The Bishop of Dorking, Rt Rev Paul Davies, has stewardship of the environment as one of the three main priorities in his role. When starting in his new post in the autumn of 2023, he reflected on the theological foundations that guide Christians in caring for the Earth and emphasised the importance of honouring all of these relationships with God, each other, and creation.
Why we care
At the heart of Christian discipleship lies a deep theological understanding that our relationship with God, with each other, and with creation is interconnected. Caring for creation is therefore an act of honouring these relationships.
God
By caring for creation we honour the God who loved creation into being and made human beings in his own image to care for it.
People
When we recognise the Earth as a shared home, our actions reflect that. We think about the impact of our choices on the wellbeing of others and honour them through our actions.
Creation
Acknowledging creation as a divine masterpiece, that reflects God’s handiwork, we aspire to pass on this gift to future generations. We consider the value that it holds and become stewards of this precious gift.
When Steve Collins (our former Deputy Diocesan Secretary) took up the role of Net Zero Carbon Programme Manager on February 2024, he wrote:
“Net Zero Carbon is a theme that connects strongly with how those of us who are Christians live out our faith.
“My new Net Zero Carbon (NZC) Programme Manager role enables me to reconnect with my passion for the environment and the local church which were key focuses of my work in community development across the world over two decades with Tearfund. During that period I lived and worked in communities in Latin America and Asia where I met, got to know and in some cases developed strong friendships with people living in poverty who, over the past 20 years, have increasingly been affected by the growing climate change crisis.
“In Matthew 22, Jesus talked about how all of what God asks of us as his followers ‘hangs’ on the two greatest commandments. The way we think and act with regards to climate change can reflect in some way the extent to which we are living out these commandments:
- How we show care and respect for God’s amazing creation can reflect our love for Him.
- Doing our part to reduce carbon emissions and enable people to cope with the impacts of climate change reflects the love God wants us to show towards our global neighbours.
“Our Diocesan Net Zero Carbon strategy is not a siloed area of work within our Transforming Churches Transforming Lives vision. Engaging with it is one way our parishes can grow discipleship. It has the potential to grow community through stronger links with other local groups who share our concern about tackling climate change, and it can help our parishes grow diversity through engaging with younger people who naturally are concerned about the world they will be living in for decades to come.”
Caring for creation is rooted in our faith and commitment to God, people, and the Earth. It is a holistic endeavour that goes above and beyond but does include individual actions. As we work towards Net Zero Carbon emissions across the diocese, we will see benefits for the environment as well as spiritual growth. Together, we are on a journey that reflects our shared responsibility to honour the interdependence of all life.