Thoughts from a Christian Environmentalist
As many of my close friends know, I have a soft spot for environmental concerns. Growing up, I have memories of my brother trying to insult me by calling me a "tree hugger," to which I would respond by ginning and hugging whatever tree was nearby. Being in nature is one of my happy places. When I would think of my dream home during high school, it always included woods in the backyard or at least within a minute or two's walking distance. One of my answers to "what would you do if you won a million dollars" was to buy a large piece of wooded/marsh land that is being earmarked for development and turn it into a preserve with a nature education center instead.
During undergrad my love for nature took on a slightly different form. When I learned the science behind climate change and how maltreatment of the environment often disproportionately impacts the poorest of the poor, my heart was grabbed. Instead of simply enjoying nature and getting upset when another corn field turned into a subdivision, I began to see how irresponsibly humans take care of this planet sometimes. You hear the outcry that animals are going extinct, islands are going underwater, and there are people who are suffering from pollution they did not produce or being exposed to disease-carrying bugs that either usually could not live in their climate previously or have shorter dormant periods due to changes in climate. Learning all of these things, it felt irresponsible for me to continue on business-as-usual.
This conviction is not only rooted in science for me, though. There is a religious element to it. In Genesis 1:26-30, God gave humankind dominion over the rest of creation. Now, while that does mean we were given control over creation by God, that does not mean we get to write the laws of nature. God did that. He decided how all the parts of creation work together and how they do not. If we do not respect how this is set up, things can go wrong. We have the freedom to do as we please, but that does not mean that what we do is always good.
Take a kid's room for example. As a parent, you can allow your child dominion over their room. You provided all the furnishings and toys and clothes and whatever else is in the room, but they have say over how they "manage" their space. I don't know about you, but for me that often led to my room being in complete disarray. I would lose things because of the mess. I limited where I could actually walk or where I could lay in my bed because of it. My room was not as good as it could be for myself or those who entered it because I did not take care of it well.
Within this understanding, I feel the need to do my part to take good care of the creation generously gifted to us. But sometimes, the weight of what is all happening can be a lot when I sit with it. That's where the good desire to do a better job with this gift and to challenge others to do the same can start to go wrong. The Devil can twist the meaning of "love thy neighbor" to mean it only includes those who are united in the pursuit to take better care of our common home. That's when you start to see blaming of groups or individuals without calling them in love to something higher. Or lack of desiring to understand all stakeholders in an issue. While I am less prone to these traps, I used to fall victim to another sentiment often held by those who take environmental concerns to heart: feeling like the earth would be better off if humanity weren't part of the equation (can't you just hear the voice of the Accuser in this?).
Thankfully, I don't have those thoughts anymore. But the logic of them is that humans cause most pollution, deforestation, and ocean acidification which kills a bunch of non-human life. If humans did not exist, these things would not be issues and the beauty of nature would be widely preserved. All logically sound. So, what got me to shun this path of thought? Getting hit by what I'd call a holy foam 2x4 (yes, He decided I only needed a foam one this time).
For my senior year spring break, my roommates and I took a road trip out to Las Vegas. On the way
there, we were driving through some impressive mountains in Utah. I was completely taken aback by their beauty - in complete awe of God's creativity. In the midst of this awe and thanksgiving, I began to lament. So often, human beings have approached such beautiful landscapes and destroyed them, leaving our own mark in place of God's. In this lament, I heard an inner voice saying, "Yes, I created these things that are good. But I created humanity, which I pronounced to be very good, even knowing how prone it is to falling. This creation is beautiful, but humanity is even more beautiful to me. You are more beautiful to me." How could I say no to that?
I have more thoughts on this, but they're enough to make a whole other blog post. But, to sum this long one up, take care of creation - it's a gift we should cherish. Be wary of the lies that can manifest themselves if you are invested in this issue: stewardship of creation is important, but don't forget to love your fellow human beings and yourself in the process.
During undergrad my love for nature took on a slightly different form. When I learned the science behind climate change and how maltreatment of the environment often disproportionately impacts the poorest of the poor, my heart was grabbed. Instead of simply enjoying nature and getting upset when another corn field turned into a subdivision, I began to see how irresponsibly humans take care of this planet sometimes. You hear the outcry that animals are going extinct, islands are going underwater, and there are people who are suffering from pollution they did not produce or being exposed to disease-carrying bugs that either usually could not live in their climate previously or have shorter dormant periods due to changes in climate. Learning all of these things, it felt irresponsible for me to continue on business-as-usual.
This conviction is not only rooted in science for me, though. There is a religious element to it. In Genesis 1:26-30, God gave humankind dominion over the rest of creation. Now, while that does mean we were given control over creation by God, that does not mean we get to write the laws of nature. God did that. He decided how all the parts of creation work together and how they do not. If we do not respect how this is set up, things can go wrong. We have the freedom to do as we please, but that does not mean that what we do is always good.
Take a kid's room for example. As a parent, you can allow your child dominion over their room. You provided all the furnishings and toys and clothes and whatever else is in the room, but they have say over how they "manage" their space. I don't know about you, but for me that often led to my room being in complete disarray. I would lose things because of the mess. I limited where I could actually walk or where I could lay in my bed because of it. My room was not as good as it could be for myself or those who entered it because I did not take care of it well.
Within this understanding, I feel the need to do my part to take good care of the creation generously gifted to us. But sometimes, the weight of what is all happening can be a lot when I sit with it. That's where the good desire to do a better job with this gift and to challenge others to do the same can start to go wrong. The Devil can twist the meaning of "love thy neighbor" to mean it only includes those who are united in the pursuit to take better care of our common home. That's when you start to see blaming of groups or individuals without calling them in love to something higher. Or lack of desiring to understand all stakeholders in an issue. While I am less prone to these traps, I used to fall victim to another sentiment often held by those who take environmental concerns to heart: feeling like the earth would be better off if humanity weren't part of the equation (can't you just hear the voice of the Accuser in this?).
Thankfully, I don't have those thoughts anymore. But the logic of them is that humans cause most pollution, deforestation, and ocean acidification which kills a bunch of non-human life. If humans did not exist, these things would not be issues and the beauty of nature would be widely preserved. All logically sound. So, what got me to shun this path of thought? Getting hit by what I'd call a holy foam 2x4 (yes, He decided I only needed a foam one this time).
For my senior year spring break, my roommates and I took a road trip out to Las Vegas. On the way
I have more thoughts on this, but they're enough to make a whole other blog post. But, to sum this long one up, take care of creation - it's a gift we should cherish. Be wary of the lies that can manifest themselves if you are invested in this issue: stewardship of creation is important, but don't forget to love your fellow human beings and yourself in the process.
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