Tag: environment

Environmental Discipleship (Pt 1)

Posted on August 26, 2010

In an age of global warming, Kyoto debate, and environmental policy, many Christians find themselves unsure how to respond. Who is telling the truth about the effect of carbon emissions, deforestation, and so on? What is the environmental responsibility of a disciple of Jesus?

Authentic Christian faith requires ecological obedience.

Ecological Obedience

Steven Bouma-Prediger tackles this topic in For the Beauty of the Earth: a Christian vision for creation care. His central thesis is that authentic Christian faith requires ecological obedience. What is our ecology? Working through various words (environment, nature, creation), he settles on the term “earth” to designate the realm that God has created and that man is responsible for.

We care for only what we love. We love only what we know. We truly know only what we experience.

We Love What We Know

He explores various spheres of earthly responsibility–lakes, mountains, forests–noting in striking detail the sheer creativity of God. The Blue Creek National Park in Belize contains over 3,300 different species of birds! In Costa Rica alone there are 550 species of butterflies. Lavish! But do we care? He notes: “We care for only what we love. We love only what we know. We truly know only what we experience.” So true. So here’s some knowledge for you:

  • Deforestation rates equal the elimination of one state of Indiana a year.
  • The hungry of our world fit 18 times around the equator.
  • 11% of birds and mammals are threatened by extinction.
  • Only 53% of the global population has potable water.
  • The hottest 14 years of recent history have been since 1980.

Scientific debate is not over whether or not the earth is warming up, but how much and how fast it will accelerate and what the consequences will be. Add to this population boom, waste production, loss of biodiversity, energy misuse, and water scarcity and we have a problem. The earth is not being cared for adequately. It is groaning.



Pro-Environmental Baptists

Posted on March 11, 2008

The NYTimes has an interesting piece on a movement among Southern Baptists to take more action on climate change an advocate for the environment. A quote:

“I learned that God reveals himself through Scripture and in general through his creation, and when we destroy God’s creation, it’s similar to ripping pages from the Bible,” Mr. Merritt said.

Green Tips

Posted on October 26, 2007

Here are a couple Green Tips I got from Member Mission.

#1Stop junk mail before it gets to your mailbox. Each year the average US household receives about 1-112 trees’ worth of junk mail. Register with the Mail Preference Service to reduce the amount of junk mail that you get.

Cost: $1.00

 

Where to register:  www.dmaconsumers.org/cgi/offmailinglist

 

#2 Buy locally-produced food to reduce the amount of energy used for transportation. Most items in our supermarkets have traveled an average of 1,000 miles. Fresh local food can be found almost every day in Austin. Support local business.

 

The World Without Us

Posted on October 5, 2007

“Every good gift and perfect present is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no change or moving shadow.”

Thoughts? What is the Christian response? We are here to cultivate the creation project, and it is going somewhere. Without us, earth would be a mass of disordered life. Genesis tells us that man was created to rule and subdue the earth (1:28), to tend and to cultivate it (2:5).

What would creation look like without Christians? In some cases, life might actually be better. When those who claim Christ but neglect the environment, social needs, and insensitively try to cram “the gospel” into others’ souls are gone.

The world with or without us is in decline. This video does not reveal is the crippling effects of sin and evil in a world with us. Perhaps it is a wake-up call, not only to be stewards of the earth but also to serve our cities, redemptively engage neighbors, co-workers, pop, folk, and high culture?

The destination of the creation project is a new creation in unhindered communion with its Creator. Though God’s good gifts are often perverted now, they will be appropriately celebrated then, not mistaking them for the Creator, for God. Unlike everything else, God does not change. In a world with so much flux, God is calling us to rest in his unchanging grace.