We’re caught between mindless overconsumption and eco-anxiety. How would Jesus, the Lord of all Creation, have us keep and cultivate his planet – not as a fringe concern, but as a central part of our daily discipleship?

The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it; for he founded it on the seas, and established it on the waters’ (Psalm 24:1–2).

Ever wonder, then, how our Creator feels about the state his planet is in?

Ballooning temperatures, sea-levels, and fear among younger people. Shrinking biodiversity, forests, and hope that we can make any real difference to our environment. Global weirding is real. In response, we swing between oblivious business-as-usual and frenetic activism, all with a background sense that we’re damned if we do, damned if we don’t.

Where are Christians in all of this? The vast majority of young people are concerned about the climate crisis, but only one in 10 think the church is doing enough about it. Many young adults feel the church is irrelevant to the cause, or even part of the problem – offering an escapist gospel of a better world to come, regardless of how we use and abuse our world in this life. So they drop out and seek camaraderie among rebels willing to resist extinction.

But what if keeping God’s earth and cultivating disciples of Jesus fit perfectly together? We need a better conversation about how to put earthkeeping at the centre of discipleship – and how to practise it in all the details of our daily lives.

That’s what this Wisdom Lab is all about. Building on a four-part blog series, we heard from four expert practitioners deeply invested in making a difference in this climatically critical moment. And we celebrated the launch of Paul Kunert’s provocative new essay, Jesus Died to Save the Planet.

Through evidence-based, theologically-rich insights and honest dialogue, we were inspired to see earthkeeping as an essential component of discipleship, not a niche concern.

Now it’s your turn! Whether as an individual, or with your small group, this resource is designed to help you join the conversation, equipped to live more sustainably right where you are, from a place of hope, honouring the Lord of all creation.

Recorded on Zoom on 20 June 2024.

Timings:

1. Dave Benson introduces the Wisdom Lab – 00:00:00
2. Mark Greene and Paul Kunert launch Jesus Died to Save the Planet – 00:06:36
3. Bethany Kunert on Listen – 00:20:34
4. Jo Herbert-James on Imagine – 00:28:16
5. Paul Kunert on Create – 00:40:08
6. Laura Young on Communicate – 00:49:17
7. Panel discussion with audience-generated Q&A – 01:03:06

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Helpful articles

As part of their contribution to this Wisdom Lab, each speaker wrote a blog article exploring their topic further:

• Part one: Bethany Kunert helps us listen to the groans of the planet, discerning what’s going on now in our climate crisis, and why we yo-yo between mindless overconsumption and eco-anxiety. Bethany raises important questions for the church in this cultural moment.
• Part two: Jo Herbert-James helps us imagine a thriving planet where we seek shalom, living in harmony with God, our neighbours, nature, and oneself. We get a picture of what should be going on as we follow Jesus – the Lord of all creation and the crux of God’s mission.
• Part three: Paul Kunert helps us to create a flourishing home, considering personal practices and healing action as wise ways of reflecting whole-life worship and a response worthy of King Jesus.
• Part four: Laura Young explores how we can communicate the (whole) gospel that Jesus died not just for you and me, but to save the kosmos, within which we find our home.

Jesus Died to Save the Planet

Just Listening

This Wisdom Lab from 2021 hosted a better conversation about faith and justice. Through the video, discussion guide, and articles, you’ll find some great fodder to sharpen your understanding of how to follow Jesus in an unjust world:

• Just Listening landing page for all resources
• Ruth Valerio’s article on on ‘Simplicity, generosity, and contentment’
• Dave Bookless’s article on ‘Caring for creation’

Connecting with Culture

Articles on climate issues from our regular weekly blog, which considers how we might respond to the culture around us in our everyday lives in a Christlike way:

• Earth Day 2024 – Planet vs. Plastics
• London Fashion Week: Out with the new, in with the old
• The Cost of Climate Inaction
• Living Out Hope in a Changing Climate
• No Clean Lips with Dirty Hands
• Washing Dishes While the Planet Burns
• Covid, Consumerism, and Climate
• Plastic is Fantastic
• Feeling the Heat
• Plastic Planet
• A Better Story

Word for the Week

Devotional reflections which relate the word of God to the world of our everyday life. This four-part series, written by Sophie Sanders on ‘Creation Care in a Climate Crisis’, considers a narrative theology of everyday earthkeeping across creation, corruption, Christ, and hope of consummation. It explores a primary response in each act of the biblical story, to cultivate, and champion:

• Cultivate (Part 1)
• Confess (Part 2)
• Care (Part 3)
• Champion (Part 4)