Environmental issues - Ecological crisis is one of the burning issues

The environmental issues in India become more serious every day, and she is turning into a bit of a mess on this front. Still, with a severe lack of education and over 1 Billion people, a considerable amount of which are in dire poverty, it’s hardly surprising.

The recent boom in its industries, little or no environmental education, infrastructure nearly at a bursting point not to mention the vast deforestation that’s going on.

Overview of Environmental Issues

India, a country with the seventh-largest landmass in the world, is a land of ancient traditions.

With over a billion people and at least 17 major languages, the diversity of India in terms of culture and biological wealth is enormous.

Main Environmental Issues in India

Environmental issues in India are huge whether it’s the rapidly dropping water tables, mass deforestation, land degradation or river contamination, air, land pollution, noise pollution, solid waste, etc.

Christian Response for Ecological Crisis

Ecological crisis is one of the burning issues in today’s world. Since the aim of Christian Education is for social change. We should work for the shift in society so that they will be concerned about the destruction of ecology.

As Christian Education, we can do ecological concerns from the Biblical point of view, theological point of view and sociological and political point of view.

Theological Perspective

Stewards of the earth

The opening chapters of Genesis show that humanity’s relationship with the rest of creation is ambiguous: we are part of it, and we are above it.

We are part of the earth, and we are to rule over it. We are creatures of God and made in the image of God.

It is these truths held in tension that keep Christianity free of the extremes of biocentrism and anthropocentrism (i.e. the reducing of humanity to grass and the deification of society).

Christianity, contrary to Lynn White, Jr, is neither anthropocentric nor biocentric: it is theocentric.

Our solidarity with the rest of the creation should serve to keep us from oppressive rulership. Dominion is not dictatorial rulership. We are not to Lord it over creation: it is a delegated rulership, rulership that is accountable. As God’s stewards of creation, we will be called to account for how we have treated his earth.

Redemption

Jesus’ incarnation displays the love and concern of God for his creation (cf. Jn. 3:16). Jesus came to save not only humanity but the whole earth. Society and the world are inextricably bound together: we are to care for the planet. Jesus on the cross redeemed the whole of creation: the cross has global effects.

The cross lies at the heart of Christianity; it follows, then, that it must be central to a Christian environmental ethic. The imagery of the cross represents all that Jesus has done: the cross is Paul’s unique shorthand means of referring to Jesus’ death, resurrection and all that it has accomplished.

There, are, particularly in the Pauline passages, several ecological implications of the cross: it affirms that the earth is the Lord’s.

It could be understood from the above discussion that the ecological crisis in India is a crucial issue. It needs to be addressed, and as Christian educators is an excellent responsibility for every one of us to raise our voice and to work for the preservation of our ecology.

Fighting with green or destroying the ecology is not only destroying God’s creation, but it also brings destruction to ourselves. In this point of view, we can say that destroying our ecology is one of the ways of suicide.

As Christian, educators, we can draw the lesson from the Bible both from the Old Testament and New Testament; from a theological point of view and also from a sociological or political point of view.

Questions for ponder

1.How can we utilize the God-given natural resources in a better way without destroying them?

2. Amid globalization, technological hazards, developments of modern lifestyle, how do you pass on the natural resources to the next generation?

Christian Education and Social Change

Christian education and social change are closely related to one another. One determines the other in the process. We may mention three facts that define the relation between education and social change:

Education brings social change, Education a tool for social change, Education due to social change

Likewise, Christian education needs to be understood as a means to bring transformation in all aspects of community life. Samson Prabhakar, an Indian educator, has mentioned three propositions:

Christian education is an activity of faith-education for transformation, Christian education is an activity of empowerment of people. Christian education is an activity of mutual-critical-enrichment.

In sum, we can say that education; and social change relate with another as education is an agent of social change. And on the other hand, a difference in the society brings knowledge vice-versa.