God and greenness

In this week leading up to Christmas, I wrote with a cheesy title (Earth: smokin') about religion, anti-environmentalism, and the end of the world, as explored in the new book Divine Destruction. A lot of people don't know that many powerful fundamentalist Christians are eager to see the world end to hasten Jesus' second coming; such beliefs help to unravel ecological protections. On the brighter side, many Christian congregations are pushing lately for a greater awareness of tending to the earth. And Christian conservationists are no fringe element; name any cause for social or environmental justice, and you'll find a long history of legions of faithful folk at the core of such work.

I'm delighted that Don of the Evangelical Ecologist blog has taken an interest in my post, inviting his readers to check it out. Don shares these wise comments--read to the end for tips on how people of varied beliefs can work together:

A lot has changed in Christian circles since the dominion movement (early 90's). There was a big  backlash against DM as your Wiki link notes, "mainline Christian  denominations (and most Christian evangelicals and fundamentalists) reject Dominion Theology." Frankly, I'm 41 and my body will give out someday, but I'd be an idiot not exercise and eat well. They're probably out there, but have yet to run into anybody who thinks polluting will hasten Christ's return. On the contrary - the Bible (as most Christians interpret it) says when He comes back He should find us doing good stuff. DM is an interesting discussion, but in the interest of space I'd like to stick with where Christian ecology is today, and how we can work  together.

What are they thinking? "Some fundamentalists link  environmentalism with paganism, pantheism, and of course, terrorism." You're spot on, and not just fundamentalists - I know scads of Christians both progressive and conservative that want to be "environmentally conscious" but avoid associating with groups that deny (or decry) their faith in Christ. I must say that Stephanie's book isn't much help here; she clearly marginalizes a large chunk of the people you and I in the environmental area need to influence. And it IS large - 8 out of 10 Americans call themselves Christian. A huge, untapped population of potential ecologists out there driving minivans and SUVs and running businesses. Really makes no sense for her to dis them, I think.

Admittedly the Church doesn't have a perfect track record.  But historically, folks like John Muir (whom you mentioned), St. Francis, Gregor Mendel, and others had a God-given gift for understanding and being concerned for the natural world around us. The average Joe/Jan Christian believes that God made the world and everything in it beautiful and perfect. He made people, and told them to subdue the earth and take care of it. Before I lose you, the Hebrew for "subdue" or "have dominion" is not "feel free to destroy it." (Somehow, I found myself saying this to my pre-teens this morning who are home all day during school break!) The phrase means "take responsibility for it." Implicit in this is that mankind is personally responsible to God for how we use it. A stewardship, not an ownership mentality.

Realizing the Church hasn't always stepped up to the plate, it's trying to now. The National Association of Evangelicals released "For the Health of the Nation," a call to Christians in America to get involved in a number of social issues, including the environment. I had chance to talk with NAE's Rich Cizik and it was clear to me this was not about using ecology to push some sort of Christianizing social agenda, but rather to get folks out of their pews and join the rest of those concerned about the poor, the sick, and the environment. EEN and other groups might seem hokey to Greenerside readers, but the folks who have signed  on have a great deal of credibility, and come from just about every  Christian denomination. Mega churches like Vineyard in Boise and groups like Living Waters for the World  are making a difference for public health and the environment.

 

One last thought on Christian influence: If  you've seen The  Passion or grown up in a church someplace, you're probably familiar  with the ideas of sin, God's sending His son as a gift to "pay the price" for that sin because  of His love for mankind, and being "born again" by accepting that gift personally. It's certainly possible that a Christian friend might join you for a trash cleanup so he or she can have a chance to tell you about Jesus. It's also fair to say that evangelicals are just as interested as other Americans in influencing what our country looks politically or morally. But more often than not, he or she are recycling or picking up trash as a response to the love and grace they have received from God's heart; it's a way of saying thanks for all we have been blessed with.

   

So - how can we work together (assuming  you'd still want to)? I recommend:

• Keep blogging! The more we environmentalists from all walks of life, Christian and non, communicate on these issues, the more we're going to be able to focus on the important planet stuff. "City Hippy" Al deserves a lot of credit for instance for encouraging all walks of eco-blogdom to participate in the Carnival of the Green.
  

• Focus on solutions rather than us/them stuff. My links page has both Christian  and secular environmental orgs. We should all be contributing to the discussion on climate, pollution, regulations, habitat, etc, even though we might not always agree on outcomes. Again, I give a lot of credit to you, Elsa, for being willing to listen to a Christian environmental perspective. Conservatives haven't always treated progressive eco's with respect either, and I'm preaching to myself too here. That needs to change. Along those lines...

   

• Respect perspectives. Honestly, I can't understand the rationale of somebody who wants to save a species when they don't know whether natural selection has destined that species for extinction. If I think saving a habitat is important because God made it, and you think it's important "just because" or for sustainability or some other reason, that's cool. We can respect where each other's coming from, and still preserve habitat.

Comments

[Robert Landbeck]

The whole planet may be about to discover just how green God is. I quote:

'An epochal event is unfolding on the web, the terms by which authority, knowledge, selfhood, reality and time are conceived has been altered.' For those able to think for themselves and imagine outside the cultural box, who are prepared and willing to learn something new, the beginnings of an intellectual and moral revolution have already started with the most potent NVDA any human being can take for peace, change and progress.

http://www.energon.org.uk
http://thefinalfreedoms.bulldoghome.com
http://www.dunwanderinpress.org
http://thefinalfreedoms.blogspot.com/

[Don Bosch (evaneco.com)]

You know, that's a good point, Mig. The Apostle Paul once wrote (I'm paraphrasing here) that he was a little torn in his faith - to be with God would be great, but staying here on earth and continuing God's work is also great. Personally, it was hearing somebody read about Christ's return in Revelations that got me thinking about what life was all about (especially after this life), and trying to take in the majesty of the Oregon Coast, that brought me to the place where I decided to become a Christian. I don't think it's that unusual for people to want to know if this life we're living is all there is.

What you may read as dominionism is more likely the expression of folks that know God loves mankind and has a bigger plan for us all than the sin and pollution and death that is so much a part of our world. That's what the real Christmas message is about, by the way. Since only God has the big picture, our job is to be good stewards in the meantime, which could be one day or thousands. I think most Christians (including the ones I know in D.C.) get that.

On Industry (if I may) - I'm a Navy environmental scientist by trade. Most folks are surprised to hear that the Defense department even has environmentalists on staff (almost as surprised as when they find a church with environmental staff!). About 2,500 environmentalists around the world in the Navy alone. My colleagues and I work every day to make sure we're good stewards of our oceans and training areas and bases so that we can continue to do the mission our Nation has called us to. Clearly, many folks object to the military altogether. But if we're going to have one, it should be eco-friendly.

Same with industry and energy. None of us can avoid either one. I heard yesterday about a small plating shop being cleaned up. The shop made rivets for jeans! The computers you and I are sitting at right now need energy. And so on. The challenge is working with industry/utilities to be more efficient and eco-friendly, while recognizing that they provide a valuable service to our citizens. We have to be innovative in our thinking to bring environmental solutions to the table the way we've had to in defense. Using solar-hosted websites for blogs is easy to do, for instance (hint hint). I'm very optimistic that we'll get there, and you're right, we have to keep at it. We changed habits in DoD when base commanders started getting NOVs, but more importantly, we've changed the defense culture in the past 20 years by helping them see the intrinsic value (and cost savings) of an integrated environmental effort. That takes some give and take from both sides of the table.

2006 is going to be an interesting year for our planet, I think!

(Thanks again, Elsa!)
Grace and peace,
db [dwbosch-at-gmail.com]

[mig]

This is to Don who wrote the long piece-
It is great to hear the point of view of someone who is part of christian groups who do not support dominion theology. As I expected, they are few and far between. However what freaks me out about it is all the evidence that our current president and his cabinet conduct themselves like dominionist. For example Cheney has many links to organizations that harbor dominionist(sits on boards for some questionable groups). This frankly is scary.. or how about Rice's comment to a freaked out flood survivor. It was something like: " its ok, its ok, this will all be over soon." this is in no way conclusive evidence that she supports dominion thought, however it makes me think twice about what she really meant considering her support for the administrations attack on the environment.
Dont forget that this president has cutback more than any other in this area(alaska drilling too).. this is all very sad. Have you ever heard a developer or oil company directors support their directives (npr interviews)? They sound like what I would imagine a dominionist would be like, no regard for the evironment and shortsighted. I hope we can find a way to change their minds Don.