Impact of Church on Environmental Sustainability in Kaduna Metropolis

Abstract

One complex challenges bedeviling Nigerians today is the environmental problem and how to avert further degradation of the environments. Despite the profound impacts the church has had on social related issues in Nigeria, the church is yet to rise to the occasion, in its mandate to be active contributor in saving the country from environmental crisis. This paper assessed the character of environmental crises in Nigeria today. For this purpose, a qualitative study was carried out, using semi-structured interviews, in a sample collected under the snowball technique, composed of nine churches in Kaduna Metropolis. Descriptive method is used in this paper. It is observed that a continuous preaching of the need for religious institutions to be active contributors in environmental sustainability will help in solving environmental challenge in Nigeria. The work shed light upon the role of the church in shaping human-earth relationships and ultimately, make the world a better place for all. This study therefore, proposed that the church needs to not only increase their environmental awareness but also become active contributors in sustaining the environment. The study found out that the contemporary church anthropocentric position and prosperity-driven desire have disabled the attention to take care of the environment as biblically mandated. Because of this, there is urgent need for the church to foster environmental integrity and stay committed to the task of promoting a healthy environment. The paper concluded that the church praxis has special relevance for the development of inner governance and a culture of environmental responsibility. The work recommended that Christians should develop a stewardship mindset in the way they interact with the environment.
Keywords: Environment, Environmentalism, Church, Sustainability