Christians And Environmental Ethics - A Strange
Combination?
Author: Gorazd Andrejc

You can find very different attitudes towards environment and
global warming problem among Christians. There are of course
Christians who simply do not care and do not see any real
connection between their religion and the idea to save the
planet. Religion is about saving humanity, spiritually speaking,
not the planet, right? Before moving to the answer to this
question, let's have a quick look at another, even less
eco-friendly Christian attitude.

Many Christians (evangelicals) believe in the second coming of
Christ, but some of them believe that Christ's second coming is
imminent, that it will happen very soon. Majority of those in
this second subgroup also point to global warming phenomenon as
a sign before Christ's coming – a prime example of such a sign
actually! Such interpretation of the prophecy also includes the
claim that we really can't do anything in this matter to make
things better. The belief, that Christ will come very soon and
that global warming is an important sign of His coming,
naturally leads to the belief that there is no point in "saving
the planet". Not only will this planet burn in destruction in a
very near future, but you are actually working against the
prophecy (and so against God) if you are trying to save the
planet. Not to mention the peril of wasting your time and energy
you should use for other more important things to do. The
comment of the late evangelical leader Jerry Falwell, that "the
myth" of global warming is a "Satan's attempt to redirect the
church's primary focus" is just one expression of such a
position.

Even if these beliefs are not so explicit and widespread, and
despite the change of mood in the environmental issues among the
evangelical leaders in the USA in last couple of years, there is
still a general feel of relative passivity in relation to the
environmental issues among many evangelical and also other
Christians. In the internet and in other media you will much
more likely find new-age believers and atheist defending the
green attitude. Why? Majority of new-age belief-systems include
belief in (equal) sanctity of all life, a belief in Gaia Mother
Earth, and similar. These beliefs inspire new-agers to action.
Atheists on the other hand believe that this world, however bad
and imperfect, is the only world we have. So whatever we feel,
we better do something about it or we will simply cease to exist
as a race! If there is no afterlife you naturally have a very
strong motivation to preserve this life and this world.

So, what about Christian beliefs and environmental concern? Are
Christian beliefs actually a disadvantage for someone who wants
to take eco-friendly attitude? Not necessarily. This of course
mainly depends on one's choice of Christian theology. Which
biblical messages are more, and which are less important and
relevant today? Such hermeneutical decisions, for Christians who
take Bible more seriously, guide their ethical priorities and
lead to decisions.

There is an important difference between focusing mainly on the
texts where God threatens to destroy the earth because of the
sins of humans (e.g. "I, the Lord, now promise to destroy
everything on this earth"(Zep 1,2)) and on the other hand
focusing on the threats that He will destroy the destroyers of
the earth ("It is time to destroy everyone who has destroyed the
earth." Rev 11,8). Also, the responsibility towards the whole of
mankind, which is for majority the single most important reason
why we should care about the environment at all, is present in
the biblical idea of the first human couple and the human race
as a big family (whether Adam and Eve are literal or a symbolic
doesn't matter here, the very idea of the human family is what
counts). Yet another positive route to environmental ethics in
Christian theology is praising the inherent value and beauty of
Creation, which definitely doesn't lack in the Bible (Gen 1:31,
Ps 104, Rom 1:20, etc.). Most of these positive reasons for
environmental concern are of course present also in Judaism and
can be found in Islam too.

So, there are many starting points for a Christian believer
when deciding why to take environmental issues seriously.
Christianity need not be eco-unfriendly at all.


About The Author: Gorazd Andrejc is a free-lance writer and a
postgraduate student at University of Cambridge, UK. He has an
eco-blog, intended for "ordinary people" (not necessarily
activists) who nevertheless want to do something to save the
planet. Read more and comment on
http://ecofriendlylifestyle.co.uk