The Church and The Environment
What does God say about the environment?
- The earth belongs to God - Psalm 24:1-2
- We are to Honor God's creation. Genesis 1:1
- God appointed mankind "Dominion" over the earth - Psalm 115:16
- We are the earth's vice-regents. Genesis 1:28, 2:15
- The earth and nature has intrinsic value and reflects the character and beauty of the creator. Psalm 19:1-2
- We must explore not exploit.
- Enjoy but don't worship the earth Romans 1:19-21
- Mankind is placed in the middle of the created hierarchy and is uniquely responsible to God (above) and for the animals, plants and resources (below). Psalm 8:1-9
- We are to use not abuse animals, plants, and resources to glorify God.
- God commans environmental stewardship to protect the land, animals, and vegetation for the common good. Deuteronomy 25:4, Proverbs 12:10, Deuteronomy 20:19
- Consumption and Productivity must be governed by the boundaries of conservation.
- Christ's redemptive work includes the earth - Romans 8:19-21
- We must treat the earth with the same priority God does. Revelation 21:1-4
What does any of this have to do with our mission?
- Part of fully following Jesus includes taking good care of the place He's given us to live.
- Part of leading people to Jesus is getting closer to them like Jesus did with us.
My NEXT STEP with God is to....
- brainstorm new habits I can build to prioritize the 8 issues we can all agree on. (Clean air, clean water, balanced land use, preservation of beauty, productivity & progress with constraints for conservation, waste minimization, limits for biodegradable plastics, and recycling).
- put into practice at least one of the "4 E's"
- Explore - Get outside
- Educate - Develop your appreciation of this incredible planet
- Engage - Brainstorm new habits beneficial to the earth
- Empower - Link up with environmentalists
- share things I learned today with a friend
- attend a home group to discuss this further
Topics:
conservation, Environment, steward