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The E-mail Newsletter of Eco-Justice Ministries
visit our home page, and the index to all Eco-Justice Notes

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Who Am I?
distributed 3/30/01 - ©2001

The pastoral ministry of the church is an important part of our work for eco-justice. The personal needs of the folk in the pew have a bearing on how we all live in the world.

The question of self-identity is at the core of many pastoral needs. People wrestle with the question, 'Who am I?' In answering that question, we label ourselves as parents or children, by our jobs or political parties, by age or race or gender.

As members of the church, though, we claim a distinctive and over-arching identity. Along with our other descriptions, we should all proclaim, 'I am a child of God.' To see ourselves as children of God is an essential part of coming to grips with the beliefs and behaviors of a faithful eco-justice perspective. Claiming an identity as a child of God is important in resisting and rejecting other beliefs and behaviors that are damaging to the environment and to just relationships.

What are some of the affirmations that we make when we identify ourselves as children of God?

• God creates us as unique individuals, with our own gifts and personalities and identities.

• We are loved and lovable, not only by the God of Love, but by other people. We are called to share and spread God's love in all our relationships. In loving relationships, we see the uniqueness and beauty in others, and we relate to them as equals.

• Our relationship with God has moral content. We are capable of and prone to sin, both as broken relationships and as inappropriate acts. By God's loving grace, through Jesus Christ we are forgiven. God's grace is not 'cheap' grace. We are held accountable for our lives.

• We are capable of finding meaning in our lives, especially through relationships and through dedicating our lives to service.

• God calls us to be stewards of the gifts that have been entrusted to our care -- of money and property, of talents and abilities, of life and of creation itself.

• We are created to live in community and in relationship. No one is complete as an isolated individual.

• Our lives are part of the flow of history. We are linked to a past, and in the telling of our stories we find God revealed. We look toward a future, and through God we find hope for that future.

From the basis of the 'consumer' perspective, we hear statements that are contrary to our faith:

• We are not unique individuals, but statistics, good targets for mass-marketing, and eager to be like everyone else.

• As ourselves, we are unloved and unlovable. We need products and things to make us attractive and lovable.

• We find our central meaning in things, in property.

• We have no responsibility to or for anyone; we care only for ourselves, or at most for our families.

• We exist in and for the present moment; we are distanced from the past, and have no concern for the future.

In all of our churches, and in all of our lives, let us remember that we are first and foremost children of God.

Earth Day is just four weeks away. Do you know what is happening in your community to mark the occasion?

The Earth Day Network maintains a listing of events around the world that are related to Earth Day - and not all of them are on April 22. You can check the listing at www.earthday.net The search tools make it easy to look by state or community.

In Denver, Eco-Justice Ministries and the Colorado Council of Churches are co-sponsoring an ecumenical service of worship on Earth Day afternoon, Sunday, April 22. The service will be held at Central Christian Church, 3690 Cherry Creek South Drive, in Denver, at 4:00 PM. Dr. George Tinker, of the Iliff School of Theology, will preach. I hope those of you from the Denver area will spread the word, and will join us for this celebration of faith and eco-justice commitment.