A Practical Approach to Global Healing
Per the original design, mankind took care of the earth, and was spiritually equipped to do so. As mankind ministered to creation, creation freely provided all their needs (Gen.1:26-30).
With the fall, mankind lost his ministerial status, and has since had to fight with creation for his very sustainance (Gen.3:17-19). He also surrendered his spiritual authority (Lk.4:6 and other places). In our current day, we are grievously aware of the devastation our struggles with nature have caused.
But nature has friends: Those who have become reconciled to God and retaken their places of spiritual authority are called to care for the people around them and the environment in which they live. Nature itself longs for people to arise above the exploitive decadence of our cultures, and to fully serve God in all respects (Rom.8:19-22).
Jesus expressed this authority in calming storms and healing diseases. In various passages, he calls us to do as He did – notably in 2Cor.5:18-21. Although the emphasis here is spiritual, a broader commission becomes obvious as more scriptures are studied.
The priority for healing the world is first of all spiritual. As a byproduct of people becoming rightly related to God, concerns for the planet and its inhabitants come to life. On the other hand, involvement in global concerns can provide a venue with sincere people genuinely concerned with helping others. Consider both political and physical activism.
Global warming is an active example of political opportunity. According to data from studies commissioned by the United Nations (See IPCC 4th Assessment Report), the world is expected warm by 4.7 degrees F during the next century. 0.3 degrees of this can be eliminated with 100% compliance of industrialized nation to Kyoto-style efforts. Political pressure is needed to drive this thing forward.
There are those on the streets within our cities and towns who exist on the left-overs of our culture. Of us all, these have the greatest opportunities to lead the way to a sustainable future. They don't cut down trees, refine steel or obliterate environment by covering it with roads. They reuse that which has already been wasted, and garner discarded materials into recycling centers, thereby protecting the environment. As an investment for meaningful environmental activism, we could hardly find a more deserving demographic.
Picture a project consisting of a few tiny shelters and an open pavilion on a city lot, with rented sanitation on hand. The pavilion contains a stove for cooking and warmth, fueled by renewable biomass; a high-efficiency design minimizes pollution and waste. Exhaust from the stove heats water for bathing etc. Electrical energy is held to low voltages (to eliminate shock hazard), and is produced on site from locally renewable energy. Membership is limited and access controlled (as in any home), but now a number of otherwise destitute individuals and families can legally live in improved cleanliness comfort and security at an extreme minimum of expense.
We have just created a tiny eco-friendly community with the potential of being refined and upgraded to a high-quality lifestyle. Membership projects would include the planting of trees in available scraps of land for future energy sources, and on-site experiments in high-density gardening. Such a community could raise local awareness, be an educational resource, and provide a model for future development for us all.