Introduction

“Dear friends around the world: Happy New Year. When I took office one year ago, I appealed for 2017 to be a year for peace. Unfortunately – in fundamental ways, the world has gone in reverse.

On New Year’s Day 2018, I am not issuing an appeal. I am issuing an alert -- a red alert for our world. Conflicts have deepened and new dangers have emerged. Global anxieties about nuclear weapons are the highest since the Cold War. Climate change is moving faster than we are. Inequalities are growing. We see horrific violations of human rights. Nationalism and xenophobia are on the rise.”¹

UN Secretary General, António Guterres’ “red alert” summary of world affairs going “in reverse” is a backdrop for considering Adventist eschatology, its impacts on the world and the church.

This paper considers five “E’s:” Eschatology, Evangelism, Ecclesiology, Economics, and Environment. The intersection of these five are explored in relation to the Adventist role as a “catalytic remnant.”

The approach applied is that of “whole of systems thinking,” a model by which the interaction of parts of systems or different systems interrelate and interact with one another.² We will return to these considerations after establishing a Biblical framework for the discussion.

Biblical Eschatology and Evangelism, Ecclesiology and Economics: An Interrelated Narrative

As a biblical context, this paper first examines the interrelationship of eschatology, evangelism, ecclesiology and church economics in the New Testament.

The Gospels and Acts:

The synoptic gospels clearly develop the interrelationship of eschatology with church growth and discipleship, which shape current Adventist self-understandings of theology and mission.

Matthew

Matthew’s eschatological narrative initially relates to Jesus’s judgmental lament for Jerusalem in Matthew 23:35-39 and the disciples’ question in Matthew 24:1-3, about the destruction of Jerusalem and fulfillment of a singular sign of Christ’s coming.³

Jesus’s description in Matthew 24:4-7, mentions false messiahs, geopolitical conflict, famines and earthquakes as the intensifying “labor pains” of 24:8.⁴ The discourse of 24:9-12 brings a cumulative progression of increasing sinfulness, false prophecy and loss of love and betrayal by many disciples. In response, 24:13-14 calls for Christ’s followers to endure hardship and proclaim the gospel to all the nations in conflict and in the face of false prophecy.

While Matthew 24:15-22 can be interpreted in reference to the Jerusalem conquest, it also describes the plight of refugees fleeing conflict without preparation, a troublingly common occurrence in today’s conflicts or disasters. Mathew 24:21-22 make it clear that the great tribulation culminates in a future global crisis that threatens human existence, that none of humanity will be preserved without God’s intervention for the sake of Christ’s followers.⁵

The reiterated warning about false prophets and messiahs in Mathew 24:23-26 is not a chronological progression. It is a continuation of the cumulative, concurrent and interconnected “labor pains” of Matthew 24:4-8 growing into the great tribulation of 24:21. It ends in a globally visible sign – the appearing of the Son of Man in the clouds of heaven envisioned in 24:27-31, resulting in salvation of the elect with the rest of humanity mourning in implied judgement.⁶

Continuing in Matthew 24:32-35, Jesus’ narrative shifts to instruct Christ-followers living in anticipation of the sign of the Son of Man’s appearing. This anticipation is heightened by Christ’s proclamation that no one knows when the Father will initiate Christ’s appearing. The instruction in 24:36-44 is to be alert and to remember His coming will occur at an unexpected moment.

The narrative now shifts to how the church should live in anticipation and readiness of Christ’s return. Matthew 24:45-51 analogically provides instruction to church leadership to responsibly care for membership. Neglect of care for others leads to leadership not anticipating or being ready when Christ, “the Master,” returns and the negligent fall under final divine judgment. The example illustrates the mixture of ecclesiological leadership and church economics in caring for God’s people before Christ’s return.

Matthew 25:1-13 continues instruction on readiness for Christ’s coming with the analogy of ten virgins awaiting a bridegroom’s arrival, with only some prepared when He appears. The judgmental “I do not know you” in 25:12 comes to those not actively planning for, or anticipating, the bridegroom’s arrival. This statement is the final admonition for listening disciples and Matthew’s audience to be alert since no one knows the time of Christ’s return.

The parable of the talents in 25:14-30 is less about what each is given than an exhortation to live what Christ has called his leadership and disciples to engage in thus far in the narrative. The activity is ecclesiological based upon Matthew 24:13’s call to His followers to endure to the end. The action is evangelical - the preaching of the gospel to the whole inhabited earth in 24:14. It culminates in remaining part of God’s elect when enduring the persecution and hardship described in 24:22 and 24:31.

The judgement scene of all humanity detailed in Matthew 25:31-46 further illuminates the life of Christ-followers and describes the elect gathered at Christ’s coming as identified in Matthew 24:30-31. Those who inherit the kingdom of heaven are those who cared for Christ-followers and others who endured the “labor pains.” The “sheep” feeding the hungry, providing water to the thirsty, housing strangers or refugees, providing clothing to the naked or destitute, caring for the sick or weak are also those who went through the “great tribulation” in 24:15-22. The “sheep” are those who visited disciples in prison, perhaps ones persecuted for faith in Matthew 24:9, who endured to the end in 24:13 and preached the good news of the kingdom in 24:14. The judgment honors the church engaged in evangelical, ecclesiological and economic discipleship in service to Christ during eschatological fulfillment.

This judgment captures another reality. “Eternal punishment” comes on those who did not live a life of discipleship caring for the Christian community, or perhaps all humanity, depending on how we conceptualize “the least of these my brothers.”

Finally, the command to preach the gospel in Matthew 24:14 is reinforced in Matthew 28:19-20. The risen Christ commands the eleven to “make disciples” of all the nations in evangelical outreach and to teach new Christ-followers all He instructed as a way of life, including the eschatological, ecclesiological and economic teachings in Matthew 24-25.⁷

Mark

Mark’s account provides an abbreviated version of Matthew’s. Mark 13:4-8 summarizes Christ’s prophecy of false messiahs, war, conflict, earthquake and famines which are termed the beginning of “birth pains.”⁸ The narrative of 13:9-33 mirrors Matthew’s discourse of persecution, existential global crisis and Christ’s appearing. However, following Christ’s warning in 13:33 to remain alert for the time of His coming, Mark 13:34-37 narrates the story of the door keeper as an example calling on the one who manages the flow of life in the household laboring for the master, and allegorically, as the leadership of Christ-followers, to live in active anticipation of Christ’s return as part of the “master’s household.”⁹

Luke/Acts

Luke’s narrative echoes Matthew and Mark, yet expands on several points. First is the inclusion of wars and insurrections with interstate conflict in 21:9-10. Second is the addition of plagues and sights and signs in the heavens in 21:11, further clarified as signs involving the sun, moon and stars, in 21:25. A third addition is distress or anguish of the nations and their anxiety over ocean wave action and surges in 21:25.

Luke 21:26 depicts humanity’s breathlessness in fear and perhaps utter “loss of hope” in trepidation of what is coming upon the entire inhabited world. It represents the final culmination of the “birth pains” or “labor pains” of the Matthean and Markan accounts.¹⁰ The last phrase “for the powers of the heavens will be shaken,” is not causal, but marks the culmination that precedes the “sign” of Christ’s appearing.¹¹ Christ’s final admonition in 21:27-36 reaffirms that the events preceding His unexpected appearing will impact the entire planet, and that a life of prayer is needed for strength during these chaotic events.

Acts unfolds Christ’s eschatological prophecy and the evangelical proclamation of the gospel, which progresses into the ecclesiological development of the early church. In Acts 1, eschatology is revisited in the disciple’s question about His return. In response, Christ avoids the issue of time and affirms His reappearance by His ascent, and the promise of empowerment by the Holy Spirit to proclaim the gospel. Acts 2 portrays the evangelical proclamation of the risen Messiah to the nations present in Acts 2:5-11, with Peter’s sermon emphasizing the Spirit’s action. The eschatological imagery in Acts 2:19-21 blends with Christ’s described in Luke 21:25, Mark 13:24-25 and Matthew 24:29.

As a result, in Acts 2:42-47, the church is depicted as engaged in lives of teaching, worship, prayer and favorable engagement with Jerusalem’s populace, which led to continued growth. In Acts 4:32-36, the ecclesiological unity of the church in fellowship and discipleship is reaffirmed. Given its growth, the initial economic model to sustain the church was based upon the sale of personal assets of the wealthy to support apostolic ministry and care for the poor. Acts 5:12-16 depicts continued church growth through a ministry of healing, and in 5:42, continued public and private proclamation of the gospel increases church membership.

Acts 6:1-7 expands leadership into evangelical and organizational ministry, dealing with a question of economics and using ethnic diversification to meet new church member needs while engaged in outreach. Acts 8:4-7 demonstrates further outreach into Samaria, which included ministry by preaching, healing and the anointing of the Holy Spirit.

Each of these new communities developed leadership under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. As the church continued to ethnically diversify in Acts 9-14, it became essential to determine the ecclesiological essentials for church growth, discipleship and core community identity, which were established by the Jerusalem Council in Acts 15. These events were interwoven with Agabus’s environmental prophecy in Acts 11:27-30 of severe famine, which did occur in the eastern Roman empire during Claudius’ reign.¹² This famine was possibly viewed as a partial eschatological fulfillment of the prophecies of Jesus in Luke 21:11 and Matthew 24:7, since “Jews tended to interpret such catastrophic variations of the climate, or just the lack of rain, as signs of punishment for their sins.”¹³ The famine compelled the Antiochian church to send aid to churches in Jerusalem and Judea in Acts 11:30, as an act of “benefactor reciprocity” between Christian communities.¹⁴

The Pauline Letters:

Luke’s account in Acts, and Paul’s letters document his evangelistic proclamation of Christ, his involvement in establishing churches, and his role in discipling others in Christian life lived in a range of dynamic ecclesiological situations with theological and practical diversity.

Church economics developed further during Paul’s ministry. As related in Galatians 2:6-10, Paul and the Jerusalem church leaders previously agreed that aid collection as mutual benefaction to help care for Judea’s Christian poor was to be encouraged. In 1 Corinthians 16:1-4, Galatia and Achaea engage in this support. The Jerusalem situation is worsened by more drought, famine and social destabilization between the Jerusalem Council in Acts 15 and Paul’s later return as documented in Romans 15:25-28 and Acts 12-21.¹⁵ The Macedonian contribution is highly praised by Paul in 2 Corinthians 8:1-5, since they gave to the collection out of poverty and hardship during recovery from food shortages or famine in Achaea and Macedonia in 51-52 CE.¹⁶ Additionally, Paul encouraged the Thessalonian church membership to work to support themselves and not be dependent on others, using his own life as an example of labor and productivity as part of Christian discipleship.¹⁷

Interwoven with Paul’s discussion of discipleship, ecclesiological interrelationships, church economics and evangelism are a variety of eschatological perspectives. Paul anticipates Jesus’ Second Coming in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 and echoes Jesus’ teaching in regard to the unknown timing of the Lord’s appearing in 5:1-11. This is further explained in 2 Thessalonians 2:1-12, including advice to not engage in useless speculation. Yet Paul lives in eschatological anticipation of the end of the cosmic struggle, with God’s wrath coming upon the disobedient in Romans 2:5, 2:8-9, Ephesians 5:6 and Colossian 3:6. Yet those who have faith in Christ are delivered from the coming wrath in Romans 2:7, 5:9, and ¹ Thessalonians 1:10. Paul’s eschatological view culminates with “Satan crushed” under his readers’ feet in Romans 16:20.

The Petrine Epistles: Ecclesiological Discipleship and Eschatology

First Peter weaves together ecclesiological discipleship with evangelism and eschatology. In 1 Peter 1:3-5, the readers are reminded of their living hope and imperishable inheritance manifest in the resurrected Christ while still living through trials testing their faith (1:6-7). Peter calls for lives of mutual love in 1:22 as a demonstration of discipleship. The purpose of living faithfully unfolds in 2:12, when good conduct and deeds in the face of slander result in non-Christians glorifying God in the day Christ appears, implying that they too have become Christians through an ecclesiological witness that inherently is evangelism.¹⁸ This conduct includes appropriate honor relationships towards the emperor and provincial government in 2:13-14, and is summarized in 2:17 in four relational structures; to honor all in society, to love those in the Christian community, to reverence God and to honor the emperor – thus being model citizens by living virtuously in relation to all.

1 Peter 3:8-9 lists more ecclesiological characteristics of Christ-followers that enabled a positive response when asked about their hope in Christ in 3:15. Peter’s advice continues through chapter 5, calling them to live exemplary lives as church leaders and members awaiting eschatological fulfillment - Christ’s return and final judgment.

2. Peter 1:3-7 reiterates Peter’s call for Christ-followers to live virtuous lives culminating in sharing brotherly love. The letter reinforces eschatology with reference to false teachers in 3:3-4, and reiteration of the promise of Christ’s coming, in 3:7-13, including that Christ’s coming will be unexpected, “like a thief,” and will result in final judgment in which a restored environment, a new heaven and earth, will be their future residence in 2 Peter 3:13.

Revelation: Ecclesiological Discipleship and Eschatological Prophecy

While our primary perspective of Revelation is prophecy, it is addressed to the seven churches and is initially intended to address their ecclesiological issues and concerns, as stated in Revelation 1:7, 11. This ecclesiological intent is clear in the Christ’s praise and admonition in Revelation 2-3, and concludes in Revelation 22:16. Revelation’s eschatological parallels with the synoptic gospel prophecies of Jesus are depicted in Revelation 6:1-17 and 8:1, and impact the church from Pentecost till Christ’s Second Coming.¹⁹

Revelation’s eschatological alignment is apparent in proclamation of events leading up to the Second Coming portrayed in Revelation 19:11-21. Evangelism is portrayed by those who live the testimony “of” or “about” Jesus, even to the point of death mentioned in Revelation 1:2, 1:9, 6:9, 12:11, 17 19:10 and 20:4. It is also apparent in the three angel’s messages in Revelation 14:6-12, adopted by Adventism as a core identity component.

One more pertinent aspect of Revelation is how humanity and events leading up to the Second Coming impact the earth. In Revelation 1:5, Christ is named as “ruler of the kings of the earth,” yet most of humanity refuses to recognize His Lordship and mourn His coming in 1:7. The destructive impacts of eschatology on the earth are evident in Revelation 6:4, 6:8, 6:12, which depict conflict, death, and hunger throughout church history.

The trumpets of Revelation 8:7-9:21 visually portray actions which harm the earth or the environment. Fire destroys trees and grass. Ocean and water becoming impure or poisoned. Revelation 16:2-20 visually depicts catastrophic destruction during the outpouring of the wrath of God. Similarly, the apocalyptic destruction of “Babylon” in Revelation 18, along with the global economic system focused on “Babylon” impacts the environment as well as humanity. This outpouring of divine cataclysm makes the earth desolate and ultimately devoid of humanity after Christ’s coming. The earth’s cleansing by fire at the destruction of the wicked in Revelation 20:7-15, as in 2 Peter 3:10-12, includes destruction of its atmosphere and removes all trace of human impact on the planet. The new heaven and earth in Revelation 21 are essential for fully restoring God’s original creation as a dwelling place of the His people.

Current Adventist Eschatology, Ecclesiology, Evangelism and Economics

With the preceding Biblical framework in mind, we will generally consider how it interrelates with Adventism as a global community.

Current Adventist Eschatology

First, a wide spectrum of Adventist eschatological views draw upon the gospels and Revelation for their New Testament narrative. Depending on the segment of Adventism, they exhibit varied use of “the signs” to create anxiety or heightened hope to generate fervency among existing members, or for evangelistic purposes. For some, emphasizing individual world events or religious activity of other religious groups becomes the primary narrative. There are strengths and weaknesses in these approaches that may help or harm the local and global church.

Current Adventist Ecclesiology

Global church growth, especially in Africa, South and Central America and Asia, has developed concentrations of Adventism in developing countries that will need economic growth to improve the lives of their populations. Adventist churches have grown through local and global emphasis on evangelism in these regions and simultaneously created a need for institutions that create ecclesiological infrastructure to sustain that growth and discipleship. As Adventist membership increases in these regions they are subject to, and not immune from, social, political, religious, ethnic, and economic impacts on local society, including weather extremes and climate effects. With institutionalization, the church economics of tithe and offering become essential for sustaining churches and other institutions. Economic disruption impacts the church finances and employment.

Adventist Institutional Ecclesiology

The Adventist Church, in 2016, had over 20 million members. To meet its evangelical and ecclesiological needs, it operated 3,363 institutions.²⁰ Its institutions represent billions of dollars in asset value and were supported by over $3.2 billion in member tithes and offerings. While these assets and offerings can be considered within a stewardship framework, an “economics” perspective seems appropriate given that the flow of tithe and offerings is impacted by global, regional, national and local economic impacts on the global church and its institutions and members.

Adventist Membership Ecclesiology

The majority of Adventist church membership now resides in the developing world. As the 2017 Annual Statistical Report states, “The days when church membership was largely in North America, Western Europe and Australasia are long gone. Much more needs to be done to reach West Africa, North Africa and the Middle East, East Asia, much of Southern Asia and Southeast Asia, and the great cities of Europe, in all of which ratios of members to population are very poor. We should recognize (and thank God) for the extraordinary growth in Latin America, sub-Saharan Africa and some parts of Southeast Asia in the last fifty years.”²¹

This statement is pertinent to what follows in the discussion of climate disruption. Also, note the need to increase evangelism, membership and institutions in West Africa, North Africa and the Middle East, East Asia, much of Southern Asia and Southeast Asia, areas of particular interest in environmental consideration.

With this perspective in mind, let us now consider the current and future environment, global climate disruption and its current and future impacts that affect the church.

Climate Disruption and its Impacts:

Climate Disruption: A Definition

In June 1997, the Ecological Society of America issued a statement signed by over 2,500 scientists titled, “Scientists’ Statement on Global Climatic Disruption” to “observe that the further accumulation of greenhouse gases commits the earth irreversibly to further global climatic change and consequent ecological, economic and social disruption.”²²

Causes of Climate Disruption: A Demographic Summary

Any consideration of current and future climate disruption starts with comprehending current and future demographic trends. The world was home to 7.55 billion people in 2017. Our planet’s total population will increase to approximately 8.2 billion in 2025, 9.77 billion by 2050, and 11.18 billion by 2100.²³ An increasing global population needs the basics to sustain life; food, water, housing, energy, work, transportation, and other services and industry that support societies.

Demographics: Adventist Church Impacts

Reviewing these population projections is to consider them from four related Adventist perspectives prior to a review of climate disruption impacts:

The first is evangelism. The increasing global population will need to hear the Adventist gospel and have an opportunity to become church members. Evangelism is core to Adventist identity and mission.

The second is ecclesiology that results in discipleship. Those who become Adventists will need ongoing development and care, impacting our future ecclesiological structure, institutions, economics and culture.

The third is eschatology. This growing global population will be impacted by the eschatological events Adventism foresees occurring before the Second Coming and in relation to climate disruption.

Finally, is economics, which are a result of the need for improved standards of living for members and their societies. As a segment of a growing global population, an increasing Adventist membership will need economic development to improve housing, education, healthcare, transportation, infrastructure, technology and will require incomes to support this improvement. They will need food, water and energy to sustain human life while engaging in economic improvement which ultimately supports development and maintenance of church institutions.

Those who become Adventists will need more institutions: churches for worship, schools for Adventist education, healthcare institutions and possibly additional humanitarian engagement.

In summary, Adventist evangelism will result in membership growth and retention that generates the ecclesiological economics of tithe and offering to support evangelism, care for membership, creates capacity for ministry and sustains Adventist institutions.

Current Climate Disruption and Climate Science Impacts

Population growth and meeting economic needs to support humanity requires increased resource use. The primary reason why global warming, climate change and disruption are occurring is due to humanity’s increasing use of coal, oil and natural gas as fuels for economic growth, transportation and manufacturing in the past and the future.²⁴ The result will be increasing greenhouse gas emissions through at least 2040, with higher concentrations of carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide in the atmosphere, which will create further global warming.²⁵

Current trends, including implementing the Paris Climate Agreement emissions reductions, has the planet on track for a 2.6 to 3.2 C global temperature anomaly by 2100, a range considered dangerous to the function of civilized society.²⁶ Many climate scientists have determined that the Paris Climate Agreement 2C goal is naturally unattainable.²⁷ Furthermore, atmospheric CO2 will continue to impact the climate system for thousands of years. The result at thermal equilibrium, when the heat has cycled through atmosphere and ocean, will be double the initial temperature increases. For example, a 2C temperature anomaly increase by 2100 will be more than 4C at thermal equilibrium in several centuries.²⁸

So, what are the impacts on climate and human society, and the Adventist Church? Let’s briefly examine climate disruptions anticipated by science.

Current Global Climate System Disruptions

First, the Arctic region, which cools the planet and regulates weather patterns in northern hemisphere, is now at a “new normal” of unprecedented warming, according to the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration’s 2017 Arctic Report Card.²⁹ Due to increasing atmospheric temperatures, the Arctic Ocean water is warming, leading to a multidecadal decline sea ice extent.

According to Mark Serreze, Director of the US National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC), "We are looking at an ice-free Arctic Ocean sometime in the 2040s." "There's no evidence that we've seen anything like this before."³⁰ When this paper was submitted, Arctic sea ice extent was almost 2 million km2 less than May 1979.³¹

Permafrost is nearing its subsurface melting point with temperatures highest on record in 2016. More permafrost area and depth will likely begin to melt in the next decade, releasing more carbon dioxide and methane, both greenhouse gases, into the atmosphere. This is an unstoppable process, given human emissions already warming the atmosphere, and will create a climate system feedback which will accelerate future climate change.³²

According to Ted Scambos, the NOAA National Snow and Ice Data Center lead scientist, “the West Antarctic Ice Sheet may already be in an irreversible retreat."³³ Unstoppable Greenland and Antarctic glacier melt will contribute to sea level rise for the next several centuries.³⁴

Future global sea level rise is now estimated to be optimistically at 0.3 meter to pessimistically 2.5 meters by 2100.³⁵ Sea level rise already impacts cities and societies globally and will lead to drops in real estate value, loss of farmland and result in current and future migration.³⁶

Global ocean heat content hit the highest on record in 2017, accelerating ocean deoxygenation and acidification. This was the fifth record year in a row of increasing ocean temperatures.³⁷

Finally, global ocean oxygen levels are dropping, with areas unable to support most life growing 400% larger since 1950 and now equaling the size of the European Union. Low oxygen zones have increased to 12 million square miles, an area larger than Africa.³⁸ The lead author stated, “Under the current trajectory that is where (extinction) we would be headed. But the consequences to humans of staying on that trajectory are so dire that it is hard to imagine we would go quite that far down that path.”³⁹

The Seventh-Day Adventist Church is not immune to global climate system impacts and will live through their consequences until the Lord returns. Here is a brief consideration of how these global climate system changes are anticipated to impact global society from a US national security perspective.

3.4 Anticipated Climate Disruption Impacts - The US National Security Outlook

In 2012, the US intelligence community determined it was essential to “stress test” countries and global systems to ascertain climate change impacts on global society during the next decade. Its report, anticipated that 12-15 countries needed monitored for climate enhanced social stress, but if foreign policy and humanitarian needs were analyzed, that total rose to 50 to 60countries by 2022.⁴⁰

However, climate stress acceleration reshaped global realities. By February 2016, James Clapper, the U.S. Director of National Intelligence, testified that “unpredictable instability has become the ‘new normal’ in international relations and that this trend would continue for the foreseeable future.” What shaped his conclusion? “Extreme weather, climate change, environmental degradation, rising demand for food and water, poor policy decisions and inadequate infrastructure will magnify this instability.”⁴¹

In September 2016, he further clarified “unpredictable instability,” adding that “two-thirds of the nations around the world are at some risk of instability in the next few years.” For Clapper, there were “two key factors driving the scope and complexity of unrest which span political, economic, security, cultural and ethnic sectors, and resulting clashes between varying-factions - massive humanitarian crises and perpetual regional instability.” From his perspective, “In the coming decades, an underlying meta-driver of unpredictable instability will be … climate change. Major population centers will compete for ever-diminishing food and water resources and governments will have an increasingly difficult time controlling their territories.”⁴²

Days later, the US government issued an intelligence assessment summarizing the next 20 years of anticipated climate disruption impacts. “Climate change is projected to produce more intense and frequent extreme weather events, multiple weather disturbances, along with broader climatological effects, such as sea level rise. These are almost certain to have significant direct and indirect social, economic, political, and security implications during the next 20 years. These effects will be especially pronounced as populations continue to concentrate in climate-vulnerable locales such as coastal areas, water stressed regions, and ever-growing cities.”⁴³

The report further stated, “Many countries will encounter climate-induced disruptions—such as weather-related disasters, drought, famine, or damage to infrastructure—that stress their capacity to respond, cope with, or adapt… Decreases in water and disputes over access to arable land will increase the risk of conflict between people who share river basins, aquifers, or land areas.”⁴⁴

It added, “even if climate-induced environmental stresses do not lead to conflict, they are likely to contribute to migrations that exacerbate social and political tensions, some of which could overwhelm host governments and populations.”⁴⁵

The most sobering segment stated, “Many climate scientists warn that the risk of abrupt climate change—currently low—will increase over the next several decades and beyond… Over 20 years, the net effects of climate change on the patterns of global human movement and statelessness could be dramatic, perhaps unprecedented. If unanticipated, they could overwhelm government infrastructure and resources, and threaten the social fabric of communities.”⁴⁶

The abrupt climate change finding reflects a position taken in a 1990 report which found that, “temperature increases beyond 1.0 °C may elicit rapid, unpredictable, and non-linear responses that could lead to extensive ecosystem damage. An absolute temperature limit of 2.0 °C can be viewed as an upper limit beyond which the risks of grave damage to ecosystems, and of non-linear responses, are expected to increase rapidly.”⁴⁷

In November 2016, James Clapper intensified his climate disruption assessment, stating that, “two-thirds of the nations around the world are at some risk of crisis in the next few years.”⁴⁸ The terminology shift from “instability” to “crisis” was intentional, as was his shortening the timeframe from decades to years, reflecting heightened risks to global society caused by current and future climate disruption.

Finally, in January 2017, the National Intelligence Council, Global Trends Report summarized these effects for the next 20 years. “Changes in the climate will produce more extreme weather events and put greater stress on humans and critical systems, including oceans, freshwater, and biodiversity. These changes, in turn, will have direct and indirect social, economic, political, and security effects. Extreme weather can trigger crop failures, wildfires, energy blackouts, infrastructure breakdown, supply chain breakdowns, migration, and infectious disease outbreaks.”⁴⁹

Anticipated Climate Disruption Impacts – International Finance, Global Insurance and Disaster Risk Perspectives

The United States is not the only country or organization weighing future climate disruption impacts. The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), representing 57 countries and almost 2 billion people, in their Science and Technology 2025 planning document stated that, “Climate change and global warming is anthropomorphic and may have been underestimated. We have only one planet as our habitat for the foreseeable future and it is facing a crisis of unimaginable proportions.”⁵⁰

More recently, in Riyadh, Christine LaGarde, Managing Director, International Monetary Fund, observed that “what is needed now, is clearly to address two key issues, and that will drive us towards either utopia or dystopia. The first one is climate change. As I have said before, if we do not do anything about climate change now, in fifty years’ time we will be toasted, roasted and grilled.”⁵¹

The World Economic Forum Global Risk Report 2018 lists all five of its climate, environmental and natural disaster indicators among the eight most likely to occur in the next decade.⁵² These climate and weather risks are interconnected with potential food and water crisis that lead to an increased potential for “large scale involuntary migration” and “profound social instability.”⁵³

Munich Re, a global reinsurance company announced in January 2018 that 2017 was the third year with more than 700 natural disasters globally, inflicting $330 billion in damage, with increasing extreme weather swelling that cost.⁵⁴ Loss events tracked by Munich Re have increased over 250% in frequency since 1980.⁵⁵

Anticipated Climate Disruption: Social, Economic, Global Development and Governance Impacts (Food, Water and Energy for a Growing Global Population)

In regard to future global food security, the US Director of National Intelligence issued an assessment in 2015, which found, “the overall risk of food insecurity in many countries of strategic importance to the United States will increase during the next 10 years… Demographic shifts and constraints on key inputs will compound this risk. In some countries, declining food security will almost certainly contribute to social disruptions or large-scale political instability or conflict, amplifying global concerns about the availability of food.”⁵⁶ This finding was partially based upon, “climate change, extreme weather, conflict, diseases, resource constraints, and environmental degradation.”⁵⁷

Furthermore, the OIC Science and Technology Committee, stated that “Most OIC member states are running out of usable land and water, which is further exacerbated by climate change and its likely impact on food security.”⁵⁸

Let us focus on future fresh water availability. Nestle Corporation told the US government in March 2009 that it anticipated that “one-third of the world's population will be affected by fresh water scarcity by 2025, with the situation only becoming more dire thereafter and potentially catastrophic by 2050. Problems will be severest in the Middle East, northern India, northern China, and the western United States.” Furthermore, Nestle believed “that the world will face a cereals shortfall of as much as 30 percent by 2025.”⁵⁹

Here are a few examples of the current and coming water crisis Nestle was forecasting.

Egypt is already suffering water shortfalls. The Nile is no longer providing enough water for food production in the Delta. “Egypt is projected to reach a state of serious country-wide fresh water and energy shortage by 2025.”⁶⁰ Recently, the Egyptian Minister of Irrigation, Mohamed Abdel Atty, stated that the country suffers a 54 billion cubic meter or 47% water shortfall to meet its needs.⁶¹

One analysis states, “With the Nile, no longer (an) Egyptian birthright, and the Nile Delta gradually disappearing into the Mediterranean Sea, millions of Egypt’s people will inevitably need to look elsewhere for a livable future.”⁶² Recently Mohamed Abdel Ati, the Egyptian Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation, stated that water scarcity is not the only challenge facing the Egyptian people; climate change causes a severe threat as well. The minister stated that “climate change impacts could force five million people to be displaced from the Delta if the solutions and mitigation strategies are not heeded.”⁶³

Given its growing population and expanding agricultural needs, Sudan will suffer a 60% water demand shortage by 2027. The Nile will not support its agricultural needs and use of aquifer groundwater will not be sustainable.⁶⁴

The expectation of future Sub-Saharan water scarcity is troubling. The NIC Global Trends Report assumes in the next twenty years that, “Some 75 to 250 million Africans will experience severe water stress, likely leading to mass migration.”⁶⁵

In May 2016, the Pakistan Council of Research in Water Resources (PCRWR), reported that Pakistan would drop to absolute water scarcity by 2025, because the Indus River will not provide enough water for its growing population. Additionally, aquifer groundwater supplies are dropping by one to ten feet a year from overuse across the nation.⁶⁶

In 2014, Iraq’s hydrologists concluded that the country will suffer a more than 10 percent water shortfall by 2020 from the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers.⁶⁷ In December 2017, the Iraqi Minister of Water Resources, Hassan Janabi, told a Dutch climate and security conference, “Iraq is facing a dangerous situation in terms of water. We are worried and unable to provide necessary water.”⁶⁸ Iraqi Deputy Minister of Water Resources, Mahdi Rasheed, stated in January 2018, “Iran is trying to divert the course of the (Tigris) river. In this case even the (amount) that we receive now will be cut and will not reach us.”⁶⁹ In April he stated, “the country's reservoirs currently hold about 12 percent of their total collective capacity.”⁷⁰ In 2018, Iran’s new Daryan Dam and the Nosoud Water Conveyance Tunnel, enable it to divert at least 30% of the Tigris River flow into Iran and prevent its meeting Iraqi needs.⁷¹ The Iraqi leadership know they will face severe social destabilization if water needs are not met in 2018 and beyond.

Iran’s water shortage situation is so critical, its government deems it “a national security threat.”⁷² In June 2015, its energy minister warned the country is “heading for an unprecedented water crisis.”⁷³ In January 2018 Iran was 96 percent in drought, suffering its lowest precipitation in 50 years.⁷⁴ This has led to public prayer and animal sacrifices, begging God for forgiveness of sins and for rain.⁷⁵ In April 2018, Energy Minister Reza Ardakanian stated that “107 cities with 17.2 million residents are in a red alert situation across Iran.”⁷⁶

It is assumed that Iran will reach absolute water scarcity by 2025. By 2050, it is anticipated Iran will not meet 41% of its water demand.⁷⁷ Issa Kalantari, currently Iran’s vice president responsible for the environment, stated in 2015, “Approximately 50 million people, 70% of Iranians, will have no choice but to leave the country.” He added, “With the state of our foreign policy, which countries are ready to accommodate 30 to 50 million Iranians?”⁷⁸

Based upon the UN 2017 demographic report, the population of these five countries exceeds 450 million, is forecast to reach 521 million in 2025 and 715 million by 2050. These five countries demonstrate only a small selection of future global water insecurity concerns.

Additionally, India reported in May 2018 that currently, “600 million Indians face high to extreme water stress.” It stated that, “The crisis is only going to get worse. By 2030, the country’s water demand is projected to be twice the available supply, implying severe water scarcity for hundreds of millions of people and an eventual ~6% loss in the country’s GDP.”⁷⁹

Accompanying this decline in Indian water availability is the acceleration of desertification and soil degradation. The Indian Space Applications Center reported that over 29% of India was experiencing desertification and land degradation in 2013 with the desertification area expanding an additional 1 million hectares in 8 years.⁸⁰ With India’s population anticipated to grow from 1.3 billion in 2015 to 1.5 billion in 2030, India’s population will experience increasing hardship in producing adequate food and water to care for its needs. A recent World Bank study predicts, given increasing temperature and precipitation changes, that by 2050, between 375 to 800 million people in South Asia will experience moderate to severe negative impacts on livelihoods, most of them in India.⁸¹

Global aridification and desertification will increase. Climate research estimates that 24-32% of the planet’s land surface will become significantly drier if we reach 2C above the preindustrial global average temperature before 2100.⁸²

As a 2008 German climate and security report summarized these future global conditions, “A crucial new quality of current climate change is its speed and extent. The matter is thus not one of individually occurring, monocausal crises and conflicts, but rather one of a great number of destabilising, mutually amplifying factors. The latest scientific findings make the spillover of existing, locally limited resource conflicts and the eruption of new regional and inter-state crises or conflicts appear increasingly plausible in coming decades. If preventive and adaptive strategies should fail, these developments will overstretch the global governance system as a whole.”⁸³ A decade later, we can see their analysis is quite accurate.

These environmental assessments of climate disruption impacts from multiple sources demonstrate the current and coming challenge for Adventist Church ecclesiology, evangelism and economics in many global regions, while it resonates with our eschatology.

Current Climate Disruptions: Regions with Adventist Membership Concentrations

Regions with Adventist membership or institution concentrations are not immune to weather events or climate disruption. In 2017, the United States suffered its costliest year of climate related disaster damage ($300+ billion), while tying its record for the most billion-dollar disasters in a single year.⁸⁴ It is anticipated that the trend toward more extreme weather and aridity will impact the US into the foreseeable future, including Adventist churches, schools and members..

Hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria not only impacted the US but our church institutions and members in the Caribbean. An example is damage in Puerto Rico caused by Hurricanes Irma and Maria in 2017. Reports confirmed that 16 Adventist churches suffered serious damage and others were affected to a lesser degree. One new church will have to be demolished and completely rebuilt. Five of 20 Adventist schools in Puerto Rico needed major repairs.

Another aspect of this disaster is the inability of membership to return to work, and many migrated to the United States. As Luis Rivera, treasurer of the church in Puerto Rico stated in December, 2017, “We believe that some 1,000 church members have left since September 20, and we fear that more will leave soon.” Given that the storm completely destroyed Puerto Rico’s water and energy infrastructure, it severely minimized economic activity, which impacted church economics. “I am exercising faith this year,” said Rivera. “The church member in Puerto Rico is very faithful, but if no resources are coming in, he or she cannot tithe.”⁸⁵ Other SDA churches and institutions in the Inter-American Division and their membership still face years of recovery from these catastrophic storms.⁸⁶

Adventist members in sub-Saharan Africa face a plethora of other climate related challenges. As the German government predicted, “Declining water availability and shrinking utilisable agricultural area, in combination with growing populations, will lead to social and political destabilisation in many countries… The large number of simmering violent conflicts and post-conflict countries, combined with widespread governance insufficiencies and possible migration movements, threatens in the foreseeable future to cause the spread of a belt of crisis engulfing many countries, especially along the Sahel zone.”⁸⁷ This increased conflict potential in Africa and elsewhere due to climate factors has already been studied and verified.⁸⁸

These comments reflect global disruption concerns that impact the Adventist church’s mission, institutions and membership, its evangelism, ecclesiology and economics, while reinforcing its eschatological perspectives.

Adventist Church Perspectives on Climate Disruption and Its Impacts

Previous Church Statements Regarding Climate Change

Over twenty years ago, the Adventist church issued several statements regarding its perspectives on the environment, climate change and supporting global development.

The first established that we hold creation’s “preservation and nurture to be intimately related to our service” to God. It also found that “human poverty and environmental degradation are interrelated,” and pledged that the church was committed “to improve the quality of life for all people. Our goal is a sustainable development of resources while meeting human needs.”⁸⁹

The second Adventist statement proclaimed that unbridled consumption driven by human selfishness underlies “environmental disarray, and the threat of climate change” and notes climate change drivers such as increased greenhouse gas emissions, ozone depletion, and deforestation are the outcomes.⁹⁰

The third statement clearly establishes climate change as a global church concern.

“Scientists warn that the gradual warming of the atmosphere as a result of human activity will have serious environmental consequences. The climate will change, resulting in more storms, more floods, and more droughts.

To keep climate change within bearable limits, the emissions of greenhouse gasses, especially carbon dioxide (CO2), need to be significantly reduced. Industrialized countries are the main source of these emissions, while the first victims are the small island states and low-lying coastal countries.”⁹¹

While these statements are laudable for recognizing the best science of the 1990’s, there are gaps in these statements. First, the Seventh-day Adventist church institutions and members are interwoven within the global community. We need a renewed Biblical theological and moral stance that will address these issues anew in light of current global concerns that impact the SDA Church and the global community in relation to these matters.

Previous Church Statement Regarding to Global Poverty

Another official SDA church statement supported the Millennium Development Goals “for reducing poverty by at least 50 percent by 2015.” The church took the stance that “Seventh-day Adventists believe that actions to reduce poverty and its attendant injustices are an important part of Christian social responsibility.” The 2010 Church Statement advocated for “public policy that offers justice and fairness to the poor, for their empowerment and human rights. It means sponsoring and participating in programs that address the causes of poverty and hunger, helping people to build sustainable lives.”⁹²

What was not clarified was the relationship between climate change and economic development to reduce poverty. The church needs to revisit these matters and create an updated statement which interrelates its stance on climate disruption and the need for sustainable development as outlined in the UN Sustainable Development Goals for 2030.

Climate Disruption Impacts on the Adventist Church

Climate Disruption Impacts on Adventist Eschatology

In the unfolding impacts of climate disruption experienced to date and in contemplation of what is anticipated in the future, it seems clear that we are witnessing the increasing “labor pains” described by Jesus in the gospels. While it might excite some to witness the fulfillment of Matthew 24, it also is sobering to understand that the global church has no immunity from the suffering that comes, nor from the imperatives of Matthew 25 to care for those in need. This theological intersection needs further study and communication within the global church.

Climate Disruption Impacts on Adventist Ecclesiology

As climate disruption increases, Adventist ecclesiology, as policy and decision-making, organizational management and leadership, and care for institutions, workers and members, will stretch leadership and create circumstances in which policy may have to be offset with the moral imperative to care for workers and members. Future situations which overwhelm Union or Division resources may require global church triage decisions that will impact institutions, workers and members by financial transfers to preserve or enhance the work of the church in drastically changing circumstances.

Climate Disruption Impacts on Adventist Institutions

Adventist churches, hospitals and schools will be directly impacted by climate disruption as witnessed by prior and recent disasters. Fires, tornadoes, floods and longer duration disasters such as droughts have complicated institutional operations for short or extended periods of time. The experience of hurricanes and cyclones such as Katrina, Haiyan, Sandy, Harvey, Irma and Maria, as well as countless others have demonstrated the destructive forces that will increase as climate change continues.

After some prior catastrophic disasters, some Adventist institutions have been destroyed and never rebuilt due to migration of membership.⁹³ These circumstances, based upon disaster and resulting social destabilization may create circumstances where similar decisions need to be made in the future. How the church insures and prepares institutions and members for future disaster and disruption needs further consideration for long-term mission fulfillment.

Climate Disruption Impacts on Adventist Membership

Adventist membership will experience climate disruption both through personal impacts on homes and employment, and impacts on the Adventist churches or institutions they are part of. For those who experience direct life disruption, they may have to live through physical, mental, emotional or social trauma, and dislocation. Continuing support and engagement with institutional employees and members who suffer loss will be an example of fulfilling Christ’s message in Matthew 25. Membership engagement in worship and humanitarian outreach will help sustain church communities and aid communities as we work with others.

However, in some cases, where areas lose the ability to sustain a church or members, how the church plans and implements care for those displaced, as refugees or migrants will be a living witness of the fulfillment of the Adventist message in relation to Matthew 25.

Conclusions: A Catalytic Remnant in a Climate Disrupted World

Adventist Church as Remnant in a Climate Disrupted World

Adventist understandings of remnant often begin and end in Revelation 12:17, “those who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus.”⁹⁴ The identity of the ones who keep the commandments of God in 12:17 links to Revelation 14:6-12, and especially 14:7 and 14:12. Keeping the commandments of God links to the act of worshipping the Creator in 14:7, as a distinguishing characteristic of those who have the testimony of Jesus. In Adventism, we see clear links between 14:7 and the commandments of Exodus 20:8-11, and the Sabbath as the day of honoring the God who made creation.

The phrase, “hold to the testimony of Jesus” calls for careful consideration. Some may interpret this as limited to holding to certain truths about Jesus, perhaps the everlasting gospel of 14:7. If it is just theology, then the gospel’s narrative of the life of Jesus and living the experience of Christ is minimized for his followers.

Revelation 13:8-10 makes it clear that in the midst of the beastly powers, the saints endure. The 12:17, “holding to the testimony of Jesus” leads to “the endurance and faith of the saints” in 13:10, despite the efforts of the dragon and the two beasts, the saints end up a “144,000” multitude in Revelation 14:1-5 assuming Revelation 7:4-17 as the expanded narrative.

It is apparent this group lives the testimony of, or about, Jesus throughout ecclesiological history if Revelation 2-3 is viewed as an overarching narrative. They too lived through the opening of the seals in Revelation 6 which were a reiteration of Jesus’s eschatological narratives in the gospels, including their expression as environmental or climatological impacts. This group lives the likeness of Jesus through church history and in the last days before Christ returns.

Adventist Church as Catalyst in a Climate Disrupted World

However, if we revisit the narratives of Jesus as the “testimony of Jesus” and following Christ as living the “faith of the saints,” we see the growth of the church, and its eschatological message, within a wider narrative. The church acts as a catalyst, being the means by which Christ’s mission and purpose is furthered in the world from His ascent until His return. It exhibits the nature and character of Christ to the world, through eschatology, evangelism, ecclesiology and church economics. While it endures the eschatological “labor pains” of this world, it also endures by the grace of God until the end. It is living witness, made apparent in Matthew 25 by caring for its members and others, “the least of these my brothers.”

As a “catalytic remnant,” empowered by the Holy Spirit, it engages in fulfilling God’s divine purpose in our world, by its persistence in action.

The Adventist Church as a Catalytic Remnant Proclaiming Rest, Renewal and Hope

To help visualize the Adventist identity as a “catalytic remnant,” we turn to recent ways God’s remnant are in action to reveal Him to the world.

An Adventist Catalytic Remnant in Action Globally

To integrate environmental awareness and care for creation more deeply into Adventist self-identity and its mission to the world will require member education and a commitment to a moral and ethical narrative woven into our understandings of what it means to make, and to be, disciples of Christ. It calls for discussion within the church, and engagement with the global community from local to global groups to create initiatives which build upon and reflect Adventist commitments to the gospel, education, healthcare, caring for our communities and religious liberty in a world which will become more stressed as climate disruption impacts intensify in the years to come.⁹⁵

An example of this kind of remnant engagement is found in the inaugural issue of Adventist Journey, Noemi Durán, describes a multi-year project to combine caring for creation with efforts in healthcare, education, and sustainable economic development to bring improvement to a Central American community.⁹⁶

Additionally, in January 2018, the Adventist Church sponsored a United Nations symposium on refugees, at which Dr. Ganoune Diop, director of PARL, stated that the Adventist Church wants “to help change the narrative about migrants and refugees.”⁹⁷ The intersection and needs of refugees and migrants in relation to climate disruption may give impetus to the SDA church educating its members on why the value of human rights is important to the Church, and is part of our eschatological fulfillment of Matthew 25.

An Adventist Catalytic Remnant in Action Nationally

The January 2018 issue of Adventist Journey reported that the Brazilian state of Sao Paulo had declared “Adventist Day,” in recognition of the Adventist Church contribution to “provide humanitarian assistance, health and educational support, and words of encouragement and hope,” in addition to ADRA’s emergency services in natural disasters and for Adventist involvement in religious liberty.⁹⁸ Engagement in these activities to benefit our countries will provide a contemporary example of Peter’s teaching on social involvement in “doing good,” so that people will glorify God at His coming.

An Adventist Catalytic Remnant in Action Locally

To be a catalytic remnant calls for a deepening engagement with Adventist young adults. Tim Floyd, in his article, “Growing Young Adventists” provides six core commitments that enable those relationships. Two of those commitments are at the intersection of eschatology, ecclesiology and life as the remnant: “putting the teachings of Jesus at the center of the church culture” and “to become better neighbors to our communities.”⁹⁹ Being better neighbors to our communities may include involvement similar to our Brazilian churches. These needs will increase as extreme events and climate disruption directly or indirectly impacts our nations, communities and members and institutions.

Proposed Adventist Church Responses to Climate Disruption

The Adventist church needs to create an ecclesiology that helps sustain its unity and capacity to adapt and grow in an increasingly vulnerable, climate-disrupted world. As a catalyst to this conversation, I propose five principles as a consistent message to sustain the SDA church organization, its institutions and members as we live in growing uncertainty.

Mutuality

The early Christian church practiced a mutual concern and care for other Christian communities across cultures and ethnicities in a climate-stressed early first century.¹⁰⁰ Paul’s efforts detailed in Romans 15:25-29, to collect an offering for the saints in Jerusalem, delivered by a delegation of church leadership representatives, provides a Biblical basis for encouraging reciprocal SDA financial and personal support in the face of future disaster and climate change effects. Paul’s rationale of gift delivery to Jerusalem was one of Christian obligation and mutual assistance.¹⁰¹ The reinforcement of Christian mutuality provides the global church with economic and theological capacities for resilience and adaptability to future climate impacted needs.

Sustainability

While the SDA church has a history of sending people and resources to evangelize, build institutions, and operate church organizations, the sustainability of this system becomes more challenged with climate-disruption. Sustainability is impacted in two ways:

First, the ability for church resources to be shared as developed nations experience major climate impacts due to increased costs of mitigation, adaptation and sustainability and as climate related scarcity drives up inflation that will create economic and financial stress in the church. When costs or risks become too high, they will impact mutuality and influence impulses for self-preservation.

Second, as climate disruption risk increases, it lowers the ability to enter and operate in climate-impacted countries due to adverse social stability which may impact evangelism and discipling new church communities. How we sustain and increase evangelism in the presence of social instability needs further theological foundation and engagement.

Resilience

Paul encouraged his churches to practice personal and collective resilience. Similarly, Adventist church communities will need to practice resilience that will be personal, communal, and organizational. Paul’s perspective of personal resilience is summarized in Philippians 4:6-7, 11-13.¹⁰² The principle of dependence on God in the face of trial by natural causes as a way of resilience in hardship is proclaimed in Ps 46:1-3, as a reminder of God’s majesty and power.¹⁰³ The Lord’s reminder to Joshua, that he was called to lead people in the face of uncertainty, reminds us to have resilience as we continue to focus on Christ.¹⁰⁴

Endurance

Jesus, Paul and James use the principle of endurance as an element embedded in Christian experience that leads to a deeper walk with God and ultimately - salvation.

Jesus’ use of endurance is placed in context of prophetic eschatological framework and the geo-political and climate-related conflict preceding His Second Coming. Matthew 24:6-14 summarizes Christ’s perspective, in which “the one who endures to the end will be saved.”¹⁰⁵

In Romans 5:1-5, Paul places endurance in the progression of building the relationship with God as a strengthening of faith and hope while living in anticipation of the Lord’s return.¹⁰⁶

James uses a similar thought structure in James 1:2-4 as an initial premise of Christian experience while awaiting Christ’s return.¹⁰⁷ He returns to this motif in James 5:11, when encouraging the church to live appropriate relationships and discipleship - to have patience, with endurance, until the Lord returns.¹⁰⁸

Revelation 2 also includes endurance as a characteristic of the Church of Ephesus which was facing hardship for Christ.¹⁰⁹

Given that some future disruptive situations will take time to resolve, or that some people may have extended periods of loss and hardship, these passages link together understandings of Christ’s care while persons are still called to work for Christ in the midst of loss.

Productivity

Despite living in anticipation of the soon appearance of Jesus, Thessalonian Christians were exhorted, despite hardship, to remain productive members of society. In 1 Thessalonians 3, Paul directs them, “to aspire to live a quiet life, and to attend to your own business, and to work with your hands, just as we commanded you, so that you may live decently toward those outside, and may have need of nothing.”¹¹⁰ Paul’s call to live productive lives is reinforced in 2 Thessalonians 3:6-12. While the message may be directed at those not working, it had an impact on those who were, enabling them to meet the needs of families, the church, and for spreading the gospel.¹¹¹

Conclusion

In August 2015, the State of California held a symposium on climate change. Susanne Moser, a climate scientist in attendance commented, “What we’re beginning to understand is that there’s no way out,” … “It’s hot and it’s getting hotter. It’s not looking good. It’s not going to get a lot easier. We’re just beginning to understand the most catastrophic situations, and we’re starting to sound like TV evangelists in what we’re trying to say.”¹¹²

In response, the Adventist Church has an opportunity to be God’s “catalytic remnant.” It is my hope that our church will more clearly recognize climate driven environmental circumstances to come – not only as eschatological fulfillment, but as opportunity to engage in evangelism, as spoken and lived efforts to bring hope to a world immersed in growing crisis. To improve our approaches to ecclesiology to make the church, its institutions and members, more resilient and prepared to care for members and others in our global community facing the Lord’s Second Coming.

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