As Earth Day 2016 nears, the annual call to save the planet begins its inevitable ring. Activists, educators, scientists, and politicians seem to be constantly commenting on the impact of human activity on the environment using “human impact” synonymously with damage. The messages heard typically come from a direction of the left, and Earth Day brings an increase in the volume.
I was recently reminded of these things while speaking on a university campus. “Why don’t Christians care about saving the planet?” one student asked. Before I could respond, another student interjected, “The church is more concerned about heaven, not life on this planet.” Many secularists see human beings as nothing more than a blight on the face of the earth, no better or more valuable than any other life form on the planet. Some assume because Christianity is very much focused on eternity (and rightly so), believers probably could not care less about what happens to the earth.
Many of the college students I speak with assume the church is irrelevant to modern life, and part of their negative perceptions of Christianity come from what public education has drilled into them about the environment. It should be pointed out that while God’s people have been focused on proclaiming the news of personal salvation, at the same time, history proves they have led the way in helping alleviate human suffering.
Regarding care of the environment, is there any clear direction for Christians to follow? Is there a Christian approach to environmentalism that makes the most biblical sense? When Genesis 1:28 says that humans are to “have dominion over” the earth, this in no way means God intended we abuse nature. A better understanding might be that we are to bring order to the world, or as the New Living Translation puts it, “govern it.” Psalm 24:1 tells us the answer to that question: “The earth is the LORD’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it.” Remember, Adam was placed in the Garden of Eden to tend it—to care for it—not to harm it.
Truths to help form a Christian perspective about the care of creation.
The Bible is our source when it comes to forming a theology about the environment. What are some things Christians can agree on when it comes to the issue of environmentalism?
1. This is God’s world, not ours.
2. God cares about His creation.
3. The Lord has called us to be good stewards of His creation.
4. We should not abuse what God has created.
5. People are made in God’s image and, as a result, are more valuable than natural resources or other forms of life.
6. We are to worship the Creator but not the creation. And one aspect of our worship to God may be the way in which we appreciate (and care for) His creation.
This world is no mere accident, and people are not mere primates.
I, too, am concerned about deforestation, wildlife conservation, and the global proliferation of those little plastic cups sold for use in instant coffee brewers. And not just because those cups represent God’s resources squandered in the making of some very poor coffee. Christians are to care about the environment, but not to the exclusion of the magnificent Creator who made it. Nor should we forget the loving Savior gave his life for humans made in His image. This fact alone shows us what should take precedence in value.
To learn more, check out Alex's book 10 Issues that Divide Christianity.
