環(huán)球英語 — 586：Craig Sorley: Caring for Creation

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Voice 1

Welcome to Spotlight. I'm Marina Santee

Voice 2

And I'm Steve Myersco. This programme uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand, no matter where in the world they live.

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'We are in a nation now that is suffering from a lot of different kinds of environmental issues.'

Voice 1

These are the words of Craig Sorley. Craig lives in Kenya. He has devoted his life to improving the environment - and he teaches other people to do the same. In today's Spotlight we speak to Craig Sorley. We ask him about his work, his life, and his beliefs.

Voice 2

Craig Sorley grew up in East Africa. When he was young he lived in Kenya, Uganda and Ethiopia. His parents were both doctors in these countries.

Voice 1

In the early 1980s Craig witnessed the terrible spread of HIV/AIDS in Africa. But Craig did not want to be a doctor like his parents. His religious faith led him to want to help - but he wanted to help with a different problem. He says,

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‘I could see that another huge problem was coming. The problem was what was happening to the environment across East Africa. I wanted to be a Christian worker. But I particularly wanted to work for the environment.'

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When he was older, Craig travelled to the United States to study. But while he was at university he became very sick. He developed brain cancer. This became a very important time in Craig's life. While he was very sick he thought more about his life. He knew that he had always wanted to work for the environment. Now he saw that he needed to start working towards this dream. Craig says,

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‘During that time in the hospital it became very clear to me. The environment was what I should spend my life working on. I began to look for what the Christian Church was saying and teaching about this issue. I discovered that they were not saying much at all.'

Voice 1

After some time, Craig recovered from his cancer. He returned to University to study about the environment. Then in 2003 he moved back to Kenya with his wife. He had not forgotten the desire he had when he was a child. He still wanted to help protect the environment in East Africa.

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Today, Craig works with local people and churches in Kenya. He encourages them to care for the environment. He shows them ways to do this. He also explains some of the current problems to them.

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‘One of the most serious issues is cutting down forest - deforestation. That leads to fast floods. It increases the amount of soil that is lost. It leads to changes in when and where the rain falls. All those things add up together to have a huge effect. For example, land that used to produce good crops now produces less.'

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In 2005 Craig Sorley created an organisation to do this work. The organisation is called ‘Care of Creation'. Care of Creation divides its work between three main issues. It says these are the most important problems in the area. They are wood, water and food. Craig says,

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‘The way we describe it is "planting God's trees, harvesting God's water and farming God's way". Those are the three big things that I think need to be worked on. This needs to happen in a large way all across the continent. No matter where you go people need to plant trees. They need to get involved in creative ways to harvest water. They need to change the way they do farming. Wood, water and food are very important resources. They need healing all across the continent.'

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Care of Creation works mostly with Christian churches. It shows them that they have a responsibility to care for the Earth. Many Christians have not thought about this before. But Craig believes that caring for the environment should be a key part of being a Christian. He does not like it when Christians do not treat the environment well.

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‘It is kind of like hitting the Creator in the face. You go to church and worship him on Sunday. But then during the rest of the week you do not even care what is happening to his wonderful creation.'

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Craig bases his belief on what he reads in the Christian Bible. He believes that the Bible can show the right attitude to the environment. He uses the example of the Garden of Eden. This is in the story of creation. The Bible says that God planted many trees in the garden. They were many different kinds. Craig says,

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‘God chose the tree to serve as symbol of life. As we destroy our forests across Africa we are in fact destroying our lives. We are damaging the water system. We are losing more soil. This leads to less crops.'

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Care of Creation also works with farmers to help increase their crops again. It teaches them better ways to use their land. An example of this is by covering the fields with an extra layer of plant material. This material comes from the crops that are left after the last year's harvest. Farmers normally dig over the land before planting. But with this method they cover the field with a layer of the plant material. This improves the soil. It also means that farmers stop damaging the soil by digging it up. Craig says,

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‘Farmers can take a piece of land that has been used a lot and is tired. It is not producing the large crop that it once did. But if he is faithful in using this new way of farming he will bring new life to his land. He will begin growing more food for his family.'

Voice 1

So Care of Creation is showing people how they can take care of their own environment. But what plans does the organisation have for the future? Currently the organisation has offices in Kenya and the United States. But Craig hopes that in the future the organisation will grow around the world.

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‘Our real hope is that one day we will have a Care of Creation in Uganda. One day we will have a Care of Creation in Ethiopia, and Brazil, and India - who knows? We want to see groups in as many countries as possible.'

Voice 2

Care of Creation continues to work to protect the environment. They are encouraging people of faith to put their faith into action. Together they hope to provide wood, water and food for the people of tomorrow.