Network of
Earthkeeping Christian Communities in South Africa
NECCSA Update:
February 2005
A
monthly newsletter on Church and Environment in South Africa
1. Update on National Ecumenical Environmental Conference, 14-17 March
2005, Hartebeespoortdam
Bishop Geoff Davies, the organiser of the conference
writes:
We hope that this conference
will be participatory. The opening sessions with the church and faith community
delegates will be to hear from them. We plan to structure it with group
discussion, and then the groups report back to plenary so that we get an
overview of the environmental position of our country from the faith
communities’ viewpoint. We will then have brief
5-10 minute presentations by environmentalists on environmental issues,
explaining why “their issue is the most critical”. The next session would be
similar, but dealing with social and economic justice issues. We would then move
on to ‘The Way Forward’. After Professor Ernst Conradie has given a
background paper on the Theology for Earthkeeping, we will have brief panel
presentations on ethical and developmental possibilities, including ethics and
education. From there we would seek endorsement of establishing a Faith-based
Environmental Institute and work out its vision and structure.
For the latest version of the programme for this
upcoming conference, to be held from 14-17 March at Hartbeespoortdam, see the
NECCSA website.
2. Theologians Warn of 'False Gospel' on the Environment; Call Christians
to Repent of Sins
WASHINGTON,
D.C., February 14, 2005. In an effort to refute what they call a "false
gospel" and to change destructive attitudes and actions concerning the
environment, a group of theologians, convened by the National Council of
Churches USA, today released an open letter calling on Christians to repent of
"our social and ecological sins" and to reject teachings that suggest
humans are "called" to exploit the Earth without care for how our
behavior impacts the rest of God's creation.
The
statement, "God's Earth is Sacred: An Open Letter to Church and Society in
the United States," points out that there is both an environmental and a
theological crisis that must be addressed. The statement calls on Christians to
take two important steps to enable socially just and ecologically sustainable
communities for future generations: first, to "repent of our sins, in the
presence of God and one another," and, second, to pursue, "with God's
help, a path different from our present course."
The
National Council of Churches' Eco-Justice Working Group decided to ask leading
theologians to gather in the fall of 2004 at the National Cathedral in
Washington, D.C., to work on a theological statement to counter arguments that
the environment is not an issue that should concern Christians. In order to
produce a theologically grounded statement, the group issued invitations to
theologians who were well versed in ecumenism and the doctrine of their own
church bodies.
In
addition to refuting false teachings about the environment and calling
Christians to repent, the statement also appeals to Christians and "all
people of good will" to join together in understanding humans'
responsibility to care for creation, to integrate this understanding into what
it means to be the church, and to advocate boldly on behalf of those most
vulnerable to the negative effects of the global environmental crisis.
The
NCC hopes that the statement, "God's Earth is Sacred," will stimulate
conversations in churches, seminaries, colleges, universities and throughout
society.
The
"God's Earth is Sacred" statement is part of a growing religious
awareness of humankind's role in protecting creation. It was released on the
heels of a grassroots campaign that just last week released "God's Mandate:
Care for Creation," which was signed by more than 1,000 clergy and
laypeople from Catholic, Protestant and Jewish traditions--and it came just
before a broadbased effort on Feb. 16 to lift up the international Kyoto
Protocol on climate change, an effort that included the participation of faith
based groups. See www.nccecojustice.org
for the "God's Mandate" statement and signatories, and "Christian
Response to Kyoto" resources. The "God's Earth is Sacred"
statement can be found online at www.councilofchurches.org.
The
proceedings of the 2002 World Summit on
Sustainable Development describe sustainable development as “Development
that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of the
future.” In its summary, a local report on the Summit states the expected
outcome of the Summit for South Africa : “It
is hoped that in ten years time – in 2012 – people who are poor now will
have a better life and more opportunities, and will we will all live in a
healthier and safer environment.”
The
(Mpumalanga) Ehlanzeni District
Municipality’s 2001 publication Windows
of Opportunity for Tourism Transformation in the Ehlanzeni District of
Mpumalanga, a record of discussions around tourism development in that
District, includes comprehensive discussion on ecotourism in the Nkomazi
district..
The
Uplands College (White River) Outreach
Programme supports teachers and learners with the development of learning
curriculae that focus firstly on community-based environmental management in
general, and secondly on teaching and learning which promote social as well as
environmental stability in the deep rural parts of the Lowveld.
The
Thembalethu Trust is a 15 year old
community support trust based at Jeppe’s Reef in the Nkomazi district of
Mpumalanga. In addition to general health and nutrition aid, it provides a
launching pad for socio-economic development in the area via its Youth-in-Action
programme. This Programme is managed via 8 desks of which SMME Business
Development (which includes Arts & Crafts and Ecotourism) is one.
The
Institute of Social Ecology’s Thuthuka
programme (funded by the Swiss SA Cooperation Initiative) is a programme of eco-business
support for rural people in southern Africa. It is guided by research on
Development Education undertaken by Dr Hurry of the ISE (on behalf of the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development,) which focused its
attention on activities that promote the sustainable utilisation of natural
resources. These included the promotion of eco-businesses, including ecotourism,
cultural tourism and natural resource based enterprises.
The
TTU Project is
a therefore a project that helps coordinate the work of Uplands, Thembalethu and
the ISE - in support of environmentally sustainable development and economic
growth in the Nkomazi area of Mpumalanga. The Project will work to :
1.
Promote natural resource based management within the existing programme
of work, and
2.
Introduce new activities and/or products that will help to build the
local economy and promote environmental sustainability
For
more information contact Dr Lynn Hurry PO Box 350 White River 1240. Telefax 013
7500397; lynnhurry@absamail.co.za
NECCSA website address: www.neccsa.org
where membership details could also be found. You are invited to accept
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Christianity and earthkeeping practices. Please send any information to the
email address below.
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NECCSA Update electronically to any other interested person. You are also
welcome to send news to be included in the next NECCSA update to emcemp@iafrica.com
by 15 March 2005. You may send such contributions in the language of your
choice.
Distributed by EM Conradie 24/02/2005