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EarthCare Online Update JUNE 2007 "Caring for God's Creation" www.earthcareonline.org |
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"The earth is the LORD's, and the fullness thereof..." (Psalm 24:1, KJV) |
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For Reflection |
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Follow-Up to EarthCare's Spring Forum ― |
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Calendar |
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For EarthCare Online Update subscription information, please click here. |
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Serving God, Creator of the Mountains and All the Earth |
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God Formed the Mountains
You answer us with awesome deeds of righteousness,
Let the Mountains Sing
Let the rivers clap their hands,
Let Us Follow Christ's Example of Humility and Service
Think of yourselves the way Christ Jesus thought of himself.
He had equal status with God but didn't think so much of himself that he had
to cling to the advantages of that status no matter what. Not at all. When
the time came, he set aside the privileges of deity and took on the status
of a slave, became human! Having become human, he stayed human. It
was an incredibly humbling process. He didn't claim special privileges.
Instead, he lived a selfless, obedient life and then died a selfless,
obedient death—and the worst kind of death at that—a crucifixion.
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Follow-Up to EarthCare's Spring Forum― - Christians' call to care for God's creation - What can we do about mountaintop removal? |
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We would like to thank all of you who joined us for our Spring Forum on March 24th! We especially want to thank our guest speaker Allen Johnson of Christians for the Mountains and our panel discussion guests the Rev. William Boys, Pastor of Ascension Lutheran Church, and the Rev. Mark Flynn, Pastor of Christ United Methodist Church. We had a very informative and inspirational day as we viewed and discussed the PBS film Is God Green? and a film from Christians for the Mountains. Throughout the day's activities we were inspired and challenged to continue the work we are doing and to try new ways of addressing the environmental issues that face us today. Christians' Call to Care for God's Creation During the panel discussion of the film Is God Green?, several issues were raised regarding caring for the world around us: • God's will and our responsibility Our call to care for the earth as parents do for their children: And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. (Genesis 1:26, KJV)
The
earth is the LORD's, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell
therein. • Creation care in the Bible Our call to love God and our neighbor ― by respecting what God has created, and by caring for the world that supports our neighbor:
...Master, which is the great
commandment in the law? Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God
with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. And the second
is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. This is the first and
great commandment. Our call to live a generous, non-selfish life: Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour's. (Exodus 20:17, KJV)
For more scriptures see:
Bible
Verses on Creation Care (an EarthCare guide)
Scripture (compiled by Evangelical Environmental Network)
• Care for the environment as a religious issue and a political issue
A Christian lifestyle includes all areas of our
lives, including our spirituality and our social/political involvement.
• Pastors'
and church leaders' challenges:
Church leaders have many responsibilities in their
churches; therefore, it is essential that all of us become active in informing
others about creation care issues.
For
some ideas about how to share with others, see the Mountain
Top Removal discussion below.
What Can We Do About
Mountaintop Removal?
Allen Johnson, founder of Christians for Mountains
informed us regarding the devastation of mountaintop removal and the need for
action:
What is mountaintop removal?
Simply put, mountaintop removal is the process in which
the tops of mountains are blasted
out in order to mine the coal deep in the mountain as quickly as possible with
as
little expenditure as possible.
Clear-Cutting, Mountaintop Removal, and
Valley Fills
First the mountain is clear-cut of all trees, which
are often not harvested but pushed into the valleys (called a "valley fill").
Following tree removal, explosives are then used to blast the land, and the land
is also shoved into the valley.
The waste from this process, called "sludge", is
deposited in open pools that are held in place by dams. These pools are a
serious health and safety threat to the people who live below the mountains.
Sludge often ends up in streams killing wildlife and creating a health hazard to
humans. The dams holding back the sludge may break during times of heavy rain.
Results of Mountaintop Removal
The mountaintop removal process destroys the
mountains and the valleys, covers streams, kills wildlife, pollutes drinking water turning it
black, produces air and noise pollution, and creates poverty, illness, and
desolation. Mountaintop removal is far more destructive
than strip mining, of which many of us have heard. Instead of just removing the
surface, which is harmful enough, up to 1,000 vertical feet of the mountain is
destroyed!
Location of Mountaintop Removal
Mountaintop removal is most prevalent in the in the
mountains of West Virginia and eastern Kentucky, but is also being used in
central Tennessee and southwest Virginia.
What does mountaintop removal look like?
Google Earth Photos
To view before and after photos of
mountaintop removal, go to
Google Earth and look for Appalachian Mountaintop
Removal in the Global Awareness folder on the left sidebar.
More Information and Photos
For more photos, conduct a Google Images
search for the phrase "mountaintop removal." For informational resources, visit
Christian for the Mountains
or the links
listed on
Wikipedia's article
on Mountaintop Removal Mining and follow their links.
According to Allen Johnson, addressing the problem
is multi-faceted and will need to take place overtime. He and forum attendees
suggested the following actions:
ü Reduce
energy demands.
ü Contact Congress.
ü
Share what we have learned.
Mountain Morning Collection DVD
One educational tool for teaching about environmental issues is the Mountain
Morning Collection by
Christians for the Mountains. The Collection is available for $15, plus
shipping from Patchwork Films. It
includes three films showing the stories of the people of the Appalachian
mountains who live in "the sacrifice zone" of mountaintop removal.
Other Educational Resources
EarthCare's Links to Reflection
and Worship Resources
Eco-Curriculum Reviews―compiled by Eco-Justice Ministries |
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Creation Care and Nature Events |
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The LORD bless you and keep you; |
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ABOUT EARTHCARE ONLINE UPDATE EarthCare Online Update is a free email/web newsletter published by EarthCare, Inc. Published approximately six times a year, the newsletter focuses on Christians' call to care for the earth, news of EarthCare activities, and resources to assist with daily aspects of creation care. Please note that the views expressed in resources listed in the Update are not necessarily those of EarthCare. We attempt to include a variety of books, websites, etc. in order to facilitate readers' education and exploration of ideas regarding the care of God's creation. We trust that before readers embrace new beliefs or practices, they will examine them in context of the teachings of the Bible and God's personal call in their lives. SUBSCRIBE/UNSUBSCRIBE To subscribe or unsubscribe to EarthCare Online Update, or change your email address, please email us at . The Update is sent only to those who have registered for our email list. We do not rent, loan, or sell our list to anyone. Occasionally, compelling news items may warrant an additional News Bulletin between publication of issues of the Online Update. Subscribers typically receive no more than one Bulletin per month. Current and back issues of the Update and News Bulletins are available on EarthCare's website www.earthcareonline.org. ABOUT EARTHCARE EarthCare, Inc. is a non-profit Christian organization that exists to promote creation stewardship within the Christian community. For more information about EarthCare, caring for God's creation, and links to other creation care resources, please see our website www.earthcareonline.org. TO DONATE EarthCare Stewards are what we call the generous individuals and churches who contribute to the ministries of EarthCare. We invite you to become an EarthCare Steward and join with us in supporting creation care in the Christian community. The ministries of EarthCare are funded entirely by gifts from folks like you who want to make a difference. Most gifts we receive are small, but because we're all volunteers any amount that you give will have a big impact! Your gift will go directly to support EarthCare ministries (projects, conferences, website, email list, mailing services, and other EarthCare activities). All gifts are tax deductible. You may contribute by mailing a check or money order to the address below.
Thank you! |
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EarthCare, Inc. |