underneath a lunar exclipse we gathered to watch some of the al gore-ical film an inconvenient truth and talk about whether or not the concern for the environment has usurped the nature of the christian message.
the arguments made included:
- if we don't have an earth, where are we going to spread our message?
- perhaps god put us in the garden of eden to take care of the land
- can taking care of the land be part of our destiny?
all good points but is not the deeper issue where are we supposed to put our focus while we are on this planet? after all, if we spend time talking about the planet and resources and recycling are we neglecting the true purpose to teach the message of christ?
some in the church believe that we are called to focus our time and talents purely on spreading the gospel and that all other things act as merely distractions. now, the intent of this way of thinking is not purely off although, it can be argued, it is somewhat extreme.
christians are called to act as god's ambassadors on earth [see II corinthians 5] but the idea of what constitutes the message of christ tends to be somewhat narrow in those with the aforementioned opinion.
after all, did christ not talk about a new heaven AND a new earth?
did christ not honour this world simply by existing in it?
does the book of genesis not record that god saw creation and, more importantly, that it was good?
true, many pseudo-gospels threaten to usurp the salvation offered by the sacrifice of christ on the cross but the care of this world does not have to be one of them. the lord is all about recreation not destruction and calls all His children to respect the art that He has created. just as we are called not to destroy our fellow humans it can be argued that the gospel message includes not destroying the planet god gave us not because we are trying to be hip or cool, but because all things that bear the fingerprint of the One we are following.
listen, the message of christ is life-transforming and, if allowed, will bleed into all aspects of a person's life. we begin to see salvation as more than just a message about who goes to heaven and see that it is about bringing heaven to earth. it is not an either-or situation. we are not called to choose between spreading the gospel or taking care of the planet. however, as we follow god we begin to see that they are both part of the same mission: recreation.
one of the main characteristics of immersion is something we call edenism. edenism is about seeing the planet as something other than our own personal playground. hedonism has brought us to this place but edenism seeks to view the restoration and maintenance of the planet in a spiritual light. we are called to work the land just as much now as adam and eve first were in the garden of eden...it is part of our mandate as followers of god.
hopefully, we will take the call of environmentalism seriously not beacuse it is the trendy thing to do right now [although it can be argued that it is not trendy but necessary!] but because it has always been part of the christian's role on earth. we love this planet because god made it and god's artwork is always something to be cared for and held in reverence.
next time we are tempted to throw a can on the street or leave our cars running or any of the other assorted things we now know harm our planet let us remember that god may have created this world for us but that does not mean it was created for us to abuse.
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