Listening for Nature's Voice

Faith in the Public Square
Lompoc Record
February 10, 2008

Global warming, Al Gore says, is an inconvenient truth. We are seeing patterns of climate change that include changes in migration patterns, a shrinking Arctic ice pack, huge ice sheets breaking free from Antarctica, and the shrinking of glaciers worldwide.

Some of this may be due to natural cycles, but there's also clear evidence that human actions are speeding up the process. Besides climate change, we've seen holes appear in the ozone layer, the disappearance of wetlands and rain forests, and an increase in pollution in all its forms. While industrialization has improved life, that improvement has come with unfortunate side effects. Finding the right balance won't be easy, and it likely will prove costly, but the alternative is leaving an uninhabitable world to our descendants.

There's a phrase in Paul's letter to the Romans that seems appropriate. He says that the “whole creation has been groaning in labor pains until now” (Romans 8:22). I doubt if Paul had our modern environmental concerns in mind, but perhaps there's something to be said here about listening to nature's groans for God's voice. If so, how might we listen for this voice?

Today is the third annual observance of Evolution Sunday (now Evolution Weekend). Nearly 800 congregations - Jewish, Christian, and Unitarian among others - are observing the birthday of Charles Darwin, a figure in history firmly connected to the theory of evolution and controversial in many religious communities as a symbol of anti-religious sentiment. I'm not a scientist and don't pretend to be one. Instead, I'm a pastor, trained in theology, who is concerned about what some consider to be a war between religion and science. This observance of Darwin's birthday, as I see it, is a call for people of faith and people of science to listen to each other for the good of the planet.

As a Christian, I look to the Bible for a word from God, and in doing this I'm no different than people of most religious faiths, who also turn to their sacred scriptures to hear that voice of guidance. While looking first to Scripture, I believe God has other ways of speaking to us. Perhaps God is speaking to us in the groans of the world, inviting us to do something redemptive. If so, then how might we interpret these groans? What tools would we need to make sense of them?

I've come to the conclusion that if we're going to hear this voice, we must turn to science. Unfortunately, many people of faith have become jaded about science. Having been led both by some religious teachers and by some scientists to believe they must choose - the Bible or the science book - they choose the Bible and neglect science. Indeed, not only do they neglect it, they revile it. So, when scientists tell us that the earth is warming in ways that are destructive, many of us won't listen. As a result of our inability to hear nature's cry, we continue to overuse, misuse, and destroy the earth.

Seeking a sense of balance, I've developed a new appreciation for the message of Genesis 1. It tells us first that the created order is good, and second, that we're to be good stewards of this created order. Older translations speak of dominion, a word that has been taken as permission to despoil the earth, but I believe the intent of the passage is different. It is a call to tend to the needs of creation and live in peace with it.

It's the sense of urgency about the state of nature that led me to embrace this move to bridge the gap between faith and science, and become an early signer of the Clergy Letter Concerning Religion and Science (being one of more than 11,000 persons to do so). It's also why our congregation is again observing Evolution Weekend.

In the context of this observance, I ask the question: “Can we hear God's voice speaking to us through nature's voice?” If so, then what is God saying? Perhaps it is this: “Be good stewards of my creation.” Then, as we seek to be good stewards, perhaps we could start the process by simply replacing an incandescent bulb or two with a CFL bulb. We could decide to drive a smaller car or carpool. If we all do something, then together we can make a difference in the fate of the created order.

Dr. Bob Cornwall is pastor of First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) of Lompoc (www.lompocdisciples.org). He blogs at http://pastorobobcornwall.blogspot.com and may be contacted at faithinthepublicsquare@gmail.com or c/o First Christian Church, P.O. Box 1056, Lompoc, CA 93438.
February 10, 2008

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