The Christian faith centers on beliefs
regarding the birth, life, death and
resurrection of Jesus Christ. Christian
Baptism is the gateway or initiation rite that
imprints the fundamental pattern of Christian
life on the believer and welcomes the believer
into the Christian community. Each baptised
person clothes themselves in Jesus Christ
and thus begins a journey from slavery to
freedom, from death to life and from
self-centeredness to a generous loving
existence.
All sins that of the individual has committed
until that moment are ‘washed off’ and
forgiven. In this way, our new life as a
Christian begins with a clean slate. Baptism
also unites the community into "The Body of
Christ" (that is, the Church), and to open the
door of salvation and eternal life countless
people. Baptism is the biblical way in which
we portray the power of the Spirit and our
salvation as seen through ​John 3:3-5 “no one
can see the kingdom of God without being
born of water and spirit.” We died to our old
way of life through the death of jesus, and
live a new life through the resurrection of
Jesus.
As we are baptised and born into christ we
must in return help care and nurture for the
environment. A prominent figure who
supports this statement is Pope John Paul
XXIII. Addressed not just to the Catholic
community but to “all men of good will”
Pacem in Terris is one of the great Catholic
social justice encyclicals, in the range of
documents that make up the body of Catholic
social teachings. Through the Pacem in
Terris the good pope assisted on avoiding
nuclear war, leading to a peaceful resolution.
In summary he sought to reconnect to Jesus’
teachings on peace through his papal
encyclical. Despite the fact that the Bible, as
the inspired Word of God, deals primarily
with the relationship between God and
humankind and the way to salvation and
eternal life through Jesus Christ, the Bible
also outlines the splendour and importance
of creation and presents principles which
indicate how the natural environment should
be used and preserved.
Awareness of these anthropocentric beliefs
and issues results in action that must take
place by the adherents to achieve this notion
of heaven on Earth. ​As the universe is
sacramental, the task for adherents is to
follow the teachings and to be stewards of
the land and obtain a covenantal relationship,
by having the responsibility to preserve the
earth and foster its sustainable development.
As Genesis exhorts that all that was created
was good, the same book tells adherents that
humans, also created by God, are stewards
of the universe and all within it. Humans are
directly responsible for the stewardship of
the environment for humans have been
placed “in the Garden of Eden to work it and
take care of it.” (Genesis 2:15)
The sacrament of Baptism is the ritual used
in most Christian denominations to signify
the person’s initiation into the beliefs and
practices of the Christian community,
shaping not only the individual as one but a
community in unity. Christian environmental
ethics addresses issues relating to human
dignity, creation and the environment, as well
as corresponding issues of social justice.
Baptism and Creation are both related to a
new covenantal relationship that is formed
through these practices and beliefs. Through
the various contributions of Pope John Paul
XXIII and many beliefs found in scripture help
assist adherents and a community to shape
their lives in accordance with scripture.
A crucial symbol of baptism is water
illustrating that we are cleansed from our sin
in the same way that water cleanses us from
filth. Baptism has significance for the
community for all the ways it does for the
individual. The difference is that the
individual is involved for the first time,
whereas the community has witnessed the
initiation for many new adherents. This is
significant for the community for example
through the involvement of the Godparents
(who often make the promise on the behalf of
the adherent), sponsors and the church
leaders as it reinforces the baptismal
promises to the church. For the individual
there is significance in a sense of belonging
with the community; the sharing of a
common mind and faith.
During the twentieth century the interest in
ecotheology has drastically increased, and
many churches are now seeing it as an
important focal point for Christians. ​Due to
the overuse of the earth’s resources, there is
a major environmental issue that is present
in the world today, and that is climate
change. Catholic Earthcare Australia was
established in 2003 to promote
understanding among people that Creation is
sacred and endangered, and must be
protected and sustained for present and
future generations. Catholic Earthcare
Australia organised a community climate
petition calling on the Australian Government
to take stronger action to reduce our
emissions, transition away from fossil fuels
and towards renewable energy.
Baptism is an outward sign to show that you
have completely dedicated your life, faith and
trust in Jesus, creating a relationship
between the person and Christ which is
extensively highlighted i​n the first book of
Corinthians, as it states “For in the one Spirit
we were all baptised into one body.”
Individuals undergo this sacramental rite for
varying reasons however the most common
beliefs are that it removes the consequences
of one's “original sin.” ​This sacrament
washes away our ‘original sin’, the evil that
we inherited from our ancestors which is
highlighted in Acts 2:38 - “Repent and by
baptized every one of you in the Name of
Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your
sins”.
The community is invigorated when it is
engaged in the task of the gospel and
enriched by the presence of a new member of
the community. Pope John Paul XXIII
contributions impacted on Christianity so
much so that he is seen as one of the most
influential popes in history. In 1962 he called
upon the Vatican II, as it came to be known,
which ushered in Masses in the vernacular
instead of Latin. His reforms were focused on
change so that the church would ‘speak’ to
the people and reconnect to the original
teachings of Jesus. To help better
communication he reconnected the liturgy to
the language of the people by removing the
Latin and changing it to English. This led to
believers understanding the practice of
baptism more so as they were able to grasp
the principal beliefs of Christianity.
​By 2007, climate change, global warming,
the greenhouse effect, the need to conserve
water and alternative energy sources were
recognized by governments and secular
organizations as well as church groups of
being of urgent concern. The Church is
consequently well-positioned to make a
significant contribution in addressing the
environmental crisis by developing,
preaching and practising a holistic
spirituality that promotes a custodial ethic
towards the natural world. Hence, ​Christians
are consequently required to nurture and
protect the environment and be
knowledgeable about and engage with
environmental issues as part of exercising
their environmental stewardship duty.