Saturday, October 27, 2007

Christian Perspective on Going Green



I am a strong believer that the Bible is sufficient to answer any problems or questions that we may have. If not in direct answer, the principles and normative patterns will tell us the biblical answer for any question.



2 Tim 3:16-17: All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.



So what is the Christian perspective on going green? Many conservative Christians think of going green as something that alarmist hippies do. They turn their noses up at the environmentalists who chant about global warming and dying animals. This is a terrible tragedy! To quote Francis Schaeffer:



"The Christian who believes the Bible should be the man who--with God's help and in the power of the Holy Spirit--is treating nature now in the direction of the way nature will be [when Christ returns].... God's calling to the Christian now, and to the Christian community, in the area of nature... is that we should exhibit a substantial healing here and now."



When we look at the biblical perspective on going green, we see that being a caretaker of the earth is at the very heart of who God our Creator is. To honor and glorify our Creator, we should seek to be caretakers of all that He has created, preserving it as best we can until His return where His Creation will be restored. The Bible says that all of Creation speaks of God. What are we, His creatures, saying to the world about Him when we consume without thought and live without any concern for what impacts our actions have on the Creation, and the people living in it.


The poorest of the earth's inhabitants are the ones who are most impacted by environmental issues. They can't afford a water filtration system, air purification or clean food. Our toxic tendencies directly affect them first. Christ cares for the least of these, and we should too.

The prevailing thought in most homes is that our small individual actions couldn't possibly make a difference. Most of us can't afford to install solar energy or drive a Prius, even if our kids would all fit in it! But the truth is, the small efforts we can make to conserve the energy we do use and other creation caring actions we can take, make a big impact on our earth. Don't get overwhelmed, taking one step at a time, we can be better stewards of this world God has created.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

What a blessing to find your blog on a Google search! I'm a blogger, too, and I was hoping to find something that would speak to my heart about "Green" things...and how to get there. I have 9 and 7 year olds, neither of which know much about leaning to the green side of things. Why? Because I (who know very little) haven't taught them.

We've begun the process. Now, to remain encouraged to continue in it well!

Have a great day!

Unknown said...

y agree with your comments. Do you know of some scriptures that speak to caring for God's creation - our Earth?

Thanks - Delia

Anonymous said...

Thank you for your post. I agree with you 100%. God created the earth with His perfection that would be completely suitable for His children to live with all of their needs met. I have turned over several new leafs on the road to going GREEN over the past couple of months. I didn't want to be labeled as a "hippie" or a "tree hugger", just someone who cares deeply for what the Father created for us with His love.