Green Christian Vision Statement
Basis of Faith
We affirm our belief in God as Creator of all things and in Jesus Christ as Lord, looking to the Holy Spirit for guidance through the Scriptures, and seeking to hear Him in the challenges of the present time.
Aims
- To offer insights into ecology and the environment to Christian people and churches.
- To offer Christian insights to the Green movement.
The following Vision was agreed by Green Christian’s Steering Committee on 24th March 2007 . It is the outcome of a process of reflection in accordance with our Basis of Faith, and consultation with our members. It represents the Steering Committee’s understanding of the challenge set by Green Christian’s Basis of Faith and Aims.
Vision
The Christian Gospel is for all creation. Green Christian pioneers and empowers prophetic living in the hope of Christ. This hope gives us courage to challenge the prevailing destructive culture; the creativity to offer and demonstrate life-giving alternatives and the motivation to form communities of hope.
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What we believe, and its consequences
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1. Letting loose hope
We believe: The Earth’s resources are limited. We are using the fruits of creation faster than they can be regenerated and are enslaved to destructive behaviours. But God sets us free in Christ and the fruits of the Spirit enable us to flourish within the abundant gifts of God’s creation.
Therefore: As we acknowledge the deepest depression to which the environmental crisis exposes us, we encounter the transforming power of Jesus. This power releases hope and imagination for all to live in new ways of love, which we are passionate to share, for the sake of all life on earth.
2. Pioneering practical discipleship
We believe: Everyone has an equal entitlement to the fruits of creation. By using more than our fair share, we defy God’s intentions for humanity. Only when reconciled with God can we be fully reconciled with each other and with creation.
Therefore: We seek to show what discipleship means for dwellers of a planet under threat, by pioneering new forms of life and witness in the church through which the gospel will be heard and seen afresh.
3. Equipping prophetic witness
We believe: God’s kingdom is characterised by justice, peace, and integrity with diversity. A spiritual response is needed in the ecological crisis: encountering Jesus will give us power to change. Through this crisis God is bringing us back to himself in Christ.
Therefore: We take a prophetic stance, challenging individual lifestyle and society’s norms, and demonstrating compelling alternatives. We long to see the church become a formidable advocate for the reconciliation of all creation in Christ.
4. Empowering agents of change
We believe: The Holy Spirit empowers us to live courageously and, through our choices and words, to challenge the prevailing notions of progress and offer alternatives
Therefore: We in turn seek to empower our members as catalysts for change by providing the necessary practical, intellectual and spiritual resources. Working as agents of change can be lonely, and we support each other for mutual nurture and well-being.