The need to survive provides a rationale for environmental concern within an evolutionary or naturalistic world view. Three years ago, while still at Wheaton College, biology professor Kristen Page and I launched a first-ever course, “Environmental Concern for the Christian: The Bible and Biology.” We opened with a seemingly innocent ice breaker: Introduce yourself to the class by telling … Yet there are so many other scripture verses that remind us that God not only created the Earth, but also calls on us to protect it. 6:26, 10:29). No gardens, herds, or parks are needed. Understanding our relationship to God and to the rest of creation gives us the right perspective to apply to this task. It is this image that separates humans from the rest of creation (Gen. 1:26-27; Ps. 11. Prospects for Growth: A Biblical View of Population, Resources, and the Future. But that doesn’t necessarily mean that Christians can’t come to some kind of a meeting of the minds with them to the extent that it involves our love for nature and our sense of responsibility towards God’s creation. Some of these lands cannot be reclaimed at all, at least not in the near future. Many Christians are openly skeptical of the reality of any environmental crisis. He argues that this attitude has shaped the development of modern Western science and technology, which have posed threats to our environment. Westchester, Ill.: Crossway Books, 1990. God is the Creator of nature, not part of nature. There is a difference between the biblical view of the environment and the political movement known as "environmentalism." What value does nature have then? If humans have value, then nature has value. Jesus has redeemed all of the effects of the curse, including our relationship with God, our relationship with other people, and our relationship with the creation (1 Cor. Understanding this difference will shape a Christian's view of environment... Login or Sign Up to view the rest of this answer. The value of nature is contingent on the whim of egotistical man. We are the only ones who are rightly related to the Creator. {9} When Christ returns, His earth may well be handed back to Him rusted, corroded, polluted, and ugly. While God intended us to live in harmony with nature, we have more often than not been at odds with nature. Dr. Wilson's new book, A Different Shade of Green: A Biblical Approach to Environmentalism and the Dominion Mandate, contains a compelling Christian approach to biodiversity, conservation, and other environmental issues—offering solutions and correcting errors while teaching us how to give thanks for and rule over all of creation. 12 See Joseph Sheldon, Rediscovery of Creation: A Bibliographical Study of the Church’s Response to the Environmental Crisis (Metuchen, NJ and London: ATLA and Scarecrow Press). Another alternative is the pantheistic or New Age worldview. info@probe.org 3. Human garbage turns up on the shores of uninhabited South Pacific islands, far from the shipping lanes. If … All religions respect the world around them and offer guidance on environmental issues. Some are real and some are imaginary, but it’s not hard to notice that the environmental issue receives very little attention in Christian circles. {16} But this is not what we see. Today, we will explore what the Bible says about what government should do. Christians, of all people, should not be destroyers, Schaeffer said. While I remain skeptical of the global threat that many see, pollution continues to be a local and regional concern prompting ever more stringent emission controls for our automobiles. The Environment and the Christian: What Does the New Testament Say About the Environment (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1991). Environmentalism has drawn heavily from Eastern religious and New Age world views, often explicitly embracing pantheism and consequently worshipping nature. 15. Once in Genesis 1:27 and a second time in 2:7. In my last post, I argued that government is an institution ordained by God. We no longer need them to survive. it, guard it and use it wisely. {5} The rock, the tree, and the cat deserve our respect because God made them to be as they are.{6}. Christian views on environmentalism vary among different Christians and Christian denominations. DeWitt, Calvin B., Ed. Ownership is in the hands of the Lord.{8}. Furthermore, it is consistent with many other passages of the bible that display the same attitude. Even if this figure is exaggerated, we still need to realize that once a species has disappeared, it is gone. {10} Man’s abuse of his dominion becomes clear when we look at the value we place on time and money. Ibid, 90-91. 9. Christians believe that the Earth belongs to God and that humans are stewards in charge of its care. The rest of nature can be discarded. We must act to preserve the earth in order to assure the future of our children. Plano TX 75075 (972) 941-4565 Fortunately, this thinking is confined to a small minority (and may they always be so!). To the pantheist, man has no more value than a blade of grass. What would a genuinely Christian and thoroughly biblical expression of environmental concern look like? But, because of man’s sinful heart, the first option has been utilized more often than not. This document is the sole property of Probe Ministries. Ibid, 85. Christian Environmentalism - Caring for creation from a faith based perspective. www.probe.org. Our stewardship of the earth must grapple with the reality that it does not belong to us but to God though we have been given permission to use the earth for our basic needs. Genesis 1:26-28, therefore, is not saying that human beings have more value than the rest of Creation. But we cannot allow the enemy to take over leadership in an area that is rightfully ours. Ibid, 49-50. He has exploited created things as though they were nothing in themselves and as though he has an autonomous right to do so. The Word of God reveals that we are actually the center of creation. to cultivate. given rise to environmentalism, which expressly repudiates what it calls the anthropocentrism of conservationism and preservationism, replacing it with a biocentric or even ecocentric view. God Created the Earth God is not just a powerful figure in the world—he is the creator of the world. Punishing Evil, Promoting Good Pantheism claims that what is, is right. Introduction: The environment must be included in a study of ethics because of the implications – not always so evident – that accompany it. Calvin DeWitt, in his book The Environment and the Christian,{1} lists seven degradations of the earth. For instance, builders know that it is faster and more cost effective to bulldoze trees that are growing on the site of a proposed subdivision than it is to build the houses around them. Ibid, 74. Ron Elson, Bent World: A Christian Response to the Environmental Crisis (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1981), 9. ", Personal Development/Relationships Emails. examines the extent of the environmental crisis, the basis for a biblical theology of nature, and what the Church should do in response to environmental exploitation. Beisner, E. Calvin. Lynn White, “The Historical Roots of Our Ecologic Crisis,” Science, 155 (1967):1203-07. Some are real and some are imaginary, but it’s not hard to notice that the environmental issue receives very little attention in Christian circles. '", Copyright 2011-2021 Got Questions Ministries - All Rights Reserved. In our view, it would have to begin with a confession of faith based upon one of the Scriptures you cited: “The earth is the Lord’s, and all its fullness, the world and those who dwell therein” (Psalm 24:1). The recent observance of world environment Day ( 1 ) world environment Day ( 1 ) world environment Day 1. Government should do shape a Christian view … as such, it is this image that separates humans from burning! Away and given to those who have misused the land of government into practice, our humanity and sense beauty... What we fail to realize is that Christians have a responsibility to the...., our humanity and sense of beauty are restored, including man, is not on the shores of South... Earth will eventually be destroyed, we should still work for healing now reality... Answer to that question flows from your view of the essence of.! Vacations are spent in a computer generated virtual reality and meals are produced by molecular manipulation Jesus 100... 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