The Case for Christian Environmentalism

A lot of Christian people love the wild places of the world, which is why it is somehow out of character that historically we haven't defended them. Historically it seems to me, the cred for environmental action has gone to people with more hair than strictly necessary, and a love of clothing with dangly bits. Why is that? Why haven't Christians taken a stand on environmental exploitation the way they have stood against the exploitation of morality and people. (as if environmental action is somehow not an issue of morality).

It seems to me that there are two major reasons Christians haven't stood up, and consequently two misunderstandings to overcome so that they will.

1. Christians have historically devalued the physical creation. There has been a tendency in Christian theology to describe our lives here as 'just passing through' despite the fairly clear evidence in the bible that we were created for a garden and the final destiny of humanity is a New Heavens and a: wait for it: New Earth. At both ends of eternity's linear timeline there is a physical creation within which humanity finds a home. Additionally, while it may be suggested that the fact that it's a New Earth means that this old one doesn't matter, that's not the biblical image. The biblical image is one of a seed leading to a new plant. This creation is the seed of the New Creation, and as such there is a continuity between the two and something of the content of this creation will continue to the New. The details of this continuity are not clear, but I suggest it would be unwise to assume a minimum, particularly considering man's pre-fall created purpose and place, to which we now turn.

2. The second reason Christians have largely failed in their creational responsibility is that they seem to have forgotten why they were created in the first place. Before the fall humanity were not created to do evangelism, or convert souls, or make disciples or any such thing. Prior to the entry of sin into the world humanity had a purpose, and that purpose was to tend and keep the garden, and extend that garden to the world by filling it and subduing it. Humanity's fundamental creational purpose was to be gardeners, which might explain why we find gardening so relaxing even now: something of an echo of our pre-fall purpose. The point I want to make however is that that created responsibility has never been withdrawn. Adam was still a gardener after the fall, though it was now a harder task. Mary was profoundly on target when she mistook Jesus for the gardener, and as we are conformed to the image of Christ he is the image of perfect humanity: Adam made perfect, gardening gloves included.

Once we understand that this creation matters, and that we were created to tend and keep it, rather than exploit or ignore it, it begins to look like Christians have a God given responsibility to labour for the balanced productive use of creation, its protection and its abundance.

I long to see Christians in every area of society, but today particularly I long to see Christians in places where they can defend and uphold the creation. Places they can labour to see it restored, in anticipation of the day when God himself will free it from its bondage to decay and bring it into the glorious freedom of the children of God.