Norman Wirzba develops the theme of extending hospitality to all of God’s creatures in his book, The Paradise of God . He notes that hospitality in the Old Testament involved in part the inviting of sojourners into the home, in brief, making room for them. God carved out spaces (land, air, water) for all of his creatures
Ok. I know that this is somewhat typical of me
I grew up in Wisconsin but never realized all that was there. I didn’t know that it was home to Aldo Leopold (didn’t know who he was at the time either). I didn’t pay much attention to Horicon Marsh or Necedah National Wildlife Refuge. And I didn’t know that Baraboo Wisconsin was home to the International Crane Foundation
There are various reasons why Christians may approach environmental issues with a skeptical eye and be reluctant to embrace them. One is the concern that it is an alternative religion to Christianity
I’ve been thinking about the meaning or lessons to be drawn from the oil spill disaster in the Gulf of Mexico. Many others have as well
One of my favorite quotes comes from Wendell Berry (not surprisingly). In commenting on the nature of the abundant life, he makes the statement that material sufficiency has been met (food, clothing, shelter etc.), “life itself, which is membership in the living world, is already an abundance” ( The Way of Ignorance ). Think about it. It goes to how we think about what constitutes the good life
Earth Day last month made me wonder why we don’t have a similar day within the church. We wouldn’t have to call it “Earth Sunday” or anything. We could call it “Creation Sunday” or have a “Season of Creation.” Currently, the first half of our church year rightly focuses on the life of Jesus
Maybe it’s a guy thing. Maybe its a childhood memory thing. Maybe its a Robinson Crusoe thing (or was it the Disney version, namely, the Swiss Family Robinson movie). I don’t know
By Dr. Charles Arand This Sunday provides an opportunity to highlight one of the most significant events within the history of the church. By the fourth century, the church had found itself with a conflict between its monotheistic principle (the oneness of God) and its Christocentric principle (the deity of the Son). Many argued that ..
Why do non-Christian naturalists and scientists from Rachel Carson to E. O
I was finishing eighth grade and getting ready for confirmation when the first earth day was celebrated in 1970. Senator Gaylord Nelson of Wisconsin helped organize the first Earth Day as an awareness raising event. Over the years, Earth Day has provided an opportunity both to take stock of human impact on earth and to call people to action that they might take better care of it
On Easter, we Christians celebrated the bursting forth of the new creation in the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The restoration of creation has begun with him and with us. Consider the story. God had first created the earth and its creatures
March 22 provides an opportunity consider one of the most basic needs of life that we can easily take for granted. Water is one of those support webs that connects, supports, sustains, and enriches all life on earth. Put a bird bath in your yard and watch them come! We face two water issues
Quite a few visitors stopped by to dine in our yard this winter. Most came after a fresh blanket of snow had fallen or when the temperature dropped into the teens. White-throated sparrows from the boreal forests of Canada joined our local residents of Cardinals, Chickadees, Tit-mice, Carolina Wrens, Hairies, and Downies. Our surprise guest of honor was a tiny Ruby-crested kinglet. His constant flitting made it initially difficult for me to identify him
I recently saw A Serious Man, the Coen brothers new film, at the Tivoli. In between an opening prologue of a Yiddish folk tale and a truly stunning ending is the story of Larry Gopnik, a middle-class
Will he talk or won’t he? It’s a question St. Louis sports fans have been talking about for weeks now. The “he” in question is the new hitting coach for the baseball Cardinals