Anglicans look to ‘develop’ new world
By Ethan Flad

How can the church educate and spur action on environmental and economic justice issues, especially at the community level? While delegates from governments and non-governmental organizations alike prepared for the contentious UN World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) in Johannesburg, an international group of Anglicans met in late August to debate the challenges of worldwide poverty and ecological damage.

Sixty representatives from two dozen nations across six continents addressed hot-button topics such as water, energy, HIV/AIDS, hunger, gender, and civic participation at a first-ever "Global Anglican Congress on the Stewardship of Creation" in Hartebeespoort, South Africa. The weeklong conference had three primary objectives: building a consensus on the church’s responsibility to address environmental degradation and human needs; developing a statement for release at the WSSD; and laying a foundation for an ongoing network of educators and activists in the Anglican Communion.

Bishop Geoff Davies of Umzimvubu (South Africa) summarized the challenge before the Congress as the need to answer: "Does the rest of creation have the RIGHT [lower-case in italics] to exist?" Representing a desperately poor region in his nation’s Eastern Cape province, his question pinpointed the battle many developing nations face between calls for environmental conservation pitted against widespread poverty and unemployment. One decade ago the UN "Earth Summit" in Rio de Janeiro had offered hope for new North-South alliances that integrated development concerns with environmental protection. Yet for many people from the Global South, the word "earth" remains the dominant marker, and several Congress participants arrived believing the agenda to have been set by "green" church activists – reflecting similar concerns about the WSSD process itself. Noting this conflict, Bishop George Browning of Canberra (Australia) asked, "Is there a hierarchy in the crisis we face? I think there is a hierarchy, but the one that nations like the U.S. and Australia insist upon is unjust and unsustainable." A broad consensus emerged on calling on governments from the Global North to take responsibility to change consumptive patterns and to make energy-efficient financial and technological resources available to developing countries.

The Congress also reached agreement about the church’s role amidst this crisis: rebuilding moral and spiritual values. Rosina Wiltshire from Barbados, a UN Development Program executive, has spent decades working in the UN to overcome these social problems. Frustrated with reading countless declarations that make little actual impact, she stated that a "need over greed" ethos will never take root unless a values-based society is created that "encompasses the sharing of God‚s abundance, love, caring and compassion."

The final declaration from the Congress drew on this view that the environmental debate is "as much about religion and morality as it is about science." This was a significant comment, considering the presence of several geographers and natural scientists. "Religious faith properly understood can and should be a major force for change toward sustainable development, sustainable communities and a healthy environment," notes the statement. "We are committed to putting our faith into action!"

Emboldened by the success of learning from one another in a brief one-time event, the Congress adopted a call to develop an informal Anglican Environmental Network as an ongoing resource for sharing programs, priorities and best practices with one another. Further information can be found at www.anglicancommunion.org