As I was opening my electric bill this morning (actually it comes through my email) and I was once again struck with the fact that it is good to conserve energy and take care of the environment. (I’m not only saying this because it was higher than I expected!) Often as Christians we react against an agenda that we view as “liberal” or “left-wing” and assume that if some groups we disagree with are for something then we should automatically be against it.
Part of the reason that we react against the environmental advocates is the motive and agenda behind their push to be green. The most often heard reason for becoming conscious of the environment is a fear of a global apocalyptic ecological disaster. We are warned that we are running out of fossil fuel, our climate is changing, the polar caps are melting, the hole in the ozone is growing and the temperature is rising. Every bad weather day becomes proof positive of this phenomenon. It might be below zero in Wisconsin but they say that too is a sign of global warming.
Additionally, humans are viewed as parasites and interlopers on this planet and one gets the sense that things would be better off if we weren’t here. This has become the new orthodoxy and any questioning of these premises is heresy and obviously a sign of your mental deficiency.
But let’s suppose that we don’t agree with any of these premises, does this mean that we have a right to not take care of the environment and use as much natural resources as we can? If others tell us to conserve energy and recycle should we use as much as we can and fill every landfill that is available? I don’t think so. We should be conscious of the environment for one simple reason, God gave us stewardship over this earth and we have a responsibility before God to take care of it as a means of glorifying Him.
After God created man and woman in His image He blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” (Genesis 1:28) We have been given both dominion over and stewardship of the earth. This means that we care for it, protect it and preserve it as God’s agents on this planet.
As stewards we recognize that what we have has been entrusted to us and that we have a responsibility to care for it as the true Owner wants it cared for. By neglecting our environment or engaging in careless excess we treat the world as if we are the ultimate owners to do with it as we wish. This doesn’t mean we must give in to every silly proposal by radical environmental advocates that don’t practice what they preach. But it does mean that we must be conscious of our responsibility before God.
Whether or not we have 50 years worth of fossil fuel or 500 years should not be the motivation to conserve energy. Nor should fear of apocalyptic doom be the reason for caring for the earth. We recognize that God created this world and it is His. He created it with beauty that reflects His beauty and glory.
We also realize that He not only entrusted it to us but to our children, grandchildren and future generations until Jesus returns. This means that we not only have the right to use these resources but the responsibility to preserve as much as we can for future generations. It means we are willing to find a balance between a person’s right to own his own property and urban sprawl that leaves no undeveloped land in some places. This means that although it isn’t wrong to own a Hummer we need to balance our wants with our needs and not use as much as we can because it won’t run out in our lifetime.
As Christians we can bring balance and sanity to this discussion if we don’t just react to bluster of our opponents. Although we may not agree with all the motivations of some and we certainly don’t agree with some of the premises that underlie their worldview, that doesn’t’ mean that we have to take the knee-jerk opposite position on the issues. We care for God’s creation for the simple fact that it is God’s.