Today I learned about the Patriarch Bartholomew and how he was pretty much the first Christian leader to state that as followers of Christ, we have a responsibility to take care of our environment. What was further radical was his saying that not being good a steward of our environment is sinning against God. Learning about the Orthodox Church’s holistic perspective on our environment led me to highly respect my brothers and sisters of the Orthodox tradition. There is such richness when considering the Church worldwide, and so much we can learn from each other!
Also, I learned about the Catholic tradition and found myself admiring the Jesuit missionaries who believed that people did not have to change cultures (i.e., become a Westerner) to know God. I loved how these missionaries respected each of these distinct cultures and found creative ways to bring the gospel to them.
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