Environmental Backlash

I heard Al Gore’s presentation on global warming. While many politicians and commentators laughed at Gore, I believe that we’ll see a trend from businesses trying to become more environmentally conscious, and I think they’ll get more media coverage. Businesses doing more to take care of the earth isn’t necessarily a bad thing.

I’m not a scientist, and I know that there are Christians who believe that global warming is real and there are those Christians who refuse to take a stand on the issue.

Honestly, I don’t know enough about earth science to debate whether or not global warming is real. But, I do not see a problem with Christians thinking about the environment in the sense that we are stewards of the earth.

(I did mention the book Rich Christians in an Age of Hunger earlier in my blog. It was the book that I was reading when I met my husband. I just can’t bring myself to fully agree with Sider to say that it is sinful to be wealthy or condemn people who own SUVs – I have one, we fit seven people in it, and it keeps us safe on icy roads. Sider’s goals are admirable, but his applications and conclusions about sinfulness are off. Yet, there are few Christians who have have written about poverty and the environment, so he has become an “expert” by default.)

Certainly being a good steward means that we should do what we can to be less wasteful. I don’t understand why stewardship principles have to be thrown out just because people may or may not believe that global warming is real, or that to be environmentally conscious that you have to worship the earth. I believe that taking care of the earth is a way that we can show our appreciation to God for His provision.

I appreciated this post at the “Whimsy Is…” blog regarding a homemaker’s application of John 6:12 and throwing away food.

At home, I admit, I delight in composting my kitchen scraps and recycling everything possible – yet I feel guilty each Thursday because our city does not recycle plastic – something so simple. The least Coatesville could do is partner with Downingtown, the next town over who does recycle plastic, if our own city doesn’t have the equipment to process plastic.

In Japan, everything is recycled and what cannot be recycled is burned. Companies even cater to these standards with their packaging – adding easy-to-peel off labels and by labeling each part of the packaging according to how it needs to be recycled.

It just strikes me that the United States, while pointing the finger at China and other nations, cannot (has no desire to?) adopt the simplest of measures to cut down on waste. Is it really so difficult to put a number on all parts of packaging labels? Is it really so difficult to put a few extra holes in a trash can at a fast food restaurant? Or to use packaging that is recyclable?

Perhaps instead of countries creating laws, environmental groups could work with private businesses and could give a stamp of approval on a company’s practices – not just an award given to a select few, but on a much broader spectrum that any company could easily strive for. Carbon footprint is already doing this to a certain extent. Innocent Drinks works with Carbon Trust.

Not all people who care about the environment are wackos. Even Billy Graham has said that people need to take care of the earth.

I do agree that saving souls are more important than “saving the earth” – but I do think that we need to be obedient to all parts of scripture, and that includes being good stewards with the resources that God has given to us. These two ideas do not collide. Actually, I think that if we ignore environmental issues as Christians, we are being hypocrites – which turns people away from Christ.

Dr. Ray Bohlien writes in an article on Christians and environmental stewardship:

I believe that as Christians, we have a responsibility to the earth that exceeds that of unredeemed people. We are the only ones who are rightly related to the Creator. We should be showing others the way to environmental responsibility.

Christians of all people should not be destroyers. We may cut down a tree to build a house or to make a fire, but not just to cut it down. We have the right to rid our house of ants, but we should not forget to honor the ant in its right habitat. While there is nothing wrong with profit in the marketplace, in some cases we must voluntarily limit our profit in order to protect the environment.

When the church puts belief into practice, our humanity and sense of beauty are restored. But this is not what we see. Concern for the environment is not on the front-burner of most evangelical Christians. The church has failed in its mission of steward of the earth. We have spoken out loudly against the materialism of science as expressed in the issues of abortion, human dignity, evolution, and genetic engineering, but have shown ourselves to be little more than materialists in our technological orientation towards nature.

By failing to fulfill our responsibilities to the earth, we are losing a great evangelistic opportunity. Many in our society are seeking an improved environment, yet they think that most Christians don’t care about ecological issues and that most churches offer no opportunity for involvement.

Because the environmental movement has been co-opted by those involved in the New Age Movement, many Christians have begun to confuse interest in the environment with interest in pantheism and have hesitated to get involved. But we cannot allow the enemy to take over leadership in an area that is rightfully ours. As the redeemed of the earth, our motivation to care for the land is even higher than that of the New Ager. Jesus has redeemed all of the effects of the curse, including our relationship with God, our relationship with other people and our relationship with the creation (1 Cor. 15:21-22, Rom. 5:12-21). Though the heavens and the earth will eventually be destroyed, we should still work for healing now.

Anyway… being in Japan has opened my eyes even more to the wastefulness of my country. Reading what other Christians think – and how so many people throw out the idea of stewardship because they fear that people will worship the earth – has made me sad.

There must be a balance.

From here out, I’m particularly interested in hearing about Christian home managers incorporate a stewardship vision in their everyday housekeeping. It would be cool to design a blog button to encourage other homemakers in this way.

So what tips do homemakers have to be less wasteful and to be more environmentally conscious?

For starters, I like to use Method cleaning products as much as possible…