Earth Day: Our Call and Our Failure

Today (April, 22) is "Earth Day". It's a day that celebrates the idea of being environmentally conscious. Many people are made more aware of the impact they have on the world, its resources, and our ecosystem. The reality is humbling since it points out how we have (mis)treated the creation of God. In the book of Genesis, God gave us the responsibility to tend the Garden and keep it (2:15). In Psalm 8:6 we learn that we have been given dominion over the work of God's hands referring to all of creation. We are told that everything has been placed "under our feet" (v. 7) showing our responsibility and authority over the things God created. We have been given the task of caring for God's beautiful creation; God entrusted us with tending the Garden in which we live. But what have we done to deserve this task? And what have we done with our responsibility?

The sad reality is that we have shirked the sacred responsibility given to us. We have shown poor stewardship. But I would say that the heaviest weight of this failure falls on the shoulders of us Christians. We cannot place the blame on the evolutionists and the atheists. The truth is that they have done the most to stop the destruction of our planet. They are the ones hugging trees and signing petitions. What have we done? We call them "liberals" but I would call them people of "forgein lips". In Isaiah 28:11, the Israelites are warned about foreigners, who were not the people of God, that are used to speak and deliver judgment against the people of God. God has entrusted us with the protection and stewardship of this planet and we have abused our authority. Instead, the non-believer is used by God and steps up in our absence, in some cases at the cost of their own lives, to protect the environment and save endangered animals. The fact that they have picked up our slack ought to speak against our arrogance and proclaim judgment against our failure as God's people. To think that God has to use people who hate Him to protect the good creation he loves. What does that say about us? And yet we are unashamed. We speak against men like Al Gore who fund a movie that shows plainly the state we have left our world. We argue that the movie is over stating the statistics and is inaccurate. But what we ought to do is repent in humility over our lack of stewardship and rebellion against the command of God to care for his creation.

But what has brought us to this complacency? Typically, those who call themselves Christian tend to sit on the right side of the political debate because of certain social and economic values. While there is nothing wrong with being on one side or the other, there is a definite absence of environmental consciences for political conservatives. And the shame comes by the fact that we Christians have adopted this secular worldview rather than enforcing the worldview of Scripture which understands our role to be caretakers, not consumers. I have known many Christians to argue against environmentalism; who belittle the passion that drives some to care for their environment. A Biblical worldview would encourage and stand along side, supporting such drive and conviction. Proverbs 12:15 tells us, "The way of a fool seems right to him, but a wise man listens to advice." I would suggest that we have played the fool long enough and it is now time for us to repent and listen.

Where do we start? How do we turn from our wicked ways and become the stewards we were created to be? Well, it ought to start at home. As in most things, the education system has picked up where we have failed and today teaches our children about being environmentally mindful. Tainted by a humanistic worldview, our children are taught how to care for God's creation without appreciation for God. We should be the ones teaching our children about the greatness of God's creation and why we are to care for it. Also, we ought to take steps to reduce, and reuse the things we use. We should also use less and waste less. For example, when we go to the grocery store we ought to bring our own reusable bag rather than paper or plastic. At work we should use less paper and reuse scratch paper that would normally be thrown away. At home take shorter showers or even substitute a morning shower with a bath before bed. Use and encourage the use of post consumer (recycled) materials like glass and paper. When you get your coffee in the morning, bring your own mug or thermos. Also, take the initiative to set up a recycling program at your work or school if there isn't one already (and if there is one use it!). And for those who can afford it, convert your truck or SUV to bio-diesel or get a Hybrid car that uses less oil and gas. And for those who can't, make sure you take care of your car and get regular emission tests. Or carpool to work and church (friends are free, gas is not).

These are just some simple ways to care for the our world, and if we commit to this conservational lifestyle, imagine the impact we would all have. Approximately 1/3 (close to 3 billion) of the world's population is Christian. Imagine the impact on our oceans, landfills, rainforest's, and city streets if we all were to fulfill our responsibility as the caretakers of God's creation. There is no question about it, we have abused our dominion over the creation God has entrusted to us. He has placed it under our feet and we have done nothing but walk all over it and destroy it for our own benefit and greed.

I do want to make something very clear, however. I am not advocating the point of view that we ought to surrender our position as God's highest creation, but rather I am enforcing our position as its caretaker. There are those who worship the earth as mother and abdicate their role as image bearers of God. We are not to worship the creation but rather the Creator. But still we appreciate his creation and care for it since it is a revelation of God and his greatness (Romans 1:20). This world is a reflection of God's taste and artistic talent. When he finished creating each thing in this world, God ended the day satisfied, calling his work "good". God has a vested interest in this world and everything in it. It is an integral part of our redemptive history. Romans 8:19-21 teaches creation is also waiting for Jesus to return. It too has been subjected to the frustrations of sin and its impact but in verse 21, we learn that when Jesus returns it too will be liberated from bondage and decay and be brought into glorious freedom with us, the children of God. Therefore, we can no longer ignore our responsibility. We should be at the forefront of the "Green" movement. Churches should be going green. Christians should be the ones annoying people outside of grocery stores asking them to sign petitions to save a whale or a spotted slug or chipmunk instead of bombing abortion clinics and picketing gay pride parades like the hypocrites we are, unrepentant of our own sins. So, now we make a choice: we can either be environmentally aware once a year, or we can obey God and fulfill our responsibility by caring everyday. Let's repent from our sin of omission and be the example to the non-believer by showing our love and respect for the work of God's hand.