I think I became passionate about the environment as part of my coming to faith in my mid-20s

My Bible: reasons to believe in the power of the Bible

‘I think I became passionate about the environment as part of my coming to faith in my mid-20s. Today, I am the environmental chaplain for Eco-Congregation Scotland. I encourage churches to rediscover that the earth is not “it” but “who”. Other creatures are fellow stakeholders rather than objects.

‘My job gives me permission to find wonder in what I come across. I was on Iona recently and saw moths that I have never seen before. I want to encourage people to fall in love with the creation that is all around us.

‘At COP last year I met indigenous people who, unlike us, are not alienated from other creatures. They say ‘our relatives the animals’: it is blindingly obvious to them.

‘I get bleak and frightening messages about climate change every day. The passage from the Bible that helps me in this is Matthew 6.34, “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has trouble of its own.”

‘It doesn’t mean to be unaware, but not to be overcome. It means that we need to keep our eyes wide open. I don’t think that I could do this job with all the information that I have without that sort of permission to find joy. The burden of the job is making sure that you are honest about the magnitude of the crisis that we are in. I know enough to have cause to worry, but on the other hand, Christianity is about hope. What I know keeps me awake at night sometimes. But, God is there in and through it with us, and hope probably is a better approach than despair, because you make different decisions than if you are overcome by despair.’

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