Caring for Creation: A Matter of Faith

Taken from a homily given by The Right Reverend Ross Bay at Holy Trinity Cathedral during the 2025 Season of Creation programme.

It's wonderful that the Cathedral has been marking this Season of Creation in recent years as part of our commitment to “strive to safeguard the integrity of creation, and sustain and renew the life of the earth.”

That’s a task we cannot do without drawing from the wisdom of science — to understand the challenges to the integrity of creation and to discern how we might take part in the work of sustainability and renewal. I’m glad to be joining you this year as part of the Cathedral’s celebration, and to share from my experience with the Anglican Science Commission, exploring the interplay between science and faith.

A History of Tension

Throughout history, faith and science have at times been seen as opposed. Galileo’s discovery that the earth orbited the sun challenged the Church’s teaching and Scripture interpretation of his day — a conflict that left him under house arrest for life. Centuries later, in 1925, the Scopes Monkey Trial in Tennessee pitted science and religion against one another again, this time over the teaching of evolution.

We might imagine such conflicts belong to the past, yet they resurface in new forms. During the COVID-19 pandemic, for instance, misunderstandings between faith and science became visible once more — some viewing public health measures as opposition to belief, others seeing the Church as out of step with science. In truth, both communities sought to act together for the common good, as faith leaders worked closely with Government to support sound health messaging.

Joining Hands for the Common Good

This kind of collaboration lies at the heart of the Anglican Science Commission, established in 2022. Its purpose is “to celebrate science as a God-given resource and to promote collaboration between faith and science communities for the betterment of people and the planet.”

Through workshops and dialogue, bishops around the world are exploring how they already engage with science — often unconsciously — and how they might deepen that partnership. Other Christian communities, including Christians in Science here in New Zealand, have long shared this mission.

Wisdom for Our Time

Both faith and science are concerned with the wellbeing of people and the planet. Yet too often, self-interest and greed distort that calling. The prophet Amos condemned corruption and injustice in his time; Jesus reminded us that we cannot serve both God and wealth. These readings challenge us to reject self-interest and to live out our love for God through care for others and for creation itself.

To work together — faith with science — is not to dilute belief, but to enrich it. It allows us to draw on the knowledge of others as we seek to serve the wellbeing of this planet and its people, without compromising the essence of our faith.

A Closing Reflection

I leave you with this statement from The Lambeth Conference’s Call on Science and Faith:

“The world faces multiple dangers in the coming decade from climate change and biodiversity loss, poverty, disease, war, famine and the careless use of new technologies. In this Call, the bishops assembled at the Lambeth Conference invite every Church of the Anglican Communion to recognise within science God-given resources for the life of faith and to offer the wisdom of faith to the work of science.”

The Right Reverend Ross Bay

Bishop of Auckland