon the throne when Isaiah saw the glory of heaven, and he was the one whose robe circled the room; he was with the prophets as they issued their warnings concerning righteousness; he was with John the Baptist as he was conceived by the Spirit of God; and then… he was with us. He, who knew no sin, put on the robe of flesh to die for those who have desecrated the commandments. He lived his life and put himself up upon the cross, for no one but him has the power to bear up God upon a tree. “He that hung up the earth in space was Himself hanged up; He that fixed the heavens was fixed with nails; He that bore up the earth was borne up on a tree; the Lord of all was subjected to ignominy in a naked body-God put to death! The King of Israel slain with Israel's right hand”! Jesus Christ was raised from the dead by Holy Spirit through the decree of God the Father; God in God and God from God by whom all the nations exist. Repent then, and put your faith in his deeds that whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved! Blessed is the man to whom God will not impute his sin!

God's Sovereignty in Nature (Student Topic)

Every wind that blows and every storm that comes in is by decree of his mighty hand. Every bug that crawls past is thus decreed by God’s will. They are not mechanic, and they have their own wills, but God, the sustainer of everything, both makes purpose and order out of everything. It is he who stirs the waters with his fingers and shapes the mountains with his breath. It is he who molds the world and everything in it. We are his footstool which he gloriously rests his feet upon. He calls forth lightnings from the storehouses, and they come to him saying “here we are”. It is he who spans the oceans of the globe and causes the water to arrive at the shores. It is he who reserves the storehouses of snow and hail for times of distress. He is the most high God; he is our king, our commander, and Father. He is entirely holy and wholly other. 

Preparation for the Appalachian Trail (Student Topic)

            The Appalachian Trail is not inherently a religious experience, but I aim to make it one. I do not want to drift into a desire to experience a manifestation of the divine (for I do not believe that is as common as people would like to think it is), but I want to grow in appreciation for the bare bones of what my Father has created. Something that has inspired me has been the parable written in the Puritan book, The Pilgrim’s Progress. I wish to model my journey on this, meditating on how each item I use can be representative of either my guilt I am not willing to let go of (as the Pilgrim’s Pack is) or as a provision of God’s love for me in the wilderness (the provision of food and shelter). Even should God’s provision not be as obvious as manna from heaven, he still makes provision by allowing us to even have food. As silly as this sounds: just by not dissolving our food, God is showing us both a great mercy and a great provision. Ultimately, since the Pilgrim lets his backpack go (since it represents his guilt), I will not be completely following the book's narrative. 

My State of Environmentalism (Student Topic)

            In recent years since becoming a Christian, I have started to realize the large need for environmentalism. As a steward of God’s planet, I have to be a dutiful son and preserve my Father’s creation. I do take the eschatological position that this earth will be destroyed and a new one will be created in its place. This is in opposition with some Christian environmentalists who believe we will help bring in a new earth by taking care of the environment carefully and cleaning it up. I think this position is utterly indefensible, but I do appreciate what it has motivated them to do. Many who believe my position are careless with how they treat the environment because they think it does not matter. This position is also utterly indefensible. In Genesis 2, God commands Adam to “work” and “keep” the Garden of Eden. God’s plan was never for the garden to remain, but it was still his command for Adam to “keep” it. In Revelation 11, God says the time will come when he will destroy the destroyers of the earth. This is a very straight forward passage, saying that destroying the earth, no matter how small we think our action is, is wicked. In conclusion, Paul says in 1 Corinthians 10 that the earth is the Lord’s and everything in it. How, therefore, can we destroy what belong to our God, even if our part in destroying it was small?

The Passover (Student Topic)

            In class, we celebrated the Jewish Feast of Passover; this is the same feast where our Lord Jesus Christ dedicated the bread and wine as his body and blood. Passover is celebrated to recognize the Exodus of the Jews from captivity in Egypt under the arm of Pharaoh. I will be discussing all of the representations of each item in the feast. The first item is a roasted shank bone (Zeroah): this represents the Paschal sacrifice made at the temple before it was destroyed. The second item is the bitter herbs (Maror): this symbolizes the bitter trials which the Israelites went through in captivity. The third item is the roasted egg (Beitzah): this symbolizes the Haggigah which is the festival sacrifice. This was always brought to the temple in Jerusalem except on Pesach when the lamb was used. The fourth item is the Charoset: this is a sweet mixture, symbolizing the mortar the Israelites used building for Pharaoh. The fifth item is the Parsley (Karpas): this represents the renewal of all life by God. There are also four cups of wine: one at Kiddush, one following the recital of Hallel, one after Grace, and one at the conclusion of Seder. These represent the promises of redemption (bring forth, deliverance, redemption, taking by God). The next item is the salt water; it stands to remember the tears shed in Egypt. Many also take it to remember the Red Sea. Then there is the three Matzot, representing the divisions of the Jews: Kohen, Levi, and Yisrael. This ceremony was ultimately fulfilled by Jesus Christ who is the Passover Lamb promised to Israel. By faith in him as the Messiah, a man can enter into the forgiveness of sins and a relationship with God and his Son, Jesus Christ.