churches and the environment: why christians should be concerned about creation

Churches and the Environment:

Why Christians should be Concerned about Creation

Edward Berkelaar ([email protected])Redeemer University CollegeFirst Christian Reformed Church

True City Conference, February, 2007

Talk Overview

• What are some different views on the environment?

• What are some overall themes of a biblical worldview?

• What are some current environmental concerns and what can we do about them?

Views on the Environment

• increased knowledge about the environment can lead to:– increased protection– increased destruction

• one’s view of the physical and biological creation affects how one interacts with it


• anthropocentric worldview– humans are disconnected from and elevated above

the rest of creation– parts of creation have value if they improve

human welfare

• frontier worldview– exploiting nature– resources are endless


• biocentric worldview– all species have equal, intrinsic value

• ecocentric worldview– similar but broader than the biocentric worldview– also stresses importance of ecological functions

(e.g. nutrient cycling)


• sustainability worldview– somewhere in between– humans need certain resources but they need to be

exploited in a responsible manner• why?

Different Views Among Christians• ambivalence

• concern for the environment– Evangelical Climate Initiative (ECI), February

2006 www.christiansandclimate.org– call for strong action– 97 prominent evangelical signatories, such as

Purpose Driven Life author Rick Warren and Salvation Army Commissioner W. Todd Bassett

Different Views Among Christians• concern for economic impact/poverty

– interfaith Stewardship Alliance (ISA) – response to ECI www.stewards.net

– prominent academics and clergy skeptical of global warming extremes

– led by Cal Beisner professor at Knox Theological Seminary

• a belief that "His covenant promise is for the preservation of life on this earth“, generates skepticism of climate change

– James Dobson, Acton Institute

Talk Overview




Overall ThemesBiblical Worldview

• God created and sustains all things– “And God saw that it was good”

• humans are part of, but have a special role in creation

• the fall affected humans along with all of creation

• Christ came to redeem humans, and to restore creation– creation will eventually be completely restored

God Created All Things

• Gen 1:1 - “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth”

• Ps 89:11 - “The heavens are yours, and yours also the earth; you founded the world and all that is in it”

• Ps 102:25 - “In the beginning, you laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands”


• Ps 104:5 - “He set the earth on its foundations; it can never be moved.”

• Isa 48:12 & 13 - ‘Listen to me, O Jacob, Israel, whom I have called: I am he; I am the first and the last. My own hand laid the foundations of the earth, and my right hand spread out the heavens; when I summon them, they all stand up together.”


• Col 1:16 - “For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him.”

God Sustains His Creation

• Ps 104:10 & 11 - “He makes springs pour water into the ravines; it flows between the mountains. They give water to all the beasts of the field; the wild donkeys quench their thirst.”

• Luke 12:24 - “Consider the ravens: They do not sow and reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds!”


• Ps 147:8 & 9 - “He covers the sky with clouds; he supplies the earth with rain and makes grass grow on the hills. He provides food for the cattle and for the young ravens when they call.”


• sometimes using humans

• Lev 25:1-3 – “The Lord said to Moses on Mount Sinai, "Speak to the Israelites and say to them: 'When you enter the land I am going to give you, the land itself must observe a Sabbath to the Lord.”


• Lev 25:3-5 – “For six years sow your fields, and for six years prune your vineyards and gather their crops. But in the seventh year the land is to have a Sabbath of rest, a Sabbath to the Lord. Do not sow your fields or prune your vineyards. Do not reap what grows of itself or harvest the grapes of your untended vines. The land is to have a year of rest.”


• Ezek 36:8 & 9 – "I am concerned for you [the land] and will look on you with favour; you will be plowed and sown, and I will multiply the number of people upon you..."

Creation Reveals the Creator

• faithfulness (see previous verses)• majesty:

– Psalm 104– Job 38-41

• Rom 1:20 - “For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities - his eternal power and divine nature-have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.”

Creation Praises the Creator

• Ps 96:11-13 - “Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad; let the sea resound, and all that is in it; let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them. Then all the trees of the forest will sing for joy; they will sing before the Lord, for he comes, he comes to judge the earth.”

Creation Praises the Creator

• Ps 65:13 - “The meadows are covered with flocks and the valleys are mantled with grain; they shout for joy and sing.”

– Do human activities have an impact on creation’s ability to do this?

Humans are a Part of Creation

• Gen 1 - creation of humans

• Eph 2:10 - “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Jesus Christ to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”

God - over his creation

Creation

humankind rocks

water plants

animals

Humans have a Special Place in Creation

• stewards – ‘managers’

• Gen 2:15 - “The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.”

God

humans

(made in God’s image)

rocks

water plants

animals


• Gen 2:19 - “Now the Lord God had formed out of the ground all the beasts of the field and all the birds of the air. He brought them to the man to see what he would name them; and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name.”


• Ps 8:6-8 – “You made him [mankind] ruler over the works of your hands; you put everything under his feet: all flocks and herds and beasts of the field, the birds of the air and the fish of the sea, all that swim the paths of the seas.”

The Fall

• sin affects relationships – our relationships with…

• God

• with fellow humans

• with the rest of non-human creation

– relationships within creation

The Fall

God

physical/biologicalcreation

people

The Fall

• the fall affects creation both indirectly and directly– fallen man is greedy and hasty; mankind’s

activities negatively affect creation– creation has been directly affected by the fall;

thorns and thistles grow

Effects of the Fall

• Gen 3: especially verse 17b-19 - “Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat of it all the days of your life. It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field. By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground…”

Effects of the Fall

• Jer 12:4 - “How long will the land lie parched and the grass in every field be withered? Because those who live in it are wicked, the animals and the birds have perished.”

Effects of the Fall

• Jer 25:36 & 37 - “Hear the cry of the shepherds, the wailing of the leaders of the flock, for the Lord is destroying their pasture. The peaceful meadows will be laid waste because of the fierce anger of the Lord.”

Creation will be Restored

• Gen 9:12 & 13 – “And God said, “This is the sign of the covenant I am making between me and you and every living creature with you, a covenant for all generations to come: I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth.”

Creation will be Restored

• John 3: 16 & 17 – “For God so loved the world (cosmos) that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.”

Creation will be Restored• Rom 8:19-22 – “The creation waits in eager

expectation for the sons of God to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God. We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time.”

We are to Care for Creation

• Ezek 34: 18 & 19 – “Is it not enough for you to feed on the good pasture? Must you also trample the rest of your pasture with your feet? Is it not enough for you to drink clear water? Must you also muddy the rest with your feet? Must my flock feed on what you have trampled and drink what you have muddied with your feet?”

We are to Care for Creation

• Revelation 11:18 - “The nations were angry; and your wrath has come. The time has come for judging the dead, and for rewarding your servants the prophets and your saints and those who reverence your name, both small and great— and for destroying those who destroy the earth.”

Biblical Worldview Summary

• God created and sustains his creation

• as stewards, we are to be caretakers, not overexploiters of creation

Biblical Worldview Summary• according to Francis Schaeffer, two factors

that lead to the destruction of the environment– haste

– greed

• I would add a few more…– ignorance– poverty

“Pollution and the Death of Man: The Christian View of Ecology”, by Francis Schaeffer

Biblical Worldview Summary

two extremes to avoid– 1) only spiritual things are of ‘value’;

creation exists to serve us• can lead to overexploitation

– 2) worshipping creation• we are to worship the Creator, not what is

created

Talk Overview




Major Global Issues

• population and footprint• deforestation• degradation of farmland• species extinctions• contamination of water, air and soil by hazardous

chemicals• stratospheric ozone depletion• climate change

Major Global Issues

• issues have, to some degree, been with us a long time

• becoming increasingly intense due to our high and growing population

resource use (and environmental

issues)=

average consumption per

person

number of peoplex

Major Global IssuesPopulation

• 6.5 billion– growing by about 8500 every hour

• predicted to reach about 9 billion by 2050

– rate of growth is slowing– more are becoming more affluent

• especially China and India

Major Global Issues

• ecological footprint– the total amount of land required for food,

housing, transport, consumer goods and services

• resources consumed and wastes processed

– can be compared to the amount of productive land available in a country, or the world

– online quizzes available• http://www.earthday.net/footprint/index.asp

Major Global IssuesCarrying capacity exceeded in the late 1980’s?

consumed/available (ha per person)

World: 2.2 / 1.7Canada: 7.6 / 14.5US: 9.6 / 4.8EU: 4.8 / 2.2China: 1.6 / 0.7Africa: 1.1 / 1.3Afganistan: 0.1 / 0.3

www.footprintnetwork.org

Major Global Issues

Deforestation

• trees– purify air and water – cool local environments– protect watersheds by moderating water flows

• spring rains can be absorbed, reducing the risk of flooding

• water is released in dry spells, keeping streams flowing

Deforestation

• trees– protect soil from rains that can cause severe

erosion– are home to many species of flora and fauna

• about 70% of earth’s land animals and plants live in forests

– provide food, building materials, fuel and fibre to humans

– forests are a source of many drugs

Deforestation

• about 20% of the world’s historic forest cover remains as intact tracts– rapidly in decline in most of the world

• S. America, Africa, S.E. Asia

– in other areas, forest cover is increasing• Europe, N. America, Japan

Deforestation

http://universe-review.ca/I10-81-deforestation.jpg

http://

www.on.ec.gc.ca/

wildlife/factsheets/

fs_songbirds-e.html

http://www.canterburyhills.ca/

environment.htm

Deforestation: What can we do about it?

Deforestation: What can we do about it?

• plant trees

• utilize resources efficiently– recycle

• reduce the market for certain tropical forest products– e.g. mahogany

Degradation of Farmland

• threats to farmland include– urbanisation

• most of Canada’s best farmland is in an area of rising population and staggering rates of home construction on prime farmland

– soil degradation due to over−fertilization and heavy pesticide use


http://www.brookercreek.org/

challenges.htm

http://brgov.com/Dept/planning/brownfields.htm


• threats to farmland include– loss of topsoil due to erosion

• the Mississippi carries a lot of topsoil into the Gulf of Mexico

• Haiti’s hillsides have been deforested, permitting much of its topsoil to be washed into the sea

– increasing soil salinity due to heavy irrigation with water high in dissolved salts

• increasingly a problem in places such as the southwestern US, parts of India and Pakistan, and Australia.


http://www.ent.iastate.edu/imagegal/practices/tillage/conventional/erosion.html


http://www.clw.csiro.au/scripts/PortWeb.dll?query&field=filename&op=matches&value=ASA_STRZ001_017.jpg&catalog=CLWimages&template=Preview

Degradation of Farmland:What can we do about it?

Degradation of Farmland:What can we do about it?

– urban planning• support development within cities instead of

outward– increase population density

– develop brownfields

– support certain farming practices• buy local food: Community Supported Agriculture

(CSA)

• buy organic food?

• be willing to pay more for food

• Integrated Pest Management (IPM)

Species Extinctions

• many species have been, or will soon become extinct due to human activities

• main causes include … – loss of habitat– pollution– over−harvesting of resources– the introduction of exotic species

Species Extinctions:What can we do about it?

Species Extinctions:What can we do about it?

• be efficient and selective in the resources we use– reduce ecological footprint

• careful urban planning and farming to protect wilderness

Contamination of Soil, Air and Water

• 70 000 new chemicals have been produced by modern society (DeWitt, 1998)– many of these cycle through air, water, soil, and living

organisms

– some examples• air pollution from cars and industry

– air quality, acid rain, climate change

– ~5900 deaths per year in Canada is attributed to air pollution

– Hamilton:

» is downwind of Nanticoke and heavy industry in the US

» has its own heavy industry

» has beautiful but problematic topography


– some examples• DDT; an insecticide that bioaccumulates and can

affect development

• CFCs; coolants that harm ozone

• trace metals that are carcinogenic

• pesticides and medications that affect reproduction

• brominated flame-retardants effect:– polybrominated diphenyl ether or PBDE

– polybrominated biphenyl, or PBB


http://picasaweb.google.com/gregreader/Stacks/photo?

authkey=iPnwuA4JN8o#5001340584657158162

Contamination of Soil, Air and Water: What can we do about it?

Contamination of Soil, Air and Water: What can we do about it?

• be efficient and selective in the resources we use: seek out less-toxic alternatives– choose fuel-efficient means of transportation –

• walk, bike, public transportation

– choose less toxic household cleaners– choose less toxic ways to care for your lawn

• dispose of household chemicals properly– paints, solvents, medicines

Ozone Depletion

• ozone (O3) is a gas which has the ability to filter harmful rays from the sun.– very little O3 is required – 2-4 mm – in the 1980’s it was discovered that

stratospheric O3 was being depleted• most pronounced during spring over the poles

– O3 is broken down by chemicals that release chlorine or bromine into the stratosphere

• eg. CFCs, methyl bromide

O3 Hole

• not a hole, but a ‘thinning’

• hole defined as a layer < 2.2 mm (220 DU) thick

• 30-50% decreases in O3

http://www.ccpo.odu.edu/SEES/ozone/class/Chap_11/11_Js/11-02.jpg

Ozone Depletion: What can we do about it?

Ozone Depletion: What can we do about it?

• an interesting story; much has been done– a series of international agreements in the

1980s and 1990s resulted in the phasing out of CFC production

– there are other less-damaging O3 depleting chemicals released

– now we wait; scientists are hopeful that, with time, stratospheric O3 will recover

Climate Change

• a number of atmospheric gases have the ability to insulate the earth, keeping it warm– CO2, H2O, N2O, CH4, CCl4, CFCs and HFCs

• human activities are increasing the concentration of some of these– most significant gas is CO2

– human source of CO2 is burning fossil fuels• transportation, electricity, home heating,

manufacturing

Climate Change: What can we do about it?

Climate Change: What can we do about it?

• minimize fossil fuel consumption– home heating: keep homes well insulated, and

cooler in winter; purchase high-efficiency furnace

– transportation: car pool, use public transportation, fuel efficient cars, walk or bike

– Electricity: keep lights turned off, use AC sparingly, use fluorescent bulbs, minimize use of convenience appliances

Questions I Wrestle With

• Consumerism: – How much is enough? – How can we reduce environmental impacts of

consumerism?– Can the economy grow forever?

• Action by government or individuals:– What is the role of government? …individuals?

• Population:– Too many people? – Too much consumption per person?– Both?

Questions I Wrestle With

• Economic development (e.g. Africa, Asia) and the environment:– How do we address the conflict between reducing

poverty (growing economies) and environmental stress?

• Food supply and the environment:– How do we address the conflict between supplying

sufficient food and environmental stress? • Meat, organic farming?

• Food, fuel, or “wilderness”?– How should we use land?

Some Interesting Reading• Berry, Wendell: many essays of works of fiction.

• DeWitt, Calvin. 1998. Caring for Creation: Responsible Stewardship of God’s Handiwork. Baker Books, Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA.– Founder of Au Sable Institute of Environmental Studies.

• Diamond, Jared. 2005. Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed. Viking Penguin, New York, NY USA.– A historical survey of some environmental causes of the decline of

some civilizations.

Some Interesting Reading• McKibben, Bill. 1998. Maybe One: A Personal and Environmental

Argument for Single-Child Families. Simon & Schuster, New York, New York, USA.– A look at the environmental impact of the size of our population.

– other books… The End of NatureHope, Human and Wild

– http://stepitup07.org: A movement to urge action of climate change.

• Monbiot, George. 2007. Heat: How to Stop a Planet from Burning. DoubleDay Canada.– A great recent book on what needs to be done to minimize the impacts of climate

change.

• Wright, Ronald. 2004. A Short History of Progress. Carroll & Graf Publishers, New York, New York.– Another look at past civilizations and what they can tell us of our situation today.

churches and the environment: why christians should be concerned about creation

Documents

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thingsand god

current environmental

preservation of life

affected humans

biological creation

right hand

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