Environmentalism and the Bible, an article by Alana Weins

Published: July 8th, 2008

With your registration for Home, this year we have added a new option.  You can offset the environmental impact of your travel (particularly by plane) with a donation to plant trees through our partners in Tanzania.  

You may be asking, why is it important?  So many people fly every day.  What does one more passenger matter?  Does carbon offset really work?  Why should I care about the environment?

These types of projects raise the question of how we, as Christians, should respond to the current public fascination with environmentalism.  Is ‘going green’ just a fad?  Where should concern for the environment rank in our priorities?

The Christian response to environmentalism has at times hit two dangerous extremes.  

The first is the belief that the earth is ours to use as we please.  As rulers we can exploit and consume to fit our lifestyle.  We are made in God’s image and therefore are far above all other creation, which was only created for our comfort and enjoyment.  In this view, we have little responsibility other than to harvest materials for our own use.

The second is a worship of the natural - a belief in the sacredness of nature in its own right.  This extreme worships the created, rather than the Creator and creates environmentalism as its own religion.

Clearly both extremes misunderstand scripture and the role of humankind in the greater creation.  Any understanding of the environment must be rooted and grounded in Genesis 1 when God created and pronounced His creation as “good”.  God approved and blessed the creation.  After creating man (and later, woman) God gave instructions on how they were to relate to creation.  They were to rule over it and to use it for food (Genesis 1:28-30).  In Eden (Genesis 2:15) humans were to work in the Garden and take care of it.

Genesis 1 is not just a creation myth or story to understand how humans came to the earth and how the earth was created.  It is the beginning of the story of who God is and how He relates to the world.  It sets out the context for our understanding of the Bible and is the beginning of the song of praise for the Creator.  Humans are made in the image of God and are His representatives on the earth.  Being made in the image of God is not just an excuse to place ourselves at the top of the pyramid of creation, but a sacred blessing of being the carrier of the image of the Creator.  As such, it creates a responsibility to reflect the image of God and to act in the image of God.

Our understanding of the words “rule” and “ruler” tend to come from human examples of rulers.  To understand our role to rule over the earth in terms of historic monarchs may give the impression of plundering the earth for our enjoyment.  Instead, if we look to God as a divine ruler, we see the example we are to follow.  One of loving the creation, understanding how its existence glorifies God and blessing creation.

In Psalm 8, King David understands the role of ruler of creation as one of seeing the wonder of creation and in it the majesty of the Creator.

Understanding who God is as a Ruler and Creator and who we are should shape our understanding of the environment.  Simply trying to change a few behaviours will fail without the shift in worldview, which is reflected in a shift in values, beliefs and behaviours.  If we see ourselves as the overseers of creation and acting in the image of God as rulers, our day to day actions will show a greater respect for creation.

The other piece of understanding environmentalism in a Christian context is as an issue of justice.  In Western lifestyles we overuse resources, placing a burden on others around the world.  

The Archbishop of Cantebury explained it as follows in the forward to Sharing God’s Planet:

The Christian reason for regarding ecology as a matter of justice, then, is that God’s self-sharing love is what animates every object and structure and situation in the world. Responses to the world that are unaware of this are neither truthful nor sustainable. To be aware of this is to enter into relationship, for the self-sharing love of God is not simply something we admire, but something in which we fully participate. We are not consumers of what God has made; we are in communion with it.

We are stewards, not owners, of the blessing of the creation and need to use it in a way that reflects God’s Glory as a perfectly just ruler.

When we look at a trend towards environmentalism, clearly Christians should be modeling behaviour of environmentalism.  While we will not be out front with the humanistic rhetoric  of bettering ourselves and showing the improvement of humanity as a whole (or our ability to save ourselves), we should be out front with our attitudes and understanding of creation.

This brings us to carbon offset.  Is it a perfect solution?  No.  However, for necessary travel, it does provide the opportunity (over the long term) to mitigate the environmental impact of our actions.  In our partnership with Wild Hope International we be planting and caring for indigenous trees to the point where they can survive to become mature trees, dealing with many of the criticisms of carbon offset schemes.

So, as you register and make travel plans, think about how your travel impacts the earth.  Take some time to examine your own understanding of who God is as a Creator and Ruler and how that image in you impacts how you live your life.  Then make your travel plans, enjoy Home and connect with the rest of the 24-7 family.  Think about how you are traveling to the event.  Most of all, consider how you can be a just ruler and steward of creation.

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