Christians Have to Be Environmentalists
- By Derek Welch --
- 24 Dec 2017 --
I always wonder what would Jesus be like in the modern era. Which issues would he focus on? How would he feel about human behavior? Would he have an Instagram account?
Christians Have to Be Environmentalists[/tweetthis]
Since we have so many people telling us what Jesus would say or people who believe he is speaking to them, it seems odd that environmental protection does not come up more frequently.
We are living in an environmental crisis. Climate change, degrading water supplies, destruction of arable land, the list goes on and one. Some scientists say in certain ways we may be past the point of being able to fix the problems we have created.
Yet a study says Evangelical Christians do not care about the environment. In fact, they believe in actively working against environmental policies and spending. Since there are 35 million Evangelicals in the United States this is a significant number. The explanation is in the ultimate power of God to be able to fix any issue or that this is an indication of the End Times and humans could be eliminating God’s plan.
While Jesus did not directly talk about the environment, he did have intimate connections with the natural world. His most famous teachings happen on a mountain. He would regularly go into nature to pray by himself or with his disciples. But Jesus did promote the social welfare of others. The destruction of the environment is causing millions to lose their homes, causing famine, and leading to increasing conflicts over dwindling resources. Therefore, being actively involved in environmental protection becomes a way to prevent the very problems that Jesus identified to help others.
There is also direct scripture supporting environmentalism. “All things in heaven and on earth were created, things visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or powers—all things have been created through him and for him.” So by destroying the environment, we are destroying both the image of God and what He has created. This seems to be nearly heretical, the destruction and disrespect for one’s diety.
Environmentalism does not have to be constant grand gestures. You can take small steps, but the first one is educating yourself about what you can do and what policies are being made in the United States. Then you can create sustainable change through open dialogue and the ballot box.
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