I never really grew up with any interest in “saving” the environment. I viewed the “tree-huggers” living in my native San Francisco as liberal zealots. But as I’ve grown in my biblical understanding of this world, I’ve come to a growing conviction that a love for the earth should be something Christians are more passionate about.
The Bible from the very beginning gives us a framework for understanding the earth. In Genesis 1 God creates the earth and repeatedly calls it, “good.” Secondly God entrusts mankind to “fill the earth and subdue it” (Gen. 1:28). The idea here is that man is not only to use the earth but to cultivate and protect it.
One main Christian objection to being a person who loves the environment is the idea that, “Hey the whole earth is going to burn anyway.” A key verse occurs in 2 Peter 3:10: But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed.
But the idea of burning in the Bible doesn’t always have to do with destruction. It can also have the connotation of refinement as when fire is used to burn away dross. The Greek word for “dissolved” is the one to loosen. The last phrase in the text says in this context that when the earth is finally purified and loosened, the beauty of God’s creation will finally be exposed. This all argues for the renewal of the earth, not the destruction of it.
A final argument has to do with the Christian’s focus on “souls” and salvation instead of liberal causes like the environment. But this is a false dualistic worldview. Of course the eternal destiny of people is of more importance than stewardship. But that doesn’t make it unimportant. Secondly how much do you really care about someone if you are oblivious to them growing up in a polluted world that destroys their health and the quality of their lives?
Psalm 19:1 tells us that, “the heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. Let’s work for a world that continues to declare the beauty of its maker.
Filed under: Uncategorized
