Jun
25
2010
Care of Creation and Eden Vigil are cohosting a Consultation on Environmental Missions in Manhattan KS July 12-16. A small group of environmental and missions leaders will spend three days together hashing out issues that will help us to establish Environmental Missions as a new category of missions. You can read the announcement of the event here – and you can contact Robynn Bliss, event registrar, here if you would like to join us.
Meanwhile, Lowell recently wrote the following piece for the Evangelicals for Social Action newsletter, answering the question, What do we mean by “Environmental Missionary”. Enjoy!
What Is an Environmental Missionary?
At first, the question remained the same, but my answer would change.
People asked me, “Lowell, why are you a missionary?” Before I left for India in 1993, I’d tell them my conviction that Jesus is worthy of the worship of India, that the Great Commission is a mandate given to us all, and that those who die without Christ are lost eternally. But then after just a few months on the field, while those central convictions had not changed, I added to my answer, “I love Indians.” Over time, however, I had to change that answer, too, and admit, “Well, I don’t know if I can say that I love Indians, but I do love Shivraj, Munnu-ji, Prakash, and Prem Kumar.” I would rattle off names of individual friends. It’s hard to love disembodied aggregates, but it’s impossible not to love those God has placed in your heart.
Now, however, the question has changed. People are curious: “Lowell, why do you call yourself an environmental missionary?” The question has changed, but the answer is remarkably the same: I love Shivraj, Munnu-ji, Prakash, and Prem Kumar. Read more »
May
28
2010
The folks over at crosswalk.com have posted an unusually good summary of my book, Our Father’s World: Mobilizing the Church to Care for Creation. Most reviews feel as if the reviewer looked at the table of contents and the blurbs on the back cover. Not so in this case: Whitney Hopler has done such a good summary of the content that I almost wish I’d written it myself. If you haven’t got the book yet, or have it but haven’t quite got round to reading it (! I know this true of some of my own friends, so don’t feel bad!), her review/summary is below – you could almost read the summary and fake it in a conversation – not that you would, of course. [Here's how to order from the Care of Creation website., and keep in mind that this is also a very good summary of the kind of content you get in the Our Father's World seminar - booking information is here.]
Our environment — God’s creation — is in deep trouble. From the effects of climate change and the extinction of animal and plant species to the growing shortage of clean air and water, creation is in a crisis more serious than ever before.
But the good news is, there’s no better group of people to help solve the problem than Christians. It’s us — those who love God — whom He has called to take care of the environment He made. And if we’re faithful to that call, He’ll empower us to heal our suffering creation.
God is counting on you. Here’s how you can mobilize your church to care for creation: Read more »
Apr
23
2010
This is part 2 of a three part report on a major Earth Day conference held in Madison WI on April 20-21, 2010. I am using that conference as an eavesdropping opportunity: What is the larger environmental movement discussing today? Rather than go talk-by-talk, I’ve pulled out four major themes from my pages of notes. Here are the first two:
[Bios from the speakers referred to below are available here.]
1. Think local. Act global.
Yes, it’s the familiar bumper sticker saying turned on its head. An estimated 10 million people celebrated the first Earth Day but this was not an organized campaign. There was no internet to coordinate events. There was a small office in Washington DC with a miniscule budget – but the 1500 colleges and 10,000 plus schools essentially organized themselves.
Read more »
Jan
08
2010
All done!
Three months of planning, writing, praying and creativity and now, a bit of rest before we get into 2010.
The first day of the new year of 2010, was spent driving back to Madison, WI from St. Louis, MO where we had spent the previous week with about 13,000 students and 3,000 other attendees both experiencing — and in some ways helping to shape — the future of missions in the US.
Read more »
Jan
08
2010
No one comes to Urbana for fun. This is not a “winter break” vacation. Not by a long shot.
There are a couple of common threads that we have heard from each of the over 100 students we have talked to at our Urbana09 booth and the countless others that we have sat next to in the morning worship service, met in the lunch line or ridden with in the hotel elevator.
Read more »
Jan
08
2010
From Urbana09 in St. Louis, Missouri, the question is raised … What are the challenges that students face (and we face) with this thing we call Environmental Missions or creation care?
We had the first of the “Environmental Track” seminars today and the students, through their questions and extremely outgoing personalities told us a lot about what they think, what they fear and what they expect.
Here’s the story in a nutshell.
Read more »
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