Christians set the table for creation care — centuries early
— but their submerging that call beneath other concerns allowed the stewardship
of God’s creation to be claimed by political interests and let it force
division in the family.
All for no good purpose, according to four internationally
recognized speakers at a Creation Care conference Oct. 30-31 at Southeastern
Baptist Theological Seminary.
Christians should be involved in creation care because we
live in the world God created and cares about, said philosopher David Cook, who
teaches at Wheaton College, Oxford, and Southern Baptist Theological Seminary
and is a fellow for the L. Russ Bush Center for Faith and Culture at
Southeastern.
Acts 17 shows that the environmental debate should begin
with the churches, said Cook. In that passage the Apostle Paul tells the
Athenians that “God who made the world and everything in it — He is Lord of
heaven and earth and … gives life and breath and all things.”
God did not separate creation into “humans” and the “rest of
creation” pulled together for human consumption, speakers explained. Humans are
a part of creation, the part given responsibility to serve and to keep the
garden.
Calvin DeWitt, a passionate professor at the University of
Wisconsin whose boundless delight in every part of creation, from bugs to weeds
to the marshes of his hometown, said humans disregard the cries of nature.
With 12 of the world’s 13 major fisheries in “collapse” we
still keep catching and eating spawning fish. “We can’t help ourselves,” he
said.
Speakers made frequent references to the Jesus of 1 Col.
1:15-17 which says in part “all things have been created through Him and for
Him. He is before all things, and by Him all things hold together.”
“The history of environmentalism is to save and reconcile
all things,” DeWitt said. In his decades of creation care action he’s found
“most top environmentalists are passionate for creation care and are active
churchmen.”
Christians were active creation care advocates without even
using the terminology until the Industrial Revolution shifted values to
economic benefit at the expense of land, water and air quality, DeWitt said.
“We have come to presume that our industrial economy can and
must drive creation’s economy,” DeWitt said. “Meaning if the solution will cost
money, the science must be wrong … science isn’t about polls, but truth.”
We are on “dangerous theological ground” to act as if
we support “industrial Christianity” which says, “this is the way we operate
and creation better take heed to operate within our economy,” said DeWitt, who
paced the main floor while speaking.
Lest anyone question the importance of commitment to
creation care, DeWitt said, “Human activity is putting such strain on the
natural functions of earth that the ability of the planet’s ecosystems to
sustain future generations can no longer be taken for granted.”
In other words, human activity that disregards its own
effect on creation is threatening the ability of humanity’s continued survival
on earth. Ultimately, the earth will be fine, the speakers agreed. It is humans
whose survival is threatened.
As biologist Paul Erlich said, “Nature bats last.”
DeWitt said global warming is “unequivocal…people will say
it’s not, but it is, and you’d better believe it.”
While even some who concede the earth is warming doubt human
influence on the rise of global temperatures, DeWitt the historical graphs rise
sharply when human influence is introduced. He asked, “What if humans are not
responsible or only partly responsible? Does that mean we should just call it
an act of God and take out an insurance policy and sing together ‘This is not
my home?’”
Human influence on warming
Steven Bouma-Prediger addressed that theme by looking at the
complaints that environmentalists typically bear against Christians who
disregard creation.
Bouma-Prediger, an active outdoorsman who led hiking,
canoeing and climbing adventures in the Nantahala National Park, is chair of
the religion department of theology and ethics at Hope College in Holland,
Mich.
He said some actually blame “the earth is not my home”
attitude of Christians for the ecological calamity lurking in the near future.
“This dualism keeps us from relating not only to the natural
world but to ourselves,” he said, calling for confession for the “various ways
Christians encourage exploitation of the earth.”
“We are indifferent to the rape and plunder of the world and
most of its cultures,” he said. “We’re as indifferent as most industrial
organizations.”
He outlined the ecological complaint against Christians
saying that the Gen. 1:26-28 verses that sanction “rule” and subjugation of
earth provide “sanction for ecological destruction” when misinterpreted.
Christian dualism that separates soul and body, spirit and
matter, culture and nature, male and female devalues one over the other, he
said.
“Escapist eschatology (view of end times)” justifies “exploitation”
of earth’s resources, because if “the world will be destroyed, why care for
it?” said Bouma-Prediger, explaining environmentalists’ frustration with
Christianity.
Then he asked if such theology is even accurate. “In God’s
good future will the earth be destroyed?” he asked.
He said historical interpretation of 2 Peter 3:10, which
says on the final day “…the earth also and the works that are therein shall be
burned up (KJV) is “an egregious misinterpretation, maybe the worst in the New
Testament.”
Other interpretations, including the Holman Christian
Standard Study Bible, say on that day the earth and its works “will be
disclosed.” The NIV says, “laid bare.” German interpretation of the passage
says the earth “will find its judgment” and the Dutch says “will be found.”
“After the refiner’s fire of purification, the earth will be
found, discovered, not burned up,” Bouma-Prediger said. “This text is not about
rapture or destruction, but about refinement and renewal of creation.”
He caused a bit of stir in the room when he said the idea of
“rapture” or being caught up into the air on the day of Christ’s return is a
misinterpretation, as well. He said creation is not “ephemeral and unimportant”
and that Christians will join Christ’s procession as He returns to earth.
“We are not raptured off the earth,” he said. “God loves the
world. He returns to the world and will not leave the world behind.”
The panelists encouraged Christians not to be “just takers,
but care takers.”