19 Faith and a Sustainable Pacific
389
Sixth, and very importantly, seek a viable partnership between Church and State
as we address the issues of climate change. However, it should be clear that while
this opportunity may take us into areas of possible conflict, we are not talking about
partisan politics. There is ample evidence that Pacific leaders are taking a strong and
passionate stand on what for them is a life and death issue, namely the environmental
threats to the region; that is well-documented following the Pacific Islands Forum
in 2019. While the position of Pacific leaders is clear, it is disappointing to note
that countries like Australia or the United States have not been fully supportive of
stronger action. This complex opportunity therefore invites us not only to pray for
the leaders and to support them where it is appropriate, but also to raise our voices
in opposition when that is called for.
Seventh, the giving of practical or emergency aid will always be a constant dimension, wherever we are in the world, and various agencies are already doing a significant job in that area. But there are some dangers, such as when aid is given from the
perspective of donor assumptions or as a salve for our conscience. The humility of
Christ suggests a better approach, namely a partnership that enables mutual learning
and understanding, and ministering to one another in times of crisis, as when Vanuatu
gave aid to Australia at the height of the fire crisis. But giving is not a substitute for
a more sustained effort to deal with the underlying issues in a spirit of partnership.
Concluding Reflections
Earlier in this chapter I referred to Forrester’s point that we cannot talk about God
without asking what he called the normative question, “What is God calling us to
do”? I have sought to show that not only does Christian mission begin with theology,
but it inevitably includes an ecological dimension that becomes ever more crucial
with the passage of time. Furthermore, in reflecting on the Pacific region, I have
identified some important opportunities for mission with implications for the whole
creation. The starting point was to establish the theological base for what we seek
to do. But beyond that, it is not the function of non-Pacific nations or churches to
tell Pacific Islanders what to do. Rather, as I have sought to show, their purpose is
to stand with Pacific peoples in a practical faith-based partnership for a sustainable
future
The Gospel of Matthew records Jesus’ well-known blessing of the children: “Let
the children come to me, and do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the
kingdom of heaven belongs” (Matt 19:14). That blessing of the children and of all
the “little ones” of the world adds special meaning to a comment by Meg Taylor
DBE (2019b) in a report on the Pacific Leaders Forum in 2019. She wrote:
It was indeed an emotional moment when Pacific leaders and delegates were greeted by
small children of Tuvalu – submerged in water surrounding a model of their sinking islands
with their call to “Save Tuvalu, save the world”, upon their arrival to the 50th Pacific Islands
Forum held in Funafuti, Tuvalu, from 13 to 16 August (2019). Tuvalu’s message could not
be clearer or more important – climate change is real and the future of their children and
389
Sixth, and very importantly, seek a viable partnership between Church and State
as we address the issues of climate change. However, it should be clear that while
this opportunity may take us into areas of possible conflict, we are not talking about
partisan politics. There is ample evidence that Pacific leaders are taking a strong and
passionate stand on what for them is a life and death issue, namely the environmental
threats to the region; that is well-documented following the Pacific Islands Forum
in 2019. While the position of Pacific leaders is clear, it is disappointing to note
that countries like Australia or the United States have not been fully supportive of
stronger action. This complex opportunity therefore invites us not only to pray for
the leaders and to support them where it is appropriate, but also to raise our voices
in opposition when that is called for.
Seventh, the giving of practical or emergency aid will always be a constant dimension, wherever we are in the world, and various agencies are already doing a significant job in that area. But there are some dangers, such as when aid is given from the
perspective of donor assumptions or as a salve for our conscience. The humility of
Christ suggests a better approach, namely a partnership that enables mutual learning
and understanding, and ministering to one another in times of crisis, as when Vanuatu
gave aid to Australia at the height of the fire crisis. But giving is not a substitute for
a more sustained effort to deal with the underlying issues in a spirit of partnership.
Concluding Reflections
Earlier in this chapter I referred to Forrester’s point that we cannot talk about God
without asking what he called the normative question, “What is God calling us to
do”? I have sought to show that not only does Christian mission begin with theology,
but it inevitably includes an ecological dimension that becomes ever more crucial
with the passage of time. Furthermore, in reflecting on the Pacific region, I have
identified some important opportunities for mission with implications for the whole
creation. The starting point was to establish the theological base for what we seek
to do. But beyond that, it is not the function of non-Pacific nations or churches to
tell Pacific Islanders what to do. Rather, as I have sought to show, their purpose is
to stand with Pacific peoples in a practical faith-based partnership for a sustainable
future
The Gospel of Matthew records Jesus’ well-known blessing of the children: “Let
the children come to me, and do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the
kingdom of heaven belongs” (Matt 19:14). That blessing of the children and of all
the “little ones” of the world adds special meaning to a comment by Meg Taylor
DBE (2019b) in a report on the Pacific Leaders Forum in 2019. She wrote:
It was indeed an emotional moment when Pacific leaders and delegates were greeted by
small children of Tuvalu – submerged in water surrounding a model of their sinking islands
with their call to “Save Tuvalu, save the world”, upon their arrival to the 50th Pacific Islands
Forum held in Funafuti, Tuvalu, from 13 to 16 August (2019). Tuvalu’s message could not
be clearer or more important – climate change is real and the future of their children and