One of the ‘kafka-esque’ features of this wonderful, ecologically-minded country the hospitality of which we enjoy is the country’s president who thinks that the talk of climate change is one big ‘hysteria.’ (You can watch his speech before the UN Climate Change Conference here, or see his notes here.) In an interview yesterday given to one of the Czech news websites Mr Václav Klaus said that the reaction of the world’s leaders to the current economic crisis was ‘populist’ and that it would have been prevented in time had the leaders not trifled their efforts away in ‘fighting against climate’. Klaus is an economist of laissez-faire persuation: “Human wants are…
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Baptists, silence, and meat
Cathedral wears Esprit I’m having quite a good time in the ECEN Assembly. A few people were curious to learn I’m a Baptist, with a hint of “we thought Baptists didn’t care about things like environment.” Hmmm…. I’m also glad to report that Italian Baptists have been quite instrumental in helping to organise this meeting. As is often the case with ecumenical gatherings, things can be quite slow at times, so some sessions required some patience, but as usual the breaks with their conversations and contacts have been meaningful and useful in various ways. Yesterday afternoon provided another highlight, when, organised by an Italian Baptist, we held an ‘Hour of…
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Environment at top of the EBF agenda
Whilst ECEN meet near Milan, EBF are meeting at Lisboa (Lisbon) and also reflecting on the theology of creation care. Helle Liht (Estonia) led a devotional on the theme looking at the created order in Genesis. Then the keynote address – “Why we should care from a Biblical perspective” – was delivered in full and handsome manor by scientist turned OT scholar, Dr Ernest Lucas (Bristol, England). However, as Lina blogged earlier, it seems a mountainous journey to awake many in Europe to the concern. I tried to judge the impact of what Ernest was saying on the folk from eastern Europe sat around me, but engaging with the detailed…