The Free Church of Scotland has responded to the Scottish Government’s consultation on their draft Public Engagement Strategy on Climate Change.
As Christians we recognise that the goodness of our world is a gift from God. God cares about all of his creation and we believe that we should to. At the beginning of the Bible God specifically commanded humanity to care for the environment (Genesis 1:28 and 2:15). We recognise that one of the effects of the fall is that as human beings we have not always shown enough care for creation and we acknowledge as a church we have not always been as quick to speak out on issues around climate change as we should have been. Accordingly, the Free Church welcome the draft Public Engagement Strategy as an opportunity to engage everyone in society – to make clear that these issues affect us all – and that we all have a role in caring for our world. The Free Church also commend the Scottish Government’s desire to engage widely.
It is our hope that the Scottish Government will recognise going forward the important role churches and church leaders can have in facilitating discussion on environmental issues. Faith plays an important part in many people’s lives and has the potential to greatly influence society in a positive way in the area of climate change. As Christians, we are committed to caring for the poor and for our planet – this often results in practical projects undertaken by churches and this work should be recognised and encouraged. More support could be given to faith leaders to help us communicate on issues surrounding climate change and the environment.
The Draft Public Engagement Strategy is really just the first step in an ongoing national conversation around climate change. The Free Church is committed to being part of the ongoing work.
Our full response to the consultation can be read here.
Scottish Government’s Consultation: https://consult.gov.scot/energy-and-climate-change-directorate/draft-public-engagement-strategy-climate-change/consultation/