Within the christian circles I grew up in I always heard (and still hear) the phrase “tree-hugger” used in mockery.
Environmental activists and even the simplest acts of environmentalism were slandered. Why? For some christians I have heard the phrase, “they (environmental activists) worship the creature (nature) rather than the Creator”, citing that environmentalism was becoming the new god and thus an idol to environmentalists. For some reason christians are afraid of their environmental actions becoming an idol and replacing God should they join the environmental movement.
Interesting.
I don’t remember hearing anyone in the church say, “we shouldn’t love or care for our family members because they might become our idol”.
Sounds ridiculous, right?
So, what is the real reason why some christians are so concerned about idolatry when it comes to caring for our environment?
I have a guess and I hope I’m wrong, but I’ll open that can of worms another time.
However, in terms of shallow reasoning, fear of association with those who believe in evolution and ”make the environment their idol” is a lame excuse to turn a deaf ear to environmental activists.
(I am not saying idolatry is not serious, that is just a whole discussion of its own for another time)
I want to challenge you to look past the lame excuses and see three reasons why you as a christian should be caring for your environment.
*Disclaimer* There are a million and two reasons why your christian faith should extend to caring for the world we live in but I’ll just keep it simple and give you three.
1. God says so.
In Genesis 2:15 & 19, God put Adam and Eve in the garden to take care of it, and He gave them every green plant for food. As a part of caring for the garden and the creatures in it, man was given the task of naming all the animals.
We name the things that matter.
After the flood in Genesis 9, God gave Noah and his family the animals for food just as He previously gave the green plants for food. But man was still to be responsible.
When God gave the law, care for the land and animals was included in the law (Leviticus 25:2-5 & Exodus 23:10-11). God specifically commanded the people to not destroy the land (Numbers 35:33-34 & Deuteronomy 20:19), if the people rebelled and did not obey God’s commands, then not only would the people suffer but the land would as well (Leviticus 18:26&28; 26:3-4 & Jeremiah 12:4,11). I know, I know, we don’t live according to all of the rules God gave in the old testament law, but the principles still stand. As a society we have laws that address the principal of some of the old testament laws concerning injustices such as murder and rape. If caring for the world around us was unimportant, God would not have bothered to include it in the foundational texts of the bible.
2. To whom much is given, much will be required.
Jesus told a parable in Luke 12: 35-48 of a master who goes away and leaves a manager in charge of the household. Jesus presents two endings to the parable. One, a servant who handles the responsibility well and the master comes home to find everything in order as it should be. Two, a servant who ate, drank, and beat the other servants and when the master returned unexpectedly, none of the duties were fulfilled. Needless to say it was not a happy ending for the second servant. In verse 48 Jesus says, “Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required, and from him to whom they entrusted much, they will demand the more”.
It’s not a secret that we (in America specifically) live in a land of plenty. We have more pairs of shoes than we could ever wear out. We have closets stuffed with clothes and junk drawers and closets brimming with stuff we rarely, if ever, use. We can get a wide variety of food at the local grocery store without a thought of where it came from. We throw out so much food because it goes bad before we have the chance to eat it, food prep is too inconvenient, or we really don’t like leftovers. We have comfort and we have plenty.
We have been given much. Far more than we could ever need or use ourselves.
How are you using the much you have been given?
(Note: I will rant on this further in a future post on consumerism and use of resources)
3. God cares about the smallest details of our physical bodies and the living things around us.
If we are to be “little Christs”, then we should too (Matthew 10:29-30).
How we live impacts EVERYTHING and EVERYONE ELSE ON THE GLOBE. If you preach justice and love, then our living habits should reflect what we preach. In Matthew 25 Jesus tells those who are welcomed into heaven that what they did for the “least of these” was done as if to him. What were the heroic acts of the righteous ones welcomed into glory? Providing the basic necessities of food, clothing, shelter, and community. I’ll go into more detail in another post, but for “the least of these”, their basic necessities are threatened or destroyed thanks to collective environmental choices. Caring for the least of these, truly caring, goes beyond bringing meals, donating clothing, and offering kindness when the opportunity arrives. I am NOT saying that those things aren’t good, they are needed in their own spaces. But we need to be aware of the impact our choices have on others. Our daily lives may not be impacted by whether we buy our produce naked or wrapped in plastic, or how much plastic we use and discard on a daily basis. But in other communities and parts around the globe, it’s a destructive and traumatic reality. If you want to learn more, I would recommend starting with Annie Leonard’s book The Story of Stuff.
Some of the most discouraging (and ignorant) christian ideas regarding climate change and environmentalism center around the idea that those who care about their environmental impact are doing so out of fear that if they do not act the world will end (Foley, 2020). You might not share their fear of impending doom, but whether you like it or not, you do share the same planet. Caring for the environment and end time theology does not have to be, and should not be, mutually exclusive. You can (and should) work alongside someone for a common goal without having the same foundational why. Not wanting to “buy into” or
“encourage” the fear of those who are acting with urgency against climate change is not an excuse to mock, roll your eyes, or live passively and selfishly. Instead, this is a chance to live a consistent faith through conscientious living in the physical world you share with all other living beings.
“Just because you don’t see, hear, taste, touch, or feel the direct impact of your environmental choices does not in any way negate the truth that countless lives see, hear, taste, touch, and feel.”
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