Who is my Neighbour?
There are many compelling reasons for exercising creation care, one of which is love for our neighbour. Climate change, combined with other aspects of environmental damage, has and will have dire consequences for millions of people. Jesus made it clear in his answer to the question posed by an ‘expert in the law’ (Luke Chapter 10) that anyone might be our neighbour. Loving our neighbour crosses cultural and national boundaries. Those most vulnerable to the effects of climate change in Africa or on Pacific Islands are as much our neighbours as the person affected by coastal flooding in Devon.
But there is another aspect of neighbourliness that doesn’t get talked about so often, namely that it also crosses generational boundaries. Yes, it is obvious that our young people are our neighbours. However, we must also think of the generations yet to come, descendants of our current young people, as neighbours, at least in the context of creation care.
It is for that reason that we have asked our young people’s groups to contribute this section of Currency for the next three months. In the words of a recent song by Martyn Joseph, ‘Here come the young’. I am very much looking forward to reading what they have to say.
John Bryant