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The Holy Spirit and the World
SCRIPTURE TEXT:
ROMANS 8:12-17
Introduction
Let me
share with you a couple of concerns which I find interesting as we look into
ourselves in preparation for the coming years. I find Norman Myers' book. The
Gaia Atlas of Future World, giving us many detailed information about what
is happening and what is going to happen in this world. Some of the images of
the future he invokes are the following:
Global Warning
POPULATION. Sixty years ago, global population was 2
billion. Today, there are more than 5 billion. By the year 2000, there will be
6 billion. And by 2025, there could be more than 10 billion. As a result of
population explosion, this single species is already consuming 40 percent of
worldwide plant growth each year. This means that the other 30 million species
on earth have to make do with the remaining 60 percent.
Overpopulation
will eventually lead to mass poverty and mass migration. Therefore, population growth is one of the
important factors in global warning that we must consider.
CLIMATE. There has generally been a moderate amount
of carbon dioxide (C02) in the atmosphere throughout most of the biosphere's
history. But during the millennia, before the industrial revolution began, C02
in the atmosphere was about 280
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parts per million (ppm). Today, the level has risen beyond 350 ppm and is building at 2 ppm per
year. It is projected to double beyond the 280 ppm
level by the year 2050, causing the temperature to rise by 2-5°C (3.6-9°F).
Also, the greenhouse effect causes ozone-destroying reaction for a hundred
years or more. Thinning of the ozone layer causes increased transmission of
ultraviolet radiation which in turn causes devastation of plant and animal
life.
All
hinges therefore on the amount of heat that the atmosphere retains, which in
turn depends on its mix of gases. The proportion of these gases is a natural
climate regulator and an increase in greenhouse gases means an increase in
average global temperature.
FORESTS. The earth's forests are disappearing at
the rate of 142,000 square kilometers of tropical forests destroyed and another
150,000 square kilometers grossly degraded. This covers a total area equivalent
to the whole of
Our
atlases traditionally feature a vivid green band around the equator denoting
the most lush vegetation on earth. We may soon have to recolor the band with
dirty brown to depict the death of the greatest celebration of nature ever to
grace the face of the planet.
POLLUTION.
Just 30 years ago, there was pollution all over but it was still localized and
confined to parts of individual nations. Today, it knows no frontiers—acid rain
spans entire regions, while ozone-layer depletion and atmospheric warming
affect the whole planet.
Worldwide,
industry directly spews into the air and to bodies of water some 70,000
different chemicals, largely untested for their environmental effects.
Carbon
dioxide, which causes almost 50 percent of the greenhouse effect, stems mostly
from the combustion of fossil fuels in power plants, factories and
vehicles.
In sum,
our poisoned planet reflects a combination of the world's major challenges:
demand for energy, food supply and land resources. Air pollution, land
pollution and ocean pollution will be, or rather is, a serious problem.
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Global Effects
The
greenhouse effect will alter the face of the planet more widely than for the
last hundreds of thousands of years. On the average, by mid-2000s, global
temperature is predicted to rise by an estimated 3-5°C above the level
prevailing in recent centuries - a change compared to the 4°C in the other
direction that was enough to trigger the onset of an ice age. But while the
tropics are likely to see a little increase, the temperate zones may well
witness a rise of 5-7°C, and the poles a vast 6-12°C.
At the
same time, sea levels will rise by 0.5 to 1.5 meters, not due to the melting of
glaciers and ice caps (this will come later with far larger sea-level rises)
but because warmer temperatures will cause the upper layers of the ocean to expand.
Coastal megacities such as
The
greenhouse effect will cause radical changes. The North American grain belt may
start to become unbuckled while the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS,
formerly
Global Interdependence
For 400
years, the nation-state system has dominated international relations. However
in the last 40 years, international manufacturing trade has increased seven
times and there have been manifold increases in investment and capital flows. There
have been similar revolutionary increases in air travel and telecommunications.
This all means that national borders are increasingly porous affairs.
Now the
name of the game is economic interdependence which implies political
interdependence. At the same time, we are experiencing environmental
interdependence, as evidenced by the acid rain phenomenon, marine pollution and
the greenhouse effect. Still other kinds of interdependence arise in the form
of terrorism and drug trafficking.
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Toward 2000
As we
head toward the new millennium, a
number of organizations have been making ambitious plans.
HEALTH
FOR ALL to ensure primary health care for all would be one of the top concerns
of everybody—although this would cost a lot.
EDUCATION
FOR ALL, to ensure that basic education for all will be provided as a major
element in the process towards reducing inequality and achieving
self-sufficiency.
FAMILY
PLANNING FOR ALL, to ensure that fertility in the developing world be reduced
and that smaller number of children per family be the norm in societies.
Also,
the TROPICAL FORESTS should be protected to save threatened species. CLIMATE
CHANGE should also be properly controlled through inter-govemmental
strategies and collective efforts of concerned groups.
Many
people have suggested the following 12-point priority of concerns, namely:
1. slow
population growth;
2.
reduce poverty, inequality and
3. make
agriculture sustainable;
4.
protect forests and habitats;
5.
protect freshwater quality;
6.
increase energy efficiency;
7.
develop renewable sources of energy;
8.
limit air pollution, notably 'greenhouse gases';
9.
reduce waste generation and increase recycling;
10.
protect the ozone layer;
11. protect
ocean and coastal resources; and
12.
shift military spending to sustainable development.
In Search of the
True Spirit
When we
survey the general trends in the global village today, we find human beings trying
to dominate (Gen 1:26) all the living creatures under the sea, on air and on
earth. So that eventually human destiny comes under serious challenge. Bible
passages tell us that if one lives according to human greed, one
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dies (v. 13). In
other words, if one lives selfishly to satisfy one's desires, one contributes
to the destruction of the earth.
However,
those who are led by the spirit of God are able to subordinate their human nature to God's will as God's spirit unites with them and makes them
God's children (v. 16).
Here we
see a sharp contrast of possibilities. If we live according to worldly behavior
we perish. But if we live by the grace of God's spirit and put to death our
sinful actions, we will have life. The condition for life is God's spirit being
able to control us in order that God can keep away our sinful actions.
We are
naturally concerned about the deathly ways of human beings all over the world.
In the name of 'progress', 'stability', 'development' and even in the name of
'peace', human beings justify their destructive ways. In reality, it is not
progress nor development that is assured but destruction of the earth and the
human community.
In
fact, the issue is we have turned away from God. We can only right our
relationship with God and with the whole creation if we recognize the power of
the Holy Spirit in our lives. As the entire creation groans, we seek
reconciliation with God and in doing so we find peace with the world.
In
recent history, ideological confrontation between East and West created a lot
of problems for the world's peoples. These Cold War ideologies are over already
or declining at the moment. We perceive the alternative ideology to be
environmentalism. It is inclusive of our global concerns and helps to restore
our relationship with nature. Environmental consciousness enables us to
overcome the deathly nature of human selfishness. It gives us a new hope for
all those who are willing to live in peace and harmony with creation.
Therefore,
God's spirit will lead us to discern environmentalism properly so that this
alternative ideology may serve to fulfill the joyful future of the earth's
inhabitants.
Future
eco-technology will provide many economies to grow. However, if we lose the
true spirit and hold high technologies as some sort of God, then we will
certainly perish.
In this
new dawn, everyone seeks the true spirit. Some will be blessed and others will
not. According to K. C. Abraham in his booklet, Eco-fustice,
economics, ecology and ecumenism should
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be an inter-related
concern. These three important words are rooted from the Greek word, oikos, translated as dwelling place, living
place or house. K. C. Abraham suggests that the ecumenical world should reflect
on the wider relationship of people and the place that God has given for us to
live on. We pray that the Holy Spirit empowers us to do our task at this
juncture of history. (1993)