Sitting among the ashes – Green Christian workshop
This workshop took place on Wednesday 7 October.
As someone who has long lived with some degree of eco anxiety and climate grief, Andii Bowsher (lead chaplain at Northumbria University) is concerned that we learn together to handle them as well as can be and to support one another in it. As Christians, liturgy and ritual have a part to play in this for ourselves and shared with others, this is a discussion on their role, and how they can help.
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Comments on "Sitting among the ashes – Green Christian workshop"
Andii Bowsher:
I take the point about 'anxiety' -but it's a term that is being used widely so we use it here to make that connection with a wider conversation. The other phrase in the blurb is 'climate grief' -and that's the real focus here. The labels are both describing very real responses that people are dealing with -because they have looked at the facts that have long been emerging and understood that there is cause for concern. The apostle Paul invites us to take cares and anxieties to God as part of dealing with them -and that is a big part of this session. "Do what you can" -indeed -that's also what this is about. If we don't help ourselves (and children -explained appropriately) to understand the issues and how they affect us so that we can 'take them to the Lord in prayer', then we aren't doing what we can. Worry may be useless, but just telling someone that won't stop them worrying. The Bible gives us a number of ways no help ourselves and others to approach anxiety: truth-telling, trusting and resting in God, doing what we can in partnership with God, loving our neighbour ... Some of those things are what this is about.
Mr Gordon Wratten:
Eco anxiety only comes from worry and the Bible tells us that worry is completely useless. So the only thing to do is to do what you can and continue to live life to the full. If we spread worry to children we are not doing them a useful service.
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