(When I profiled Generation Dread: Finding Purpose in an Age of Climate Anxiety by Britt Wray, I noted what I thought might be an empty spot: The foundational nature of spiritual matters, perhaps best perceived and promoted in congregations. Today some continuing thoughts about those possibilities.)
My premise here: Our congregations are communities (of belief and practice) that can deal wisely and effectively with some of the roots of climate anxiety. (Wray briefly notes this in her final chapter, “Stronger Communities for a Better Future.”)
Our own climate anxiety is linked to beliefs and practices as people of God—to beliefs and practices that transcend self-idolatry. We’re not mindlessly attached to hopes for miraculous redemption from the consequences of our own sinfulness. We’re more ready to confess than accuse; more capable of forgiving than punishing; more ready to trust and rely on each other than to go it alone. We understand that seeking the greater good is more effective than choosing supposedly rational self-interest. Love guides our identities—God loved the whole world, and we want to do the same.
We live in awe—of God, and of God’s incredibly diverse creation. Long ago we put aside the arrogant notion that we are superior to all other parts of that created world or that Creation is meant primarily for our taking, our “subduing.” We see all of life—our own included—as a gift meant to be put to use for God’s purposes.
We may dread environmental collapse or death, but fiercely believe in the life that comes next. We remember how God’s people have traversed the terrors and travails of human history—and take heart from their experiences. Over the centuries, we’ve faced and bested some of humanity’s worst impulses—including those mistakenly enshrined in our doctrines or institutions. Above all, we continue the legacy of Jesus the Christ, whose self-giving life, death, Resurrection and teachings give us purpose for daily living. Climate anxiety may be afoot in the land—but so are God’s people.
There is hope!
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