Back to Eden: Reconnecting With God Through Natureናሙና

The Lonely Species

"There are no unsacred places, only sacred places and desecrated places." – Wendell Berry

It is possible for a simple phrase to get under your skin. To crawl into your bones.

This is what happened when I came across the term "species loneliness." It is what Robin Wall Kimmerer calls a "state of isolation and disconnection… [a] sadness stemming from estrangement from the rest of creation, from the loss of relationship."

We have reflected on how all things are Christ-woven. We are but one strand in this greater web of creation. Yet we have done – and are doing – our best to cut ourselves off. We have estranged ourselves. 

One of God’s first commands to Adam and Eve is that they must take care of the Earth (Genesis 2:15). The consequences of our failure to follow this simple yet essential command are plain to see. And are increasingly alarming.

In the last 40 years, the Earth has lost more than half of all its wildlife. Half of all the diverse, beautiful life that God created, annihilated. A great thinning of the wonder of the world. It is what prominent scientists are referring to as ‘the sixth mass extinction’. Other such extinctions in the past have been caused by cataclysmic events such as the eruption of supervolcanoes or asteroids slamming into the Earth. That is the kind of impact that we have been having.

The causes of this are myriad – intensive agriculture, consumerism-fuelled industry, urbanization, climate change – but these are just symptoms of a deeper problem: our broken relationship with creation; our self-inflicted severing from the wider natural world.

In her book Why Rebel, Jay Griffiths writes: ‘I wish that everyone who said they believed in angels would actually believe in insects.’

But why should we care about the wider natural world when there are people suffering?

Because if we harm nature, we harm ourselves.

One-third of all crop production on Earth relies on pollinators such as bees and other insects. Nearly eight hundred million people currently don’t have enough food to eat – if insect populations continue to decline, that number will skyrocket. 

Furthermore, the report shows that 300 million people are being put at risk of flooding due to the loss of coral reefs and mangrove forests.

The clearing of rainforests releases huge amounts of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, as well as reducing the Earth’s ability to absorb them – accelerating climate change. The loss of these habitats often displaces vulnerable indigenous communities.

This isn’t just a ‘green’ issue, a liberal issue, or a political issue. This is a human issue, and it’s one that the church mustn't ignore. 

If we truly love Christ, we need to love his creation. The church must stand against anything that prevents life – all life – from flourishing. 

We cannot go on living as if we are separate from the rest of nature. The more we consume and our economies grow, the further this beautiful Christ-woven world is pushed to breaking point.

The way forward, towards a society that cherishes creation, will require changes at every level – both collectively and individually.

In the Bible, we see God call his people to model a better way of living to the world around them – to let our lights shine before others (Matthew 5:14-16). Looking after creation is a way that we can shine and show love to our neighbors.

The good news is that we don’t have to wait. Let us begin, now, as individuals, churches and communities, to renew our covenant with creation. To join ourselves again to the Christ-woven web of life.

Pray with us

Loving God,

Thank you for this amazing world you have created.

Thank you for its beauty, and for the abundance of life within it.

We repent for the way we have abused this earth –

The poisoned rivers, the toxic fumes, the polluted seas,

The species we have made extinct. Forgive us.

We pray for an end to man-made climate change,

For the prevention of disastrous temperature rises

And for nature to be restored.

We pray that governments and corporations

Will take swift and decisive action –

That everyone will see your creation as a gift to be cherished,

Not a resource to be plundered.

In Jesus’ name we pray,

Amen.