Sustainable development is the beautifully simple idea that economic prosperity, social progress and environmental protection are three legs of the same stool; if one is missing, the stool falls over. Any overview of the current state of the planet would conclude that the stool is wobbling dangerously.

Christian Responsibility
For some, sustainable development is almost a secular religion. Atheists, believing human destiny lies solely in human hands, see it as the only hope of the species to thrive in the long-term; a new way of conceiving how humanity should organise and provide for itself.

How should British Christians respond? First, remember that a pioneer advocate of sustainable development, Barbara Ward, was a committed Christian. A distinguished economics professor, BBC Governor, Life Peer and author of Only One Earth and Progress for a Small Planet, she inspired countless others to honour God by combining compassion for the poor of the world with concern for the natural world.

Stewardship
Second, recognise that much of the content of sustainable development theory reflects the Biblical concern, Old Testament and New, for the wise stewardship of Creation, for justice to be done and for proper consideration of future generations. The poverty and squalor that hundreds of millions of our fellow human beings suffer from is both a cause and an effect of environmental destruction. As Saint Augustine said, "the Glory of God is a human being fully alive", and at their best the proponents of sustainable development come close to the Biblical vision of human flourishing and harmony.

Raising Awareness
Third, be ashamed by the ignorance and selfishness of so many Christians in wealthy countries like Britain. Just as God occasionally used the relative righteousness of some gentiles to highlight the faithlessness of Israel, so the contemporary efforts of some people of other faiths or none to take seriously the health of the planet and human welfare should embarrass the Church. We must treat issues of peace, justice, community and ecology as central to obedient, loving discipleship.

Entering more deeply into the life of simplicity, humility and generosity that Christ calls us to lead would cause most Western Christians (myself included) both to reduce the negative environmental impacts of excessive material consumption and to increase the cash available for relief work, education, healthcare and community-building in some of the poorest countries. Not to mention meeting the real needs on the doorsteps of our comfortable homes. Local congregations are well placed to become Christ-centred catalysts of sustainable community life.

Entering the Debate
Fourth, engage with the sustainable development debate and its leaders. There is a distinctly Biblical worldview with much to contribute to the efforts of businesses, NGOs, governments and other faith communities to marry together economic prosperity, social progress and environmental protection. Many non-Christians committed to sustainable development are searching for meaning and hope beyond merely human ideals and achievements. And post-September 11th, does anybody believe that justice is not the oxygen of peace?

Prayer
Fifth, pray. In Johannesburg in September 2002, ten years after the Rio Earth Summit, world leaders will meet to discuss sustainable development and to agree a joint action plan. Tony Blair was the first Western Head of Government to promise to attend. Media pundits are unanimous that it will take a miracle for the nations of the world to agree a radical, just and workable plan. Well, are we in the business of miracles, or not?

Nick Bent is a consultant on Corporate Social Responsibility for Burson-Marsteller in London, working with companies such as BP, Tesco, Unilever and 3M.

A former Research Assistant to the Rt Hon Paul Boateng MP, he did a Masters in Public Policy at Harvard and is an Associate of the think tank Demos. He is Chair of the Oxford-Kilburn Club, an independent, Christian-run youth and community centre on the South Kilburn Estate.

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