Theological reflections on the environment

Recently it has been announced that the ice caps are melting.  This is proof, to some, that we are experiencing great climate changes that are due to the actions of human beings.  Others have consistently denied that human beings are responsible for climate change or that anything substantial is going on.  I don't have the credentials to judge the scientific evidence behind climate change, so I have decided to accept the likelihood that we are going through climate changes.  Are we as human beings behind it?  Ultimately, yes, whether you accept our use of fossil fuels or indiscriminate wasteful culture especially in the US is behind considerable changes.  As a Christian, I affirm that the consequences of human sin aren't just relegated to human beings.  Sin affects creation around us.  I think Paul stresses this in Romans especially.

In 1967 historian of science Lynn White wrote an article in Science magazine called "The Historical Roots of Our Ecological Crisis."  One of White's points was that Christian views of the environment, particularly shaped by Genesis 1--have dominion over the earth and subdue it--had led to Christians taking a lax view toward the environment and not particularly caring how their actions affected the planet.  After White wrote the article, there were quite a few responses by historians and theologians who challenged White's assertions.  Many theologians claimed that the biblical text encouraged stewardship of creation not domination.  That might be true--and I think it is--but that doesn't change what actually happened.  There have been Christians who have had a strong theology of the environment as stewardship.  There have been other Christians who have seen the environment as something to be exploited or something that they did not need to be concerned about.

But no matter what Christians think about their relationship to the environment, scripture teaches that creation suffers because of our sins and waits for the revelation of the children of God.  We are reaping the consequences of the sins of humanity.  So where does that leave us?  Humility should be the order of the day.  It is God's creation; we have failed to live up to what he has wanted us to be and creation has suffered for it and we then suffer from creation suffering through tornadoes, hurricanes, and other natural disasters.  We also need to consider what is driving our views on the environment if we are Christians.  Are we being influenced by theology or are we being influenced by politics?  I think many Christians are being influenced by political opinions and not a reasoned understanding of creation that is shaped by scripture.

I believe God gave humans creation for us to take care of it.  We have done a poor job of that, often being driven by economic and political concerns wrapped in religious ideology, claiming God was on our side.  I think it is time that we started recognizing our failure to accept and responsibly care for God's gift to us.  I have failed in this.  I need to be more responsible in how I treat the environment.  Maybe we cannot make significant changes to what appears to already be happening to the planet.  But I also believe God values repentance, so if we make changes now, God will respect and value that and maybe we can express more gratitude for how he has blessed us with a creation that provides with what we need to live full lives on this beautiful planet.