It seems that Christians have little interest in environmental issues. A local Christian bookshop has only two books on its "Environment" shelf, while "Creation and Science" books abound. It is as though, having satisfied ourselves that our God created the earth, we are content to let others care for it.
Reasons for caution
One reason for Christians, particularly evangelical Christians, being wary of getting involved in environmental issues is the apparent take-over of the area by New Agers and other neo-pagans. One only has to read some of the material put out by some "green" groups to realise that care of creation can too easily become worship of creation.
Many environmentalists (and even some Christians) insist on abandoning the idea that human beings have a special place in creation. This not only denies biblical teaching, but is also inconsistent with their own view that humans are responsible for the present state of the earth's environment and hold the future of the earth in their hands. No other creature is given this responsibility.
Some Christians see the ecological crisis as a sign of the end of the age. Rather than grieve over the destruction by human greed and ignorance of what God has made, they seem almost to rejoice. "Shall we not sin the more..." could be their motto.
Others, with more justification, have feared that getting involved in any sort of movement will distract them from their true mission, which is to win converts to Christ.
How should we respond ?
Given these reservations, how should we respond to the environment movement? There is no doubt that air and water pollution, soil erosion, deforestation and so on are real and serious problems. Reliable information is freely available to those not already convinced. Arguments by some economists that the earth has an infinite capacity to cope with growth in human consumption amount to an idolatrous faith in human ingenuity and technology.
Rather than asking how we should respond to the environmental situation in a Christian way, perhaps we should ask how we ought to respond to God as our creator, judge and redeemer in the face of what seems to be an impending disaster. In any crisis it is tempting to decide on our response first, then look for biblical support for that response later.
We are called to love the Lord our God with all our heart, mind and strength, and to love our neighbour as ourselves. We are warned repeatedly against worshipping any part of creation. Yet can we truly say that we love God, if we do not treat what he has made with the same reverence that we give our own creations? We are given dominion over the earth, but it remains the Lord's and he takes pleasure in what he has made. Can we honour the creator while polluting and destroying what he has created?
The apostle Paul tells us that God's divine nature and power are displayed in what he has made, and bear witness of him to non-believers. But does a degraded earth witness to God's glory?
Loving God with all our mind implies that we place him at the centre of our thoughts. Much of the blame for the present state of the environment lies with our making humankind the focus of our thinking. But deposing humans in favour of nature or Gaia will not help us.
Jesus clearly demonstrated his dominion over nature. Yet he also delighted in the created world. He constantly gave glory to his father. If we were to live as he lived, how would that change our attitude to the earth, to other people and to possessions?
Loving God with all our strength means that every part of our life must come under scrutiny to see that it honours him. Nothing is excluded. What we do with our rubbish is as important as what we do with our treasure.
The neighbours we are to love want food to eat, clothes to wear, a roof over their head and an education for their children, just as we do. Even if we never gave another thought to environmental issues, many of the earth's problems would be greatly reduced if we were willing to tackle the injustices and inequalities that exist between the world's people. We can't pretend to love our neighbour while polluting the air they breath and the water they drink.
Reaching out
Implicit in loving our neighbours is sharing the gospel with them. Yet it is difficult, perhaps even wrong, to share the gospel without sharing people's concerns. Concern about the environment is high on many people's list, especially among the young. We can't just dismiss their concern. We need to understand it and have well thought out, biblical answers.
People are beginning to see through the myths of materialism. In the early days of the conservation movement, it was assumed that a combination of better technology and stricter laws would soon overcome environmental problems. Today there is a growing recognition that a deeper, more spiritual change is required.
Those who have been moved by the beauty and complexity of creation, those who are trouble by a sense of guilt over the way we have mis-used creation, are searching for a spiritual explanation. The New Age movement has not been slow to respond. As Christians, we need to work out how to reach these seekers without falling into the same trap of worshipping creation.
What alternative does the church offer? We worship in buildings that exclude even a glimpse of creation. (Praise be for the flower ladies!) We often speak of Christ's redeeming work as though it applied only to people, even though scripture indicates that in Christ the whole of creation will be redeemed.
Perhaps we are missing something which others are beginning to re-discover. A sense of awe and wonder at God's creative power echoes throughout the bible and the writings of the early church, but seems to have been lost to a great extent during the last five hundred years of humanist, materialist thinking.
We have so much to offer those who are concerned about the earth's future; a rational reason for valuing and preserving creation, access to forgiveness for the guilt we all share, a true focus for the urge to worship, and hope for the future. Our God, who created, loved and died for the world, reigns.
A list of resources is available if you would like to read more about this topic.
By Dr Stella Budrikis
© Copyright 1998