Biblical wisdom for creation care

#1088 for broadcast on 2CH Sydney, 21 June 2015.

The media, the blogosphere and social media are chattering this weekend about a major document on care for the Earth, written by Pope Francis, released on Thursday by the Vatican.

Of immediate interest to me, apart from the politics, is the ways the document uses empirical science, church tradition and Scripture to advance its arguments.

As I see it, ethics practised without reference to the timeless resources of Scripture is a matter of prevailing cultural attitudes. Scripture applied without reference to the contemporary challenges of ethics is a religious curiosity lacking power to transform individuals and communities.

The world needs more people who take ethics and Scripture seriously – who understand the relevance of biblical wisdom and who learn how to apply such wisdom to the tough ethical issues of the day in meaningful and convincing ways.

In this context, Pope Francis’s Encyclical on urgent environmental issues is a welcome contribution to public debate.

I’m Rod Benson for the NSW Council of Churches.