The Spiritual Practice of Rewilding

Column by Jennifer Berit and Skylar Wilson on 7 February 2019 5 Comments

The movement to rewild the environment emerged and evolved out of the conservation movement of the 1960s, and directly challenges conventional conservation methods. While ecological rewilding practices differ from region to region, they share a common goal and means: they seek to increase biodiversity and reduce negative human impacts within an ecosystem by restoring the keystone species of the area – large carnivorous or herbivorous animals that greatly influence how the ecosystem functions as a whole.

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Question

Is baptism some kind of guarantee that u will be included in the afterlife?

Answer

 
Baptism was once originally a part of a much larger, more in-depth rite-of-passage. It was the community of the “faithful” witnessing the completion of the tasks of the ‘first half of life’ of an individual and signifying the initiate was now ready to take hold the mysteries of the Christian faith—the ‘mystagogue’. In the patristic era, before the act of Baptism was split from the rite of Confirmation, the baptized person was expected to lead an entirely new, life free from sin (there are vestiges of Baptismal rites and hymns in many of Paul’s letters) and able to practice contemplation. Baptism is not a ‘magic’ guarantee of the afterlife. Rather it is a transformative milestone and ‘sign’ of salvation that can assure us of God’s gracious act to us through Christ. In other words, it is a visible sign of invisible faith—a confidence in God’s promises to us. On the other hand, the Holy Spirit is spoken of in Scripture as a “deposit” (or “guarantee” in a certain sense) that testifies to our salvation.
 
~ Rev. Matthew Syrdal

 

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