soil-conservation-people-religion-and-land.pdf - South West NRM

PERSONAL WTE :
I. have writ ten this inadequate 1 OF Christian Land
Stmardsh~p at the i-nvitr1tion of a branch of the Ch~lrch in
Australia. I accepted ti1 is challenqe not t,ec.luse I }lave .3ny
special knm ledge? of doctrinal matters, hut simply because I
am increasin qly aware of the need for ecological action on
the one hand , and the stated need for the Church to clarify
its stance on the environment on the other hanci.
I can but scratch the surface of the literature on this
subject and I do this with the humility of one who can bring
only the somewhat disparate experiences of an ex-professor in
agriculture and lay preacher, to bear on the issue. Like
many scientists, I admit not only to bias and subjectivity,
but to starting with the answer and seeking selective
evidence to support my bigotted views. In the process I
shall appear a Philistine to some, a heretic to others and a
visionary to hardly anyone. If my ideas stir us to a greater
realization of what's happening around us, this effort will
have been worthwhile.
My boldness in rushing in where angels fear to tread, is
based not on any certainty of the best way of bridging the
qap between religion and ecology, but simply on my conviction
that erosion is costing us the earth and that the Christian
community has a vital contribution to make in alleviatina the
A - --
problem through changed attitudes tward the land.
DR. B.R. ROBERTS
Dean: School of Applied Science, D. D. I. A. E.