Christian conversations on climate change

Can you make the connections between your faith and climate change and its impact on people? To help you, here are five conversations on climate change and creation care between Tearfund Ambassador Less Waste Laura and five different Christian organisations.

Laura is joined in turn by our friends at Christians Against Poverty, Scottish Bible Society, Alpha, International Justice Mission UK and Evangelical Alliance Scotland. They discuss how these issues relate to their work and help broaden our perspective on how they relate to our faith.

1. Christians Against Poverty (CAP) in conversation with Less Waste Laura

Less Waste Laura and Emma Jackson, the Scotland Director for Christians Against Poverty, discuss how those on the lowest income – in the UK and overseas –  are impacted most by changes to the environment. Yet, these same people are excluded from decision-making, including in the church. For CAP, climate justice and social justice are two sides of the same coin. Emma and Laura agree that while individual action on climate change is important, structural change is also vital. All of us, no matter our income, can call for that change.

Christians Against Poverty (CAP) has a bold vision to see transformed lives, thriving churches and an end to UK poverty. In partnership with local churches across the UK, CAP delivers services that will lift people out of poverty. They have a network of debt centres that provide free, accredited, person-centred debt help that is open to anyone and everyone.

2. Scottish Bible Society in conversation with Less Waste Laura

Scottish Bible Society’s Chief Executive, Elaine Duncan, and Less Waste Laura consider what the Bible has to say about creation care. Elaine encourages us to consider how creation care is part of the bigger Bible story and how the natural world reflects the beauty of the character of God. She makes the important point that we in the West tend to individualise the gospel yet the New Testament was written for communities, with a strong call to protect the most vulnerable and stand up for justice.

Scottish Bible Society works with partners in Scotland and across the globe so that all people can have the Bible in a language they understand, in a form they can access, and at an affordable price, to aid genuine encounters with God. Scottish Bible Society wants to equip as many people and churches as possible so that they can share the Bible in their own communities.

3. Alpha in conversation with Less Waste Laura

Dez Johnston, Alpha’s Youth Director for Europe, Middle East and North Africa, and Less Waste Laura have an honest discussion about the balances we have to strike as we try to live more sustainably. Their wide-ranging discussion covers issues such as travel, fashion and plastics. They consider how climate change is a growing priority for young people and discuss if and how the church should act in response to their concerns.

Alpha UK exists to support and resource the local church with running Alpha courses and reach potential guests interested in trying Alpha. Alpha is a series of group conversations that freely explore the basics of the Christian faith in an open, friendly environment. 

4. International Justice Mission (IJM) UK in conversation with Less Waste Laura

Zoë Warren (née Anderson) was Scotland Lead for IJM UK at the time she spoke with Less Waste Laura (now she’s IJM UK’s Development Lead!). They discuss how climate change and human trafficking are inherently linked: as the impact of climate change becomes more frequent and extreme, people who are living in poverty grow increasingly vulnerable to being trafficked by those seeking to exploit them. But Zoe reminds us that God’s light shines in the darkness and he wants to see freedom and restoration. God doesn’t ask us to solve the scale of the problem alone, but he asks us – like the boy with two loaves and five fishes – to bring what is in our hands: our skills, passions and resources, so he can multiply them.

International Justice Mission (IJM) is a global organisation working to stop slavery and violence. IJM works with local authorities to: bring people to safety, support survivors with trauma-informed care, hold perpetrators to account, and strengthen justice systems so that people are protected in the first place. IJM has seen slavery decrease by up to 86% in places where they work.

5. Evangelical Alliance Scotland in conversation with Less Waste Laura

Chris Ringland, the Public Policy Officer for the Evangelical Alliance Scotland, and Less Waste Laura delve into a discussion about the evangelical church and its engagement with climate change. They discuss how the evangelical church's core purpose to 'make Jesus known' works alongside engaging with climate change, while acknowledging that there can sometimes be differences of approach. They also talk about how faith inspires Christians and the church to be the change they want to see – and about the issues they care about are often more interconnected than they realise.

The Evangelical Alliance (EA) is an alliance of evangelicals sharing the gospel, lifting voices of hope, and building unity. EA exists to serve and strengthen the UK church. The Being Human podcast Chris mentions can be found on its website. Go to Scotland - Evangelical Alliance to find out more about their work in Scotland or follow them on social media.