On God’s Green Earth and Tree Hugging, the environment. Written by Jason Chatraw

This article is courtesy of Christian Single magazine.

While watching yet another news clip of environmental activists carrying signs and chanting at policy makers, I simply rolled my eyes. “Tree huggers,” I scoffed.

But then while hanging out with Tri Robinson, a pastor and author of “Saving God’s Green Earth,” my view changed. It’s not that I was ignorant of the dangers of pollution, but I’d never been challenged by a fellow believer to really care for (or about) creation – until that night.

I learned that the Bible makes a compelling case for environmental care and conservation. And that God’s people should be the ones leading the way.

 “My Christian journey is being shaped by seeing God’s care for His creation. I want to participate with Him, and it has begun to influence every aspect of my faith,” Robinson says. “No longer can I view the environment as a political issue. Now it must become part of my faith, enveloped by the way I seek to live as a follower of Jesus.”

Think About It

Robinson is right: The environment is more than a political issue. Because “the earth and everything in it … belong to the LORD” (Psalm 24:1) and because God gave us the responsibility to “work it and watch over it” (Genesis 2:15), we cannot ignore our planet.

“The earth is to be treasured by us humans as a gift from God,” says Laura Deacon, information officer for Christian Ecology Link, a multi-denominational organization for Christians concerned about the environment. “To mistreat the earth through exploitation, harm, overuse, and overpopulation is to overlook the fact that the earth belongs to God, first and foremost, and is due respect.”

While some may argue that we are to hold dominion over the earth, Dr. Walter Brown, professor of Old Testament and Hebrew at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, suggests that the Old Testament calls us to the role of caretaker as well. “When you look at the covenant emphasis, when God promises blessing to Abraham, the promise of land is given,” Brown explains.

 “The implication with that gift is that God owns the land. What runs through the Old Testament law is this idea that God owns the land, and people are stewards of that. The more you understand the Bible, the more you realize Christians ought to be leading environmental causes,” he adds.

What Do You Care?

So much of ministry is about building bridges into other people’s lives, meeting them where they are, and showing them the relevance of a relationship with Christ. When we put our beliefs about environmental stewardship into action, we are not only following God’s call; we are also opening an outlet to connect with non-believers.

Dr. Paul Rothrock, an environmental sciences professor at Taylor University in Indiana, notes that Christians make an impression on others when the world can see them caring for the environment, “and we’re doing it because it’s the right thing to do, even if our reasons vary from theirs,” he says. “Eventually, you’ll get an opportunity to share your reasons for caring for creation.”

In his book, Robinson also picks up on this idea, relating it to Jesus’ final command. “The more I study God’s call for us to steward His creation,” he says, “the more convinced I am that it also rests perfectly within the confines of the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19-20). Through becoming faithful stewards of creation, we are presented with an opportunity to share the gospel.”

The bottom line: As followers of Christ, we have the responsibility of environmental care and conservation. And if we would commit to caring for our own little corner of the earth, it would make a difference in our world in more ways than one.

Another good article about Christians and the environment.

Should Christians be Hugging Trees?
Biblical Foundations for God’s Physical Creation
by David Burnette
Whether it’s Hollywood, Al Gore, or the public address announcer at the baseball game telling us that “good sports always recycle,” we are constantly reminded of the importance of being environmentally conscious. One reaction is to label all those who care about the environment as “hippies” or “tree-huggers.” On the other hand, doesn’t the Bible teach that God’s children have some responsibility to His creation? If so, what should this look like? As Christians, we certainly have more thinking to do on this issue.
First of all, we need start where the Bible starts - “In the beginning” (Genesis 1:1). When God created the earth, He called everything on it “good” (Genesis 1). This means that plants, animals, rivers, mountains, etc. were all part of His original design. On the sixth day, man was uniquely created in God’s image and was given authority by God to rule over the rest of creation (Genesis 1:26-29). This dominion is not merely a license to hunt animals or cut down forests, but rather the privilege and responsibility of using God’s creation for His glory and the good of others. It is a gift to be used wisely for our daily sustenance, our personal enjoyment, and ultimately our worship of God.
There is, however, another side to this issue. Given that all men are born sinful (Romans 3:23), each of us has a tendency to turn God’s gifts into idols. Some people become enamored with God’s creation, focusing their time and energy into protecting plants and animals without considering God in the process. They see the work of art, but not the Artist. They have missed the message that the writer of Psalm 104 got: “O Lord, how manifold are your works! In wisdom have you made them all; the earth is full of your creatures.” The entire created order puts God’s matchless creativity, power, and wisdom on display. To miss this is sinful.
Obviously, we are left with a lot of gray areas. There is not a specific list of do’s and don’ts in Scripture in the area of environmental stewardship, neither can we cite a verse that says, “Excessive littering corrupts the soul.” We need to begin more broadly by letting Scripture set our agenda and our goals. Our original mandate was to fill the earth and subdue it (Genesis 1:28), and we should do this responsibly. We don’t want to carelessly deplete natural resources or callously dispense of entire animal species in our quest for corporate expansion; however, using natural resources is not evil, as long as we remember that we are accountable to God in the process. A measure of moderation and thoughtfulness would be in order so that we might best use what He has given us.
This kind of concern for the environment is good, but it must not take precedence over our concern for the spiritual good of those around us. And we should not put more effort into protecting animals than we do supporting those who are vulnerable or in need in our own communities. On the last day, all people created in the image of God will have to stand before Him with eternity in the balance. This is not true of the spotted owl, the blue whale, or Yellowstone National Park. Our marching orders come from the Great Commission, not PETA or big businesses.
In the end, our concern for the environment is important because it is tied to Christ’s mission in the world. We learn in Colossians 1:16 that it was through Him that all things were created, and that they were created for Him. Christ is restoring not only men and women, but also the entire physical creation. He will reign as the curse is completely reversed. Therefore, we are to set our hope on a “new heavens and a new earth” as our ultimate destination (2 Peter 3:13, emphasis added).
Those who subscribe to doomsday predictions of environmental destruction have it right in the sense that the present order of things will not last forever. However, it is not an asteroid, but God who will visit the earth with a judgment of fire (2 Peter 3:10-13). There will be no debate about that global warming. Only those who have put their faith in Christ and His death and resurrection will be saved. As Christians, our stewardship of the environment ought to be evidence that we look forward to living in a renewed earth in the presence of the Lord Jesus for eternity. Now that’s a healthy environment.
SOURCES:
Schreiner, Thomas R. Gen Ed. 1,2 Peter, Jude, The New American Commentary, vol. 37, Broadman and Holman Publishers, Nashville, Tennessee: 2003, 387-393.
Pearcey, Nancy. Total Truth, Crossway Books, Wheaton, Illinois: 2004, 47-49.

 

From The Upper Room devotional:
Read Genesis 1
In the beginning . . . God created the heavens and the earth.
-Genesis 1:1 (NRSV)
"THESE trees are very impressive," someone said to me while we were strolling through the streets of my city. The comment referred to their vivid green leaves, their magnificent robust trunks, the unique irregularity of their branches.
Ours is a perfect creation by the perfect hand of the perfect Creator - not just the trees but the delicate, fragrant, and diverse flowers that fill every garden and the forceful, rushing ocean waves that shift the fine sand to display pebbles of all shapes, sizes, and hues.
God loves us so much that, from the beginning, the order of creation aligned with God's plan and humankind's place in it. However, along the way, we have forgotten God's gifts of beauty and goodness. Instead, we have contributed to the deforestation and contamination of rivers and streams and to the formation of unnecessary waste dumps.
From a place void of light, beauty, music, and color, the God we worship, the Giver of all life, lovingly created a beautiful world for us to enjoy. Let us care tenderly for this wondrous gift.
by Lillian Saldaña Campos (Holguín, Cuba)
Creator God, help us to care for and preserve the beauty and goodness of the earth. Amen.
How am I helping to care for the world God has entrusted to me?

 

Christian Conservationists from Today's Christian Woman mag.
The earth is not our home, so should believers actively try to preserve it? by Nancy Ortberg
Q. The earth is not our home, so should believers actively try to preserve it?
A. There are some things for which words cannot do justice—sights, smells, and sounds that make the heart come alive, that renew our passions, and that whisper to us of the presence of a good God.
On the southern route into Yosemite National Park, the road winds through a tunnel of trees before rounding a bend and giving way to a view known as Inspiration Point. There, just beyond the old stagecoach stop of Wawona, cars pull over to the side and people emerge to gaze silently at the vista, a majestic sweep of the valley with views of El Capitan, Bridal Veil Falls, and Half Dome. It's awe-inspiring.
Just south of Carmel, California, Highway 1 winds down the spine of our country's west coast in one of the most beautiful drives in the world, the Big Sur. People come here from all over the world to see where the Pacific Ocean crashes into the sheer cliffs of the Santa Lucia Mountains.
I could fill this page with descriptions of magnificent sights and experiences in our natural world. There's so much beauty, and God's glory is in all of it. Romans 1:20 tells us creation reflects God's invisible qualities, and that God has been "clearly seen, being understood from what has been made." Psalm 19 tells us the earth proclaims the glory of God and the work of his hands. When we preserve creation, we preserve a form of God's testimony to us—evidence for seekers and spiritual formation for believers.
But this is only one of many reasons conservation of natural resources is important from a Christian perspective. When we take action to protect the earth God gave us, we also serve the poor, the importance of which is discussed throughout the Bible. Environmental decay results in dirty air, toxic water, soil erosion, and the depletion of species, all of which impact poor people first and hardest.
And then there's the simple command God gave. In Genesis 2, the refrain "it was good" follows God's creation of sunlight and stars, willow trees and orchids, red-winged blackbirds and white-tailed deer. What God created is a gift to us, and in verse 15 he commands us to take care of it. The Fall made that directive more difficult, but there's been no release from it.
Romans 8:19-22 tells us creation groans and waits to be liberated from its bondage to decay, and Hosea 4 paints the picture of the direct impact our sins have on creation: "The land mourns, and all who live in it waste away; the beasts of the field and the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea are dying."
It's true that environmental issues are often associated with liberal politics of the sort many Christians oppose. But this doesn't have to be the case. Christians can, and perhaps should, be at the forefront of efforts to preserve God's creation. Perhaps just like Jesus' resurrected body was recognizable but new, the new heaven and new earth promised to us (2 Peter 3:13) is from the template of this earth we now know.

 

From thebanner.org 

The Imperfect Perfect

Is it possible that something could be too perfect, so perfect that it is imperfect? Think of fake plants, imitation wood, or mass-produced, fake anything. Paint a picture with words to show how something too perfect might be imperfect. Here’s an example: The Plastic Cup

Identical, symmetrical

boasting

in uniformity.

Use it once not twice

toss it out

earth will pay the price.

 

The Perfect Imperfect

The opposite can happen when you see beauty in something that is old or imperfect. Create another word picture. Look for a worthy quality in something that might be considered unworthy such as wrinkles, scars, a bent tree trunk, a lived-in room, or a person who has been forgiven and loved by God. Here’s an example:

The Old Glass Dish with a Wee Chip

A thick round bottom,

a fat stem.

Pour in hot puddin’.

While I spoon it up

Grandma’s tale

sings of puddin’ pasts.