Environmentalism - Part I

Big word. Big controversy. Just mentioning the E word sometimes gets my blood boiling. Question is...why?!?


Isn't conserving, reusing and recycling good things? My wife thinks so. So does my cousin. So why am I having such a difficult time with it?


In fact, "protecting" the environment would seem to fall in line with Scripture. Doesn't it? God tells us that we should be good stewards (Luke 12:42; Matthew 25:14-30) of what He has given and entrusted to us. To be sure that covers a lot of area. But the environment certainly falls into that. And going back to the beginning, in the account of creation (Genesis 1:27-29), didn't God entrust man with the responsibility to subdue the earth and rule over it. A great responsibility. If we understand then that the Scriptures must have continuity, then we have to say we need to take charge of the earth and manage it WELL.


So why am I so anti-environment? Well, I'm not...completely. To be clear here, I'm not even touching on global warming or climate change or whatever they're going to call that tomorrow. I'm just talking about taking care of our natural resources and stuff like that.


I guess why it bugs me is because the liberals are SO for it. I'm okay with doing more in moderation. I'm okay with being more responsible. I'm even okay with recycling...I guess. But what I'm not okay with is the government taking environmentalism to the extreme.

• The E.P.A. Announces a New Rule on Polluters
• Abortion Debate Thwarts U.S. Fight Against China's One-Child Policy
• Corruption, Collusion, or Legal Thievery


So, how does one deal with being concerned about these extreme points of view and reconciling this with the right attitude as pointed out by Scripture? The key I think is to seek to view the world through the filter of God's eyes (His Word). And pray. Pray a lot. Ultimately, with what we do and how we take care of His creation we are setting an example to the lost people that we want to point to Jesus for their ultimate hope.


So, here's the question. How do the lost see us? Many liberals, and others who aren't, probably watch Christians and wonder why we don't care. Where's our compassion? Where's our sense of right and wrong? Why don't we care about the destructive way in which we (man) pollute and mismanage natural resources? Those are legitimate questions.


The Church has stepped up in recent years. And there are considerable Christians who do care and are taking it more seriously. But Christianity as a whole seems to have already received a black mark on this point. So how do we respond to the world after we have dropped the ball?


Carefully. There's still much to consider as we broach this topic. Though Christians may find a Biblical basis to take care of our environment, we must not be blindsided by the fact that there is a power struggle taking place which may have significant implications to our future in other ways. Next time, that is what I intend on talking about. Until then.may God bless you! And keep your eyes fixed on Jesus!