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God's Renewed Creation: Call to Hope and Action

God's Renewed Creation: Call to Hope and Action. Response by:. Dr. Robert Rupp West Virginia Wesleyan College April 6, 2010. 3 Roles. Identification- Who we are in this world Interaction- How we interact in this world Inspiration - How we transform this world-. 3 Roles.

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God's Renewed Creation: Call to Hope and Action

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  1. God's Renewed Creation: Call to Hope and Action

  2. Response by: • Dr. Robert Rupp • West Virginia Wesleyan College • April 6, 2010

  3. 3 Roles • Identification-Who we are in this world • Interaction-How we interact in this world • Inspiration- How we transform this world-

  4. 3 Roles • 1-Identification-Who we are in this world • ---West Virginian • 2-Interaction • -How we interact in this world----Human • 3-Inspiration • - How we transform this world-----Methodist

  5. Exercise in Identities • 3 questions asked in Louisiana: • 1-Who’s your mama? • 2-Are you Catholic? • 3-How do you fix your gumbo?

  6. Exercise in Identities • 3 questions asked in West Virginia: • 1-Who’s your daddy? • 2-Are you Methodist? • [Reflects the prominence -at least north of the Kanawha -of Methodists in the state] • 3-How do you fix your ______?

  7. 1.Identification-Who we are in this world? Part of our world are the Icons and Images in it And we need to know how they help or hinder

  8. To Icons and Images of WVadd a complex • Missionary Complex • =Well deserved distrust of outsiders coming and telling us what to do • =Counteracted if (WV Methodists) are the advocates………l

  9. 4-F’s: 1-Food, 2-Family, 3-Flag , 4.Faith • The 4 F’s help us understand the WV and • And the power of the J-word (jobs) in the state • For 1st-Food- is linked to 2ndword-Family • We need jobs not just for us, but to keep our kids in the state (not leave for NC, etc)

  10. 2. Interaction- How we interact in this world as Humans • Pastoral Letter: Reshape the rules of engagement between humans and earth

  11. Waves, Tides,& Sea Changes • Waves- • Visible, but has little long term impact • Tides • Impact but will reverse and go the other way • Sea Change- • Event that change forever the landscape • ”Hinge of history” where you cannot go back

  12. Stewardship= Sea Change • GOOD NEWS is that : • 1-Already There • -We find God’s command in Genesis • 2-Already Here • -We find that many of our youth embrace it • 3- And it Gaining • Younger Evangelical pastors are promoting the idea of responsibility for creation

  13. Bad News- New to USA Stewardship- has not had a long tradition in USA • Thoreau’s quote- reflected common belief : • If a man walked in the woods for love of them half of each day, he is in danger of being regarded as a loafer, but if he spends his whole day as a speculator shearing of those woods and making earth bald before her time, he is estimated as an industrious and enterprising citizen—as if a town had no interest in forests but to cut them down. • And we may add-any interest in replanting is alien

  14. 1900-Teddy Roosevelt- & National Parks Movement=Signifies change • 1) He saw land as sacred • 2) He saw man as responsible

  15. Teddy Roosevelt • “To waste, to destroy, our natural resources, • to skin and exhaust the land instead of using it so as to increase its usefulness • will result in undermining in the days of our children the very prosperity which we ought by right to hand down to them amplified and developed.”

  16. Not a message we want to hear: • Lincoln-story- • One day a man saw a squirrel run out of an historic tree (signifying that the tree was rotting) After many efforts to save the tree, it finally was cut down. • When asked his reaction, the man said : “I wish I hadn’t seen the squirrel”

  17. 3.Inspiration-How we can transform this world- Methodists • At a time when : • We can feel “saddened by the state of the world • “overwhelmed by the scope of the problem, and “anxious about the future” • The Good News is that : • God Calls and EQUIPS us

  18. Plan-brought to you by the Bishops • 1 Vision- What we see • Vision that calls us to Hope/Action • 2. Implementation-What we do • “Environmental holiness” that “walk the talk” in caring for God’s People and Planet” • 3-Attitude-What we believe

  19. 1# God’s creation is in crisis • Three interconnected threats : • 1-Pandemic poverty, • 2-Environmental degradation and • 3-Proliferation of weapons/violence • WV= has direct experience with 2 out of 3

  20. Before listing the pledges, the Bishops acknowledge that : • We must start INSIDE ourselves befor when start to change the outer world • “We cannot help the world until we change our way of being in it.”

  21. 9 Pledges • 1-Start with ourselves • 2-Set a high Goal • - Holy Dissatisfaction • 3-Dialogue w/others • 4-Make Common cause • 5-Go to the Halls of power

  22. Pledges #6/ #7= • “US” Pledges=Can be done soon • 6-Measure CARBON FOOTPRINT • -in our offices • 7-Reduce Dramatically

  23. Pledges #8/#9= • “½ Way There Pledges= Many Methodists already at work on these • 8-Continue the good- transforming ministries ”good fruit of our church” • 9-Use of Web

  24. Pastoral Letter Ends: Beseeching Us • Will you participate in God’s renewing work? • Response: We will, with God’s help.” We are here to begin the participation • -to initiate that sea change in the way care for the creation that God has entrusted to us

  25. We are here tonight • (Pg.5)-May God’s grace: • 1-purify our reason, • 2-Strenthen our will, and • 3-Guide our action • Let’s Begin our discussion!

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