Creation’s Collapse Demands a New Form of Patriotism
by Peter Gwillim Kreitler

3,450 days have neither been fully utilized nor appreciated in an ever-increasing pattern of denial by governments, churches, big businesses, and even some in the environmental community. We are in collective denial about the accelerating collapse of creation.

Those accountable for keeping and serving God’s garden — people in communities of faith — often build a framework for living based upon a theology of hope. Faith and hope seem to remain the pillars of the optimistic religious person intent on being part of the ushering in of the realm of God. Hope and faith reside in a belief in God and individuals who "walk the talk." Because of the loss of two octogenarians since the 1992 Earth Summit, the light of hope is a little less bright. Ives-Jacques Cousteau and David Brower were beacons of hope at the global gathering in Brazil. They spoke of the necessity of healing the planet immediately. Both persons of great stature in the world community, their presence and words gave me hope amidst a cacophony of sound that often signified nothing. Cousteau’s words still resonate to the very core of my being: "Unless we do something radical today we will be unable to do anything at all tomorrow." Who among us are the Browers and Cousteaus of today, holding a mirror in front of us that asks us to examine our behavior?

The "tomorrow" that Mr. Cousteau referenced has arrived. There is good news and bad news. The bad news is that too many in the world are still rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic. The good news is that there are more people today doing the re-arranging. More individuals claim to be environmentalists. Thousands attend conferences on environmental issues worldwide. Sadly, it appears that UN conferences like Stockholm (1972) and Rio (1992) did little more that set in motion the contemporary 2002 UN World Summit on Sustainable development in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Have conferences led to complacency and a sense of self-satisfaction that leads to a quieting of the prophetic voice? Stacks of ‘white papers’ in the form of Agenda 21’s 300-plus programs (that were drafted and re-drafted 10 years ago) warned of the challenges facing the human and non-human family. Skeptics claim papers do not change behavior, and the voices that can move millions have disappeared from the daily discourse. Are we once again a rudderless community lacking the engines calling us to accountability? We need to re-think what the prophetic message of Amos, Jeremiah, Hosea, Isaiah and Jesus was designed to accomplish in their day, and raise up the prophetic voices in our day.

There is a parable from the New Testament that on first read has little to do with the ‘big picture’ of a collapsing creation. Jesus attended a wedding in Cana of Galilee. But his first miracle is more than a nice story of bringing wine from earthenware water jugs to thirsty wedding guests. Jesus, in a demonstration of transformation, modeled behavior that was so simple that it is beneficently profound for today. To be fully human we must always be in the process of becoming something else, or to quote theologian Paul Tillich’s famous mantra, "being is becoming." The story of the wedding feast in Cana calls us to be present in God’s garden, and then to do something concrete on behalf of others. Presence and action in the world on an ongoing basis is the only model that will save us from ourselves today. First metanoia, a change of heart, then modification of behavior on a daily basis, and then we will see the re-birth of hope.

Patriotism and matriotism, or love of one’s country, regardless of the country, must be woven into our environmental ethic and theological framework… The model for keeping and serving creation will emerge from love of place.

The human family has fallen short of the mark, especially in the last decade. As the earth is discounted and Agenda 21 of Rio forgotten, our nation’s power base’s love of only OUR place has resulted in a level of greed unparalleled in human history. The Earth Summit ten years ago was about building bridges among all God’s family to insure intergenerational equity. Today in our land, and in the wealthy pockets in many of the world’s nations, there is a wanton disregard for the whole of creation. Self-centered greed seems to be the theological principle of choice. The attitude of many, even among professing members of communities of faith, is to acquire for me and mine, and let the crumbs be gathered by the rest. This theology of greed has played out on the front pages of our newspapers in dramatic ways with the corporate sector manifesting this highly acclaimed principle of modern behavior. This pattern has accelerated within the last 10 years, the same 10 years where a quieting of the voice on behalf of creation is well documented.

Where are the prophetic voices challenging this ‘democratic’ system that punishes thousands and rewards a few CEO’s, often at the expense of an environment so in need of our undivided attention?

My mentor, Dr. John Seeley, who will celebrate his 90^th birthday next February, has always encouraged me to take every issue to the "highest good." The highest good that emerged from Rio was the sense of possibility given cooperation and vision, especially among the people at the Global Forum (the non-governmental conference). Many people were hope filled as they witnessed cross-cultural and international accommodation of some of the most pressing issues facing the whole of the earth. Global warming, over-consumption, deforestation, population, decreasing habitat — to name a few of the ‘big’ ones — were blueprinted for action. We are, however, perishing today because the vision has been clouded by less serious, more immediate challenges. In addition, the highest good for many is self-promotion and personal salvation, both spiritually and economically, all at the expense of a global resurrection. Personal salvation is an oxymoron as the whole of creation diminishes before our eyes.

David Brower asked us to address the highest good. For me it is the preservation of the Garden of Eden, so that all in God’s realm forever will have access to a ‘land of milk and honey.’ All other issues pale in comparison to this primary directive to the human family today. Personal salvation is inappropriate in the face of creation’s collapse because it justifies both personal economic and spiritual achievement, often at someone else’s expense.

Global warming will hurt the poor and marginalized first, as it already has in many parts of the world, but no one will escape what is looming over the horizon. Even the management of the weather channel on our television sets is preparing for dramatic climate shifts and how to report these increasing weather aberrations.

As the 10^th anniversary conference gets underway, we ask: Where is the present leadership in the world currently acting to insure a sustainable Garden of Eden for all in God’s realm? We have a crisis of leadership at a time when the Earth is speaking to us.

My path has taken me to incorporate my love of God and God’s gift of creation with preserving patriotism; not as love of my country accompanied with the hatred of others; but preserving the whole of creation so that all are given access to life, liberty, freedom, justice and the pursuit of happiness. A parent in Afghanistan is as concerned about the long-term health of their children as a parent in America is. The one thing we all share in common is the need to access clean air, food, water and a place to lay our head at night. A true patriot waves his or her flag to celebrate the joy of the liberties achieved, but strives daily to make sure those liberties are a part of everyone’s life. A true patriot is an environmentalist and a theologian because they pledge to preserve their surroundings (the gift of the garden from God) so that future generations will have access to the basic necessities of life.

I have thought a great deal about the three weeks I spent in Brazil at the Earth Summit. In a California newspaper article written a week after I arrived home in July of 1992, I was quoted as saying, "I was the angriest I’ve ever been in my life." I was angry because of the squandered opportunities by the leadership of the nations of the world. Today, the anger has changed to a resignation that the 500 pages of the official Agenda 21 document are insufficient to motivate people to sacrifice for the good of the whole. I am resigned to the fact that unless a new leadership emerges, the re-arranging of the chairs on the deck of the Earth ship will be for naught.

10 years later, I believe we need: environmental statespersons in cabinet positions in every nation in the world to meet yearly; ministers for the environment in every diocese in the nation to meet quarterly; environmental ombudsmen in every university to meet monthly; ecological warriors in every corporation in the world to meet weekly, and environmental stewards in every home to focus daily on simple changes.

No clergy should be given the privilege of ordination unless he or she is conversant in a theological foundation reflecting the preservation of God’s creation. Clergy should not be paid a dime by their congregations unless they address in an ongoing and systematic way a plan… to keep and serve God’s gift to us.

Granted, some religious leaders have tried and continue to try to raise the issues of forest loss, saving energy, global warming, consumption and conception, etc. They are isolated voices for creation, yet their protestations, well-designed press conferences, articles, books, and our committees, conferences and conventions are simply prolonging the inevitable collapse of creation. Whittling on the front porch of the church as it collapses from within may not be too far removed from the truth today. Even the great work of many in the church — and there are many who I love, respect and admire — is out of proportion to the enormity of the forces working against sustaining a healthy creation. Tomorrow is here, and the pace accelerates and the scale changes daily.

What or who will be the catalyst to awaken a population seduced by excess and made numb by a repetition, almost daily, of a government-endorsed mantra that silence is good, dissent is bad, and challenging the status quo is un-patriotic and un-American? Will it be another conference or prophetic voices of hope?

To their credit, and with great historical precedent and at some peril to career or reputation, church leaders willing to adopt the prophetic Biblical model have arisen to hold the mirror to the culture. I am hope-filled when strong voices speak for the voiceless in creation, and when deep feeling men and women of faith are willing to sacrifice for the good of the whole of God’s creation.

We danced and sang 10 years ago. The time to do something radical is now, and gathering to sing and dance should be reserved for the celebration of the accomplishments; much as the U.S. gathers on July 4^th to celebrate our freedoms. No more singing and dancing until the job is done.

A truly radical first step might be to declare our patriotism, our love of God’s land, the whole of creation and all contained therein, and then ask what is really required of us as patriots. Remember the tea party in Boston? Persons angry at the yoke of oppression carried it out. The real oppression facing the world is the collapse of the water, air, land, fish, sea, and forests systems that sustain life. A true patriot today is one who loves their surroundings so much that he or she is willing to challenge anyone or anything that does harm to the least in creation.

Every community in America has an environmental organization today highlighting local issues. Volunteer to protect the place you love. Write an editorial to the local paper supporting a pro-active ‘preserving creation’ agenda. Informed choices related to lifestyle lessen our individual footprint on the planet. Dietary, clothing, automobile, paper, fertilizer, cleaning product and consumption choices do make an enormous contribution to the preservation of God’s garden gifted to us.

And as people of faith, are we not called to serve God and all in God’s household or oikos? The word oikos is significant. From the Greek for home or household we get the words economics and ecology. To have a strong household of God we need good management of the business side of the household (that will occur only if greed is not valued as a Christian virtue), and sound management of the environment or ecological framework of the planet.

Our nation was awash [in 1942] in patriotism that reflected the current phrase "United We Stand." This is a theological and practical challenge for today: standing united in the face of a collapsing creation will give hope to succeeding generations.

Our presence as people of faith is continually seen at conferences, and now our actions must be felt as we transform the world into the land of milk and honey. We are called to ‘prophetic imagination’ by God to insure that the Garden remains healthy and sustainable for generations to come. The prophetic voice preaches hope wrapped in action. May this truly become the most talked about news story of the next decade? The choice is ours.

The Rev. Peter Gwillim Kreitler is the Minister for the Environment for the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles, the first such position in the United States. He is also the creator and co-host of the television show "EarthTalk Today," and founder of Optimum Yield Inc., an organic fertilizer company. Peter has authored four books, including The Earth’s Killer C’s — An Eco-Conservatives Guide to the Environmental Crisis. He may be reached by email at pkreitler@aol.com