Even if Al Gore is wrong, do we who are followers of Christ really want to be seen as antagonistic and anti-environment?
That type of question is one that has been consistently passing through my mind recently. I know of many Christians who are actively fighting or mocking any "green" movement, and my question is: Why? Usually the answer will be political or economic. I propose that the question we should ask ourselves is: How has indifference, or even antagonism, toward environmental issues furthered the cause of Christ?
Put it another way. Suppose for a moment that all the scientific reports and theories about global warming and eventual catastrophic calamities are incorrect. As far as how we have conducted ourselves in the debate, how well have we as the God-fearing community in our culture represented the God we believe is the Creator of the environment? Let me push it one step further. Even if it is eventually definitively determined that there has been no human-induced large-scale detriment to the environment, what good is it if Christians are viewed to have won the battle concerning the environment, yet lost any positive influence on the larger culture in the process?
As usual, we are known more for what we are against than what we are for.
Let me be clear: We are for the glory of God in Christ, and as a result, the sharing of the gospel of Jesus is our privilege and task—it is our mission. I am not suggesting we stop or pause our mission to take up another banner, nor even to add green issues to our mission. I am also not suggesting we expand our definition of the gospel to include societal issues. What I am suggesting is that we take an honest look at whether many Christians' indifference or antagonism toward green issues (and toward those who are proponents of green issues) is helping or hurting our own mission. Is it possible that we have actually damaged the reputation of the Creator by claiming to speak for Him on these issues?
Although we should care for this planet because it is God's creation, we should care all the more about those who may not know the Creator.
My own denomination has been slow to clarify this. So far the convention has produced two specific resolutions at consecutive annual meetings that were vague at best, and at their worst have served to reinforce others' negative perceptions of us. However, recently I came across a document that I find encouraging. An independent coalition among the convention has agreed on a declaration as part of the Southern Baptist Environment and Climate Initiative. Many leaders whom I respect have signed the declaration. The document says that "our current denominational engagement with these issues has often been too timid, failing to produce a unified moral voice." In addition, the authors of the declaration state essentially what I am asserting here. They say that the way in which we have responded to these issues (and I would add, responded to the proponents of these issues) "may be seen by the world as uncaring, reckless and ill-informed. We can do better."
I have no idea what the future holds for this initiative, nor for the specifics they have purposely yet to produce, but I am thankful and hopeful because some of my own have recognized that merely arguing or retreating on these issues is not helpful to the cause of Christ. Props to Jonathan Merritt for doing something. (Note the media coverage in Time Magazine and on ABC World News.)
So where does that leave us? What I am asking for is that we Christians become engaged in the process in a positive, God-honoring way. Again, we should care about the creation since we boast in the Creator, and we should care about those who care about the environment. Consider this a plea for balance. Clearly there are extreme elements of the environmental movement(s) with which we cannot align ourselves. (One example would be those who advocate population controls in the form of abortion and euthanasia.) But we also don't have to blindly fall to the opposite end of the spectrum by ignoring potential problems and vilifying advocates of green issues.
I am sure there will be much more to say about this topic in the coming months and years. This post is by no means thorough. But it was time for me to begin rethinking what it means to be a Christ follower who cares about God's creation, and more than that, cares about those who care about the environment.
6 comments:
You made some excellent points, and more conservative Christians need to stand up and call for open minds when it comes to environmental concern.
My theory about what caused a historically "uncaring" attitude or perception amongst conservative Christians is that many conservative Christians have simply bought into conservative (and mostly Republican) talking points concerning the environment. The Republican party used the issue of abortion to gain a following amongst conservative Christans, and then those Christians followed the Party in whatever direction it wanted to go on nearly every conceivable issue including the environment... thinking they were "saving the babies". The problem is that many of these party leaders were and are simply large corporate investors who actually wanted to create more pollution while lining their wallets (and did not even give a hoot about abortion, ironically enough).
Think about it though... what has the Republican Party done to stop abortion? The Justices who re-affirmed Roe v. Wade (in the later case Casey v. Planned Parenthood) were all Republican appointees of (Regan, Bush Senior, etc.). G. "W." Bush appointed Justices who openly stated that they would affirm the legal right to an abortion... yet nonetheless he somehow convinced millions of Christians on the "Right" that he was "with them" on abortion.
It is high time conservative Christians wake up and realize there is no need to follow the talking points of either Democrats or Republicans. If we know that pollution harms the environment and harms our neighbors (and there is no doubt that car and power plant emissions do that) then we should seek to reduce or eliminate those emissions. It is that simple.
There is no "Christian" political party. If there is a party that claims the name of Christ (or seems to be trying to), then we should be very skeptical of that party's motives.
Great post!
I agree on this in many ways. Christians often become so passionate about their political views that they dismiss the person on the other side who should be reached by their life view. For example, homosexuality. Christians, almost as a whole, condemn and cuss the gays to hell. Good thing God did not do that with my sin. I am not stating that we should accept the sin, but we need to love the person who is hurting and needs the same grace that we have been given to forgive the sins that are condemning them to hell, like our own. (man thats a big run on sentence)
We have personally been recycling for years, due to me seeing picture after picture of landfills growing. I still have a small issue with the green movement. My biggest issue is that the media has once again made the decision for us all. They have decided that Green is the answer to everything now. It seems that this is a lucrative cause for many. Almost all businesses are making extra $$. i.e. NBC pushing Green week. Why did they do that? GE owns them and so millions in GE energy saving bulbs are sold. This may really bother me, but I can accept the cause if it allows me to reach others.
Long story short, the media is killing me with the cause, but I can accept that in order to possibly reach someone. Green is not a sin. Christians have to learn to put God at the forefront of their views and love their neighbor and let that guide their life in every area.
Mike,
thanks for the post. Hopefully it will get some folks thinking.
Thanks, Mike! You put into words something that's been on my mind for a while.
Mike,
You'd better be careful posting stuff like this. People are going to think you're some sort of....shhhh....liberal...sshhhh...
Just kidding, buddy ;). Seriously, thanks for posting this. This is an issue that I care extremely deeply about, and it pleases me to no end to see that other Christians are beginning to come around on this issue. I read the Southern Baptist statement, and while I felt it was still a bit weakly worded, it does represent a monumental step forward from an organization that has been dropping the ball in recent years on many modern issues, not the least of which is this environmental issue. I applaud them for that, and am truly happy to see what was written in the declaration.
You made some excellent points in your blog, so I won't try to restate them here. I would, however, like to echo the sentiments of the first (anonymous) poster in his last point. That's the statement I've been trying to convey to people for years. How one party can make any claim to have a monopoly on Christian beliefs, and more importantly how people buy into that, is something that has escaped me for years.
Your comments are a voice of reason in what I believe is undue criticism of the environmental movement. God made us stewards of the earth analagous to the manner in which a farmer cares for his land.
While there is debate in the popular press as to environmental effects such as global warming. As an environmental engineer whose research deals with minimizing greenhouse gas emissions, I can say the scientific evidence is solid at this point... we are affecting our planet. Research on artic and antarctic ice cores dating back thousands of years shows this is not a typical warming cycle as some might have suggested a few years ago.
So in my mind the choice then becomes, what is the role of the church? I believe there is a biblical basis for environmental protection and, frankly, I have been astounded that many in the church have resisted (and even opposed) embracing more sustainable practices.
Environmental protection aside, if there is no biblical basis for this resistance than are we, as Christians, being more effective witnesses by attacking those environmentally-minded who would be Christians? As Mike suggests, our actions should reflect His word and His glory.
Post a Comment