News Release

Greetings of peace and harmony with nature through our God – our Creator, Redeemer and Sustainer!

We the participants, from various parts Asia particularly from Thailand, Japan, Philippines, India, Taiwan, and Indonesia with a friend from South Africa, of the Environmental Training Workshop 2002 held National Education Women Center in Saitama, Japan came together to strengthen Asian churches awareness, knowledge and ability to work together in restoring God’s creation; to motivate and support the Asian churches in their environmental protection & development ministry by equipping them with holistic understanding of their experiences and to develop participants skills and strategies by enhancing their capabilities in assisting local churches and communities. `

After people shared their experiences and mentioned their environmental situation, we recognized our frailties as stewards. We destroyed the His image in us because we wanted to be like God (the fall) and built things to glorify ourselves as humans (Tower of Babel). We have disrupted the systems and cycles of nature as designed perfectly by God because we thought that we are better than God. We alienated ourselves from Him and from creations because we put ourselves in His place. We become ungrateful, unjust and arrogant when we built big houses and granary while other are starving to death. As stewards, we failed to maintain order and harmony with nature, resulting to the groaning of the whole creation and total chaos. Because we failed, the whole natural world is in crisis, our future is very uncertain if we don’t solve following crises and deal directly their causes;

1. Abuse on natural resources – the abuse of nature due to ruthless exploitation since the time of colonialism up to the time of Globalization has destroyed forest, water cycles and systems and land that are the basis of people’s survival. The productivity levels of our lands have been damaged by the heavy use of pesticides and inorganic fertilizers to support monoculture and seed monopolies resulting to food insecurities and crisis. The sources of potable and irrigation waters are being destroyed by commercial mining, deforestation and continuous pollutions of industries and domestic activities that will soon lead us water shortage and eventually crisis.

2. Economic crisis and concentration of wealth – The gap between the rich and poor is in disastrous proportions, the few wallow in scandalous wealth while millions suffer from appalling poverty. The concentration of earth resources –land, water, and even knowledge are in the hands of few elites that lead unequal opportunities and injustices.

3. Poor Governance – The concentration of power in the hands of the few, recycling of leadership and corrupt bureaucracy have resulted in the formation of anti-poor legislations and policies as well as the poor delivery of basic social services.

4. Toxic proliferation – Many companies, in the pursuit of profits release toxic wastes and poisons in the place we are all living. To date, hazardous materials from industries and wastes like banned pesticides from other countries like Japan and United States contaminate every inch of the earth and its atmosphere which eventually cause the disruption of human body functions, causes cancer and other diseases. And the situation is farther aggravated by uncontrolled open-door policy on foreign investment and deregulation and liberalization of trade.

5. Aggression and Violent Mentality – The violent and aggressive mentality of the powerful toward people and animals resulted into deprivation of human and animal rights. In general, genocide is not only happening to animal and plant species (fora and fauna) but also to human beings. A culture of aggression as a result of mis-education and idolizing of foreign icons that perpetuated by media and information technology reflects the culture of dominance and subjugation.

6. Globalization – The accumulation of wealth by the global elites has farther worsened the environment and economic crisis in the poor countries and the worst of all is the curtailment of national sovereignty imposed by international institutions like IMF-WTO and WTO and implemented by their local counterparts.

After hearing people, we believe that the issue of environment is not merely aesthetic value nor scientific facts and figures, nor tree planting, nor conservation, nor biodiversity, neither re-greening but as an issue of survival and life. The people see the issue of environment is interdependent political, social, and economic and spiritual issue (holistic) that affect every living and non-living creatures. We saw that poverty and environment degradations are in vicious cycle unless we are convinced to confess and change our attitudes that devalue and disgrace the environment.

We still consider Church as a potent force of change and an agent of God to restore of His creation. The Church cannot abdicate this role to lead and work with communities to improve the lives of people. The church cannot simply ignore the environmental problems its people are facing. The moral integrity of the church makes it a stronger body to effect changes in the attitudes and lifestyles of people and corporations. And the church call for total conversion of individual shall be based on the total development of people and communities whereby humanity exist enjoyable with nature and creations to have abundant and meaningful life for all.

We are challenged to re-read our Bible our lives as stewards of God’s creations. We are dared to live simply so that other could simply live and to look for alternatives actions, and attitudes to hasten the transformation of our Churches and society to become instruments of life. We continue to formulate our plans to experience the fullness of life as promised by our Lord Jesus Christ.

We encourage churches to develop their parishioners as ecological and environmental centers to awaken people in their environmental responsibility as stewards and advocacy hub to oppose any actions or plans that threaten the integrity of creation and to commit themselves as environmental trustees. We encourage Christians from all countries to work together for sustainable and genuine developments that are people-based to regenerate the trust of God to us. We encourage our hierarchy to lead the way to restore creation from total decay and contextualize carefully their theology on care of creation and to model what it means to be just and responsible stewards. We ask our leadership to strengthen the community capacity and ability to oppose any systems and structures that induce inequality rather than just for the rest of the common good by;

1. To make the local churches and parishioners as environment information and education hub as well ecological project center whereby environment and other related issues at different levels are discussed and projects are planned, developed and implemented.

2. To develop a clear theological perspectives care and integrity of creation and promote Biblical eco-spirituality among the people

3. To promote dialogue with different stakeholders and to find ways and means to involve the communities especially the professionals in the development of environment friendly plans – use of non conventional use of energy, revision of church buildings and other structures to harness rain water and solar energy.

4. To use different approaches to mobilize people in the protection of the environment like tapping local media and movements, posters, rallies, and other forms of campaign.

5. Lastly, to focus on the issue of Potable and Drinking water as priority issue for 2003.

As privileged groups that are involved in the theological studies and formation of clergy and lay leaders, we call on these institutions to be vigilant and aware of what is happening in our world environment today by;

1. As educators, teachers, and formators, there is a need to change our mindset by looking and understanding things and events in the wholistic manner and make concept of ecology and environment not isolated from other issues of human life. It permeates in all fields of studies either in doctrines, histories, scriptures and formations programs because it deals with God given life and our responsibility as good stewards. This long process of unlearning and relearning shall start from our theological foundations as people of God.

2. The institutions look into the root causes of environmental degradations and their impacts on lives and analyze why those are happening and who are accountable. This process will help us see and comprehend why economic developments intended to uplift low economic status poor countries and with a promise to alleviate poverty through out the world has instead brought havoc to our lives and the environment causing ecological imbalance, destruction and death. The many WHYs should and must be answered and be dealt accordingly that may take a long or shorter process, depends in our readiness to open up ourselves to the realities in our society.

3. The institutions involve in communities and capacitate people to participate in opposing any threat to environment taking into consideration our limitations, fears reputations and even our societal status that may be put into test. With solidarity with other groups and in unity with other formations, there are challenges for seminaries and other formations centers to integrate people-based ecology and environment concepts into curriculum development, seminars and other forms educational programs like eco-camps and tours and organize and participate exposures, rallies and other forms of campaign and Inter-seminary consultation dialogue with the victims of environmental destruction.

We strongly believe that God is the ultimate source of life and sole owner for everything that we have in this planet (Ps. 24:1). We subscribe to this Biblical Faith that God shall be the absolute starting point of al plans and of our beings as human. God created very good and valuable foundations of life but was separated from Him yet redeemed from total decay by the Word through incarnation and sustains continually by His power. We believe that in God there is hope not for humanity but for the rest of all whole creation, which is suffering from sin. We ask all people to affirm that God is renewing its creation in Christ through its people.

Likewise, we believe that we are created in His image as man and woman not as an individual but humanity and community who were ordained and directed by God to be stewards of His creation. As stewards, we obliged to live in symbiosis, harmony, just and accountable with our neighbors as well as with all forms of creatures – living and non-living. We are mandated to care but not to destroy, to cultivate but not to exploit, to protect but not abuse and develop the whole creation in a sustainable and life prolonging manners.

We believe that God gave us the privilege to be redeemed and directed to remain in His image to make ourselves holy and acceptable, which are as the only suitable form of veneration. We can have true fellowship with Him;