There is a tension between missions and climate change that I have not been able to shake while helping create the EcoFaith Dialogues series. It’s been present in searching for guest speakers around the globe. It’s been present in finding educational material on mission and climate. It was even present in my gut during my interview for the position. And it’s taken some time to look at, sit with, and try to understand this tension.
Lucky enough, this semester I have been in a Missions and Evangelism class that has worked to decolonize the history and view of missions. Christian missions have historically used colonialism and imperialism to plant Christian churches around the globe.
Michael Hardt and Antonio Negri’s book Empire states that “Empire seeks to extend its control as far as possible; not only geographically, politically, and economically but also intellectually, emotionally, psychologically, spiritually, culturally and religiously.” This control is also known as imperialism. The act of spreading this control over others is known as colonization.
The causes of climate change stem from this control found in colonialism and imperialism. Just as colonization devalues those who are not a part of the reigning empire (in this case the western empire and culture), it also makes the ‘arrogant assumption’ that the planet is subjugated to the empire and goes on to consume earth’s resources in unsustainable ways.
As seen in EcoFaith Dialogues, one way people are taking action against this devaluing of the planet is through missions and service. But if Christian mission has been misused in the past as an instrument of control, how do we avoid making the same mistakes as we work to mitigate climate change?
Rodrigo Peret, a Franciscan monk who speaks out against the harms of mining, spoke with us on EcoFaith Dialogues about what a new kind of missional presence looks like for the planet.
Peret says, “I think we need to take into consideration a few dimensions. One is presence. To be present, to be nearby. Compassion, and solidarity. They form the cornerstone for pastoral action as exemplified in Jesus’ compassion which propelled him toward healing and liberation. So, the challenges lie in translating compassion into tangible support and solidarity. Fostering dialogue, understanding, and building new relationships with the society and the planet to prevent further pain. So again, we go back to integral ecology. Everything is interconnected. And underscored is the interconnectedness of nature, society … coming from a holistic approach for ecological conversion, questioning existing models of devolvement and consumption.”
As Peret explains, in order for missions to change and be able to take positive action in climate change, they must come together in solidarity, in justice, and in equitable actions to create an interconnected community and movement that no longer aims to control and consume but is focused on justice for all.
A wonderful example of this kind of mission is Shamiso Winnet Mupara’s work with Environmental Buddies Zimbabwe. Environmental Buddies Zimbabwe works against forest and land degradation, poverty, food insecurity, malnutrition, water scarcity, and lack of education by working against the pollution crisis that is “undermining the ability of rural communities to meet their own needs.” Mupara gives a vivid example of the interconnection between communities and climate change, noting that “as forests dwindle, girls find themselves walking longer distances to look for firewood, to look for water. As a result, most of them end up dropping out of school. And then [this lack of education] also has to do with child labor. [Child labor] is also on the rise, because sometimes children have to miss school, or they have to leave school to go and start working to fend for their family. So, this is also becoming a problem. What we would have thought was an environmental problem has also become a human rights problem or a societal problem.” By working with the community to address climate change and the effects of climate change in tandem, Mupara is able to help give support and agency to her community. The community is then not only dealing with the immediate effects of climate change but also touches the interconnected, underlying issue itself.
Creating change towards a society and mission that is more interconnected between communities and the earth will help relieve the tension between the actions of mission and the system of missions. Actions taken in communities to help with the effects of climate change will no longer be in tension with Christian missions, as long as Christian missions give up the consumption and control they have historically perpetuated. Letting go of that control allows missions to live in this interconnected world while taking just action for the planet and for their communities. By changing their focus, missions then will be able to strive for climate justice within communities, addressing the immediate and underlying effects of climate change together.
“We must radically change our lives in response to God’s indignation and sorrow for His creation’s agony.” – The Micah Network
EcoFaith Dialogues is a 787-sponsored project where we interview missionaries around the world about their experience with the impacts of climate change. Click here to hear the interviews and learn more about the project.