It's Not Easy Being Green
You could say my grandma was eco-friendly. Decades before caring about the environment was in vogue, she set her thermostat low and pulled on a sweater. She reused glass jars and tin cans for canning, baking, and crafts. She patched old clothes. When those became threadbare, she recycled the material to make rugs and potholders.
Yet if Grandma were alive today, she'd be perplexed by Al Gore PSAs, Prius-driving celebrities making "green" living trendy, and "eco-anxiety"—a new mental disorder characterized by intense fear about the dangers of global warming. Grandma probably never imagined commonsense simplicity (today called "conservation") would become a hot-button issue.
Taking Sides
The debate over environmentalism—specifically, global warming—has intensified over the past few years. Some Christian leaders assert the Bible mandates us to take responsibility for "Creation care"; others state that when God granted humans dominion over the earth, he gave us the right to use it. Many Christians express opinions that fall somewhere in between.
Two groups of evangelicals have been feuding over this issue for the past two years. They've held press conferences, released public statements, and sent letters to top government officials. This battle even drew extensive news coverage, including a PBS special report, "Is God Green?"
Both sides support their claims with climate experts and research data. The Evangelical Climate Initiative (ECI), whose members include Rick Warren, author of The Purpose Driven Life; Leith Anderson, president of the National Association of Evangelicals; Jim Wallis, editor of Sojourners magazine; and Bill Hybels, senior pastor of Willow Creek Community Church, believes human activities cause climate changes. An advocate of immediate carbon-emissions reduction, the ECI is asking U.S. leaders to pass laws requiring businesses to reduce emissions, and encouraging churches and individuals to purchase energy-efficient appliances and vehicles. Essentially it's saying, Be proactive. Measures taken today will lessen the potentially devastating effects of global warming in the future.
On the other side is the Cornwall Alliance for the Stewardship of Creation. Backed by James Dobson, chairman of Focus on the Family, and Chuck Colson, chairman of Prison Fellowship Ministries, the Cornwall Alliance also acknowledges global warming, but it believes natural factors—not human activities—may be global warming's primary cause. Additionally, the Cornwall Alliance believes if world governments call for mandatory reduction of fossil-fuel use, gas prices will skyrocket and economic development in poor countries will slow, creating a far worse situation than global warming might cause. And, the Alliance suggests, global warming may produce benefits scientists haven't yet discovered. Essentially it's saying, Be prudent. Hasty actions without thorough study of global warming might cause bigger problems than we currently have.
Originally published in: Today's Christian Woman, 2008, March/April, Vol. 30, Issue 2, Page 54
Related Topics:
Creation, Environment, Simplicity, Stewardship
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Shirley J. King
I thought all persons with any measure of intelligence were good stewards of their resources (monetary and physical and environmental) because it gave them more of the same to use elsewhere... I created a class called "EC" Environmental Concerns in 1965 to make people in Hawaii aware of the damage caused to the hillside by indiscriminate construction the didn't take into consideration the washing down the hillsides of the red soils that ended up in the bays and surrounding surf and killed all the coral. It took quite a while for Al Gore and his associates to "catch on" to what many of us have know for decades... I truly abhor the commercial crassness and notoreity given to persons with "names" who flaunt their ideas about this - I, myself, and my family, will continue to recycle, reuse, create alternate uses and try to be positive role models for the positive things in life and for life on this planet...God bless America.
Geoff
You advise: "Pay bills online. You won't have to spend time—and money—buying stamps, writing checks, and driving to the post office." Writing from the UK, there is another side to this issue. Many rural Post Office are being closed, causing people to make unnecessary car journeys to Post Offices in towns. These closures are said to be due to falling business, which is partly due to the Government pressurizing people to get their pensions and other State benefits paid directly into bank accounts, as well as more and more people renewing vehicle licenses, etc. online. So your advice may actually cause more driving, not less.
Paula
I think we all have to be more conservative. It is just good stuardship of Gods gifts. People are to concerned about the things of this world and not enough about Gods Will for this world.
Margaret
We need common sense regarding environmental issues and this articl certainly hits the mark. Dawn's illustrative example of her Grandmother was a perfect picture of how we need to approach planetary stewardship. Often, we get caught up in the big issues that we forget the little things we can do to take care of God's world.
Christine
I agree with Dawn. As Christians we can all do small things that add up over time to help the enviroment. As a family, we recycle, I wash all the clothes in cold water, I drive a Honda Civic and we donate clothes to the local thrift store. I don't think the world is headed to globle disaster, but that doesn't mean I should not do my part to be a good steward of the Earth. Every little thing you do can make a difference.
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