Yeah, so it happened, in my last mailing for "Online Christian Bookstore" I thumbed through the catalog and came across a section of books that are about the environment....
It happened.
Complete with titles like "The Green God" and "Our Father's World" the latest in popular Christian publication seems to have taken interest in the movement already underway. Pastors, Lay-people, and church members take note... Christianity is continuing it's quest for a defensible eco-stewardship model.
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Monday, August 18, 2008
A common Enemy Unites Even the Oldest of Foes...
Though the emergence of a conservative Christian voice on behalf of the environment seemed unlikely only a decade ago, it seems like another step towards a broader agenda for evangelicals has been taken. Though more work must be done before the Christian effort could be classified as a grassroots movement, progress has been made in a top down fashion in churches in the 21st century. Now churches as close as Ann Arbor Michigan, and as far as Utah, and Washington, the voices of evangelical leaders have encouraged visible change in both the physical make up of churches, or in the minds and lifestyles of church members, changes are being made. As nearly 80 churches in the state of Michigan alone have signed agreements and implemented plans to become more environmentally friendly.
For example, in March, during Holy week, Churches bought eco-palms, or branches from palm trees that are extracted in more environmentally friendly ways to help make sure that the plant survives. Though the branches are significantly more expensive, churches were willing to pay the price to ensure that they were not promoting holy week at the expense of wildlife in Mexico.
The title of this entry, "A Common Enemy Unites Even the Oldest of Foes" comes from the second Disney Chronicles of Narnia movie. The statement is a powerful one I think because it is so true. When a new universal adversary arises, it becomes the responsibility of all to respond to it. In the modern world the universal adversary is a growing environmental crisis. There are many empty seats around the strategic planning table for environmental issues. I'm proud to say evangelicals are staking a claim on their seat.
For example, in March, during Holy week, Churches bought eco-palms, or branches from palm trees that are extracted in more environmentally friendly ways to help make sure that the plant survives. Though the branches are significantly more expensive, churches were willing to pay the price to ensure that they were not promoting holy week at the expense of wildlife in Mexico.
The title of this entry, "A Common Enemy Unites Even the Oldest of Foes" comes from the second Disney Chronicles of Narnia movie. The statement is a powerful one I think because it is so true. When a new universal adversary arises, it becomes the responsibility of all to respond to it. In the modern world the universal adversary is a growing environmental crisis. There are many empty seats around the strategic planning table for environmental issues. I'm proud to say evangelicals are staking a claim on their seat.
Thursday, August 14, 2008
A Scriptural Reason to Believe in the Green Christian
Many people turn to the Wisdom of David as recorded in the Psalms to help point their lives in a Godly direction. The Bible tells us that his heart was one after God's own. Many take solace in that, knowing that if they could conform their hearts to be like David's then perhaps they would find themselves in the grace of God.
The truth is, David didn't live a sinless life, and Jesus' life is infinitely more worth following than David's. But, if we look at some of the things David thought about, and some of the things that he was passionate about, and thought about maybe we can step closer to the life that Jesus wants us to live.
David is not silent about the environment. His Psalms are literally filled with references to why it is important for man to look after the Earth. In many places David refers to the Earth as "the Lords and everything in it." Ps. 24. Clearly, though God gave man dominion over the Earth in Genesis, the Earth still belongs to Him. God created it. It's His. Maybe the parable of the Talons can help us understand our scenario. Yes talons were given to three different men, but the question wasn't over ownership. The talons were always owned by the master. What separated these men was what they choose to do with the talons they were given. Maybe it is like that with the Earth. Not that the central meaning of Christianity is taking care of creation. But it was given to us for us to use. Maybe we should do a better job of taking care of our talons.
Psalm 19 says that the Heaven's declare the Glory of God. All the creatures are to praise him. David's Psalms are filled with references to the Earth. Next time you are looking through Psalms, check out how David feels about the creatures of the Earth. Furthermore, some of his Psalms suggest that those that are cruel by not rotating crops, and behaving sinfully towards the Earth suffer the wrath of creation through storms and droughts. Sound familiar?
The truth is, David didn't live a sinless life, and Jesus' life is infinitely more worth following than David's. But, if we look at some of the things David thought about, and some of the things that he was passionate about, and thought about maybe we can step closer to the life that Jesus wants us to live.
David is not silent about the environment. His Psalms are literally filled with references to why it is important for man to look after the Earth. In many places David refers to the Earth as "the Lords and everything in it." Ps. 24. Clearly, though God gave man dominion over the Earth in Genesis, the Earth still belongs to Him. God created it. It's His. Maybe the parable of the Talons can help us understand our scenario. Yes talons were given to three different men, but the question wasn't over ownership. The talons were always owned by the master. What separated these men was what they choose to do with the talons they were given. Maybe it is like that with the Earth. Not that the central meaning of Christianity is taking care of creation. But it was given to us for us to use. Maybe we should do a better job of taking care of our talons.
Psalm 19 says that the Heaven's declare the Glory of God. All the creatures are to praise him. David's Psalms are filled with references to the Earth. Next time you are looking through Psalms, check out how David feels about the creatures of the Earth. Furthermore, some of his Psalms suggest that those that are cruel by not rotating crops, and behaving sinfully towards the Earth suffer the wrath of creation through storms and droughts. Sound familiar?
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