| The Wellspring Covenant -- Care of the Earth |
|
| We believe that God
has created a world of riches and abundance and that humans
have exploited and wasted physical,
biological, human, and spiritual resources
so that many of our brothers and
sisters suffer intense poverty and limited
opportunities. Earth's other creatures and
the whole creation suffer with us. |
| We have consumed too
much and contributed too little. We have interrupted natural cycles,
destroyed species, and cause unnecessary suffering to individual
expressions of life. We have been careless with our wastes and have
polluted the air, water and soil. We have failed to constrain the
expansion of our species and moderate our consumption so that each
person can
have enough resources to live and take a desired place in the
human community. We have stolen the birthright of future generations. We
have lived as if God were not incarnate in Christ. |
| We believe that
meaning for human life comes from the stewardship, appreciation
and enjoyment of creation. God is with us in
this world. A basic expression of our stewardship is to take up
the advocacy of economic
justice so that all our sisters and
brothers may have the opportunity to share in and contribute to an
abundant
common life. Economic justice necessarily
includes
the protection, restoration, and
enhancement of the ecosystem within which
people and other creatures live and from which
people and other creatures draw their sustenance. |
| As steps in the path of following the living
Christ I will: |
| --live abundantly and enjoy
creation without hoarding what my sisters and
brothers need, without wasting the
resources entrusted to me, and
without polluting the land, water and air; |
| --pay particular attention to
recycling; |
| --work for economic justice; |
| --work for peace and harmony; |
| --work to protect, restore, and
enhance the natural environment; and, |
| --develop a theology and
spirituality that is earth-inclusive. |
|
| Adopted by Council 3/8/90 |
| Reaffirmed 8/9/01 |
