South West Rural Issues Conference 2013, Bicton College.
Conference overview
On 1st May 2013 80 delegates gathered in the beautiful setting of Bicton College for the Rural Issues conference entitled ‘The Earth is the Lords’ The thought behind the conference was to explore the way that our faith and theology interact with the current environmental debate.
The conference brought together some of the UK’s keenest agri-science and environmental minds who share a Christian faith perspective.
The speakers were:
Their presentation powerpoints and notes are here on this website together with the notes of the excellent summary for the day that was given by the Lord Bishop Michael Langrish.
The day also included a visit to the Bicton EaRTH Centre which has recently been set up to inform and train students and the wider community on aspects of renewable technology.
To examine how renewable technologies can be incorporated into a Church building please check the resources here ; 'Shrinking the footprint'
David Pett
West Devon Rural Development Enabler
May 2013
On 1st May 2013 80 delegates gathered in the beautiful setting of Bicton College for the Rural Issues conference entitled ‘The Earth is the Lords’ The thought behind the conference was to explore the way that our faith and theology interact with the current environmental debate.
The conference brought together some of the UK’s keenest agri-science and environmental minds who share a Christian faith perspective.
The speakers were:
- Professor Sir John Marsh CBE
- Canon Professor Michael Winter OBE
- Dr Martin Hodson
- Dr Tim Gibson
Their presentation powerpoints and notes are here on this website together with the notes of the excellent summary for the day that was given by the Lord Bishop Michael Langrish.
The day also included a visit to the Bicton EaRTH Centre which has recently been set up to inform and train students and the wider community on aspects of renewable technology.
To examine how renewable technologies can be incorporated into a Church building please check the resources here ; 'Shrinking the footprint'
David Pett
West Devon Rural Development Enabler
May 2013
Conference Presentations
Sir_John_Marsh_Hungry world ,Generous God 2013.pptx | |
File Size: | 1375 kb |
File Type: | pptx |
the_land_and_human_wellbeing.Prof Michael Winter.pptx | |
File Size: | 2210 kb |
File Type: | pptx |
Tim Gibson. How can rural Churches be beacons_of_hope.docx | |
File Size: | 27 kb |
File Type: | docx |
theology_of_the_land_Martin J Hodson_2.ppt | |
File Size: | 4045 kb |
File Type: | ppt |
theology_of_the_land lecture notes Martin J Hodson.doc | |
File Size: | 51 kb |
File Type: | doc |
The Bishop of Exeter’s Summary of the Bicton Conference
My apologies to Bishop Michael for any errors in this transcription, I hope it is a true reflection of what was for me a truly excellent summing up. Stuart Wilson
Coherent Biblical Theory very clearly set out by Martin Hodson.
Grounded in:-
(This presentation underpinned much of what Tim Gibson had to say about the Rural Church)
SIN at the heart of ethical reflections
Sir John – The generosity of humans and the failure of humans – falling short, not under a social/communal sin, but THEOLOGICAL SIN.
The very ingredients of that theology which informs us.
Each element misread or misapplied is not good for our earth and is contributing to earth’s destruction.
1. Humanity as a special creation – in the image of God – Anthropocentrism (human centeredness) assumes an unbridgeable gap.
1.1 Humans and the rest of creation (vs. the rest of creation), at worst seen as lacking a spiritual dimension – not Ruache – ’God breathed’ as expounded by Francis Bacon, Rene Descartes and Isaac Newton.
2. Complimentary
Dualism
- Male and female
- Body and Soul
- Urban and Rural cf. Martin: Lack of Lord.
- New Testament focus on the urban, but not a lack of ecology, rather coherence vs. fragmentation; (no alignment with God’s will).
- Much of Paul against Dualism and insipient Gnosticism.
o Physical vs. Resurrection
o and body imagery,
o against fragmentation.
o Conforming to the mind of God.
o Church and World (Tim Gibson)
o Divine and Human
o extended as to how we see God His Sovereignty and ineffability.
3. False Hierarchy
Pierre Gassardi? Founder of the French Academy of Sciences
“God is not the soul of the world, but its Governor and Director”
> Humanity has placed itself above and detached itself from the Lord.
4. Misunderstanding – Contingent / Necessary, ask the question Jazzman or Porter.
Functional Deism
5. Absentee God – which then affects our understanding
6. Steward and stewardship – for the absent master Martin suggested a triangular relationship but...
Gerard Manley Hopkins “Earth is charged with the Glory of God” Psalm 19 vs. 1 ‘The heavens declare the glory of God;’
7. Judgement - Annihilation of the Material World (2 Peter 3 God’s Promise is not slack) Form of Pantheism, but cf Aquinas.
Reaction to misreading – Underlying concepts of Special Providence, Sovereignty, complementarity, stewardship.
Abandoned -Relativism (Michael Winter)
Deeply challenged by Proper Contextual reading and Biblical Theology, including elements not touched on.
NOAH Covenant – Humanity not saved without the rest of creation.
This is not just with humanity but all creation and all generations.
This covenant binds the whole creation together as God’s partners. (Addresses Tim’s question about how difficult God sometimes makes it for us to cooperate with him – the weather)
Wisdom, 1 Kings 4, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes
JOB the challenge to anthropocentrism. Theo-centric and bio-centric “Where were you when the foundations of the world were laid”.
New Testament Word made flesh > sacramentalism.
Wendell Berry – Gift of the Good Land “To live we must daily break the bread and shed the blood of creation. When we do this knowingly, lovingly, skilfully and reverently it is a sacrament. When we do it greedily and destructively it is a desecration. In such a desecration we condemn ourselves to spiritual and moral loneliness and others to want.
My apologies to Bishop Michael for any errors in this transcription, I hope it is a true reflection of what was for me a truly excellent summing up. Stuart Wilson
Coherent Biblical Theory very clearly set out by Martin Hodson.
Grounded in:-
- The Nature of God
- The Nature of Community
- The understanding of how God, Earth and Humanity are related
- Linking of Management and moral responsibility, promise and obligation
- The vocation of stewardship
- A vision of earth as a place and manifestation of God’s glory
- And our falling short of that vision in the reality and consequences of SIN
(This presentation underpinned much of what Tim Gibson had to say about the Rural Church)
SIN at the heart of ethical reflections
Sir John – The generosity of humans and the failure of humans – falling short, not under a social/communal sin, but THEOLOGICAL SIN.
The very ingredients of that theology which informs us.
Each element misread or misapplied is not good for our earth and is contributing to earth’s destruction.
1. Humanity as a special creation – in the image of God – Anthropocentrism (human centeredness) assumes an unbridgeable gap.
1.1 Humans and the rest of creation (vs. the rest of creation), at worst seen as lacking a spiritual dimension – not Ruache – ’God breathed’ as expounded by Francis Bacon, Rene Descartes and Isaac Newton.
2. Complimentary
Dualism
- Male and female
- Body and Soul
- Urban and Rural cf. Martin: Lack of Lord.
- New Testament focus on the urban, but not a lack of ecology, rather coherence vs. fragmentation; (no alignment with God’s will).
- Much of Paul against Dualism and insipient Gnosticism.
o Physical vs. Resurrection
o and body imagery,
o against fragmentation.
o Conforming to the mind of God.
o Church and World (Tim Gibson)
o Divine and Human
o extended as to how we see God His Sovereignty and ineffability.
3. False Hierarchy
Pierre Gassardi? Founder of the French Academy of Sciences
“God is not the soul of the world, but its Governor and Director”
> Humanity has placed itself above and detached itself from the Lord.
4. Misunderstanding – Contingent / Necessary, ask the question Jazzman or Porter.
Functional Deism
5. Absentee God – which then affects our understanding
6. Steward and stewardship – for the absent master Martin suggested a triangular relationship but...
Gerard Manley Hopkins “Earth is charged with the Glory of God” Psalm 19 vs. 1 ‘The heavens declare the glory of God;’
7. Judgement - Annihilation of the Material World (2 Peter 3 God’s Promise is not slack) Form of Pantheism, but cf Aquinas.
Reaction to misreading – Underlying concepts of Special Providence, Sovereignty, complementarity, stewardship.
Abandoned -Relativism (Michael Winter)
Deeply challenged by Proper Contextual reading and Biblical Theology, including elements not touched on.
NOAH Covenant – Humanity not saved without the rest of creation.
This is not just with humanity but all creation and all generations.
This covenant binds the whole creation together as God’s partners. (Addresses Tim’s question about how difficult God sometimes makes it for us to cooperate with him – the weather)
Wisdom, 1 Kings 4, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes
JOB the challenge to anthropocentrism. Theo-centric and bio-centric “Where were you when the foundations of the world were laid”.
New Testament Word made flesh > sacramentalism.
Wendell Berry – Gift of the Good Land “To live we must daily break the bread and shed the blood of creation. When we do this knowingly, lovingly, skilfully and reverently it is a sacrament. When we do it greedily and destructively it is a desecration. In such a desecration we condemn ourselves to spiritual and moral loneliness and others to want.