Simple Lifestyle

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=110 BGCOLOR="#0099FF" TEXT="#F7F7FF" bgproperties="fixed" background="040006e0egcecm.png"> <div> <FONT SIZE="6" COLOR="#FFFFCC" FACE="Times New Roman" ><B>Simple Lifestyle</B></FONT><FONT SIZE="6" COLOR="#FFFFCC" FACE="Arial" ><B> </B></FONT><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#FFFFCC" FACE="Arial" ><B>    |    </B></FONT><B> </B><A HREF="index.html" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Sage Oxfords Christian Environmental Gr"><U><B>home</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <I><B>Simple Lifestyle workshop at the "</B></I><I><B>Climate Change: How Christians Respond" </B></I><I><B>conference</B></I></div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" width=190 BGCOLOR="#FFFF80" TEXT="#080000" background="041bec00eoydwl.png"> <div> <B><IMG SRC="2c99ec60.jpg" border=0 width="158" height="198" ALT="Dave Bookless" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> <B>Back to the main page for </B><A HREF="climatechange.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Climate Change: How Christians Respond"><U><B>Climate Change: How Christians Respond</B></U></A></div> </td> <td valign="top" height=370 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <I><B>The Simple Lifestyle workshop, led by Dave Bookless</B></I><I><B> </B></I><I><B>at the "</B></I><I><B>Climate Change: How Christians Respond" conference</B></I></div> <bR> <div> This was not a long list of "lifestyle rules that a good Christian should follow".  That would turn us into ecological pharisees!  The focus was on the principles behind our lifestyle choices. </div> <div> Firstly, the scale of the challenge and the attitudes we see around us mean it is easy to be discouraged.  Our ground for hope is only in God, and we need to communicate hope to to others.</div> <div> Second, lifestyle depends on values and attitudes.  A change of heart is needed.  But the motive behind any change of heart matters too.  Guilt is not a good motivator - the basis needs to be love not fear.  It's interesting that the agency handling the Government's strategy reached a </div> <div> similar conclusion: the approach should be 'positive and inspirational' rather than 'fear and concern'.  </div> <div> Third, understand how people respond to issues.  You can't just present the facts and expect a logical response.  People trust experience rather than science, they believe in relativism rather than authority, they prefer subjective to objective, and so on.  Journeys to faith are often first </div> <div> belonging, then believing, then changes in behaviour follow.  Understand also that economic, social, and environmental dimensions all matter.  You can't do sustainable development using economics alone. </div> <div> Dave suggested seven Biblical principles to build on.  Each had consequences for our lifestyle (and they all started with the same letter - does that make you think he used to be a vicar?)  Here they are: </div> <div> 1. The nature of God: a trinity, therefore the source of community and interdependence.  What follows from that is the need for relationships, and reliance on each other. </div> <div> 2. The work of God: creator and sustainer.  What follows from that is respect and restraint - because the world was made by and for Christ, rather than for us. </div> <div> 3. God made the Sabbath.  Rest and enjoyment follow from that. </div> <div> 4. Humanity are God's image bearers.  So humans should research (in the sense of looking carefully into his word and works), rule justly, and take responsibility. </div> <div> 5. His creation is blessed but fallen.  There follows the need for repentance, and realism about the world, and that affects our choices. </div> <div> 6. God is incarnate in Jesus, which implies a rootedness.  Many people have a rather nomadic lifestyle, whether from choice or necessity, but we should try to put down roots where we are. </div> <div> 7. God is redeemer and re-creator, and what follows for us is renewed hope, restoration, and reconciliation.  </div> <div> Finally, he split us into four groups and asked each group to pick two of the principles, and give examples of how to put them into practice.  Interestingly, the first choice of three of the groups was the Sabbath rest.  </div> <div> Does that say something about the lifestyles we lead? </div> <bR> <div> <I>(this report on Dave Bookless' workshop was sent in to us by Richard Riggs)</I></div> <bR> <div> St Leonard's Church, Chesham Bois produced a web page based around the hand-out that Dave gave out to accompany this workshop. See <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="Times New Roman" ><A HREF="http://www.stleonardscb.org.uk/earthourfaith.html" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.stleonardscb.org.uk/earthourf"><U><B>EARTHING OUR FAITH</B></U></A></FONT></div> <div> .</div> </td> </tr></table></body>