My Thoughts on Earth Day
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This may not come as a surprise, but some part of me finds great joy in being argumentative and antagonistic. This came to the surface in a recent Facebook post on the day when we were to observe the so-called "Earth Hour", the hour where we supposed to turn out our lights and thus sit in the dark for an hour. I proudly announced that to celebrate I would be turning my lights on, clear-cutting a forest, and shoot an endangered species. Obviously I was joking....I think.
Today is Earth Day. The day that we has been set aside to raise appreciation and awareness for this planet we call home, particularly the environment. The founder of Earth Day, Gaylord Nelson, believes, ‘The fate of the living planet is the most important issue facing mankind. As someone who holds a Biblical worldview, I would disagree on two fronts.
First of all, in my opinion the most important issue mankind faces is whether or not they will choose to recognize their Creator and be reconciled to Him. God seeks to know and be known on a relational level by the people he has created. According to the Scriptures, this is only made possible through faith in the atoning work of Christ on the cross and his defeat of death as demonstrated by his resurrection.
Additionally, I take issue with Mr. Nelson's statement in that, I believe that God has granted mankind dominion over the Earth as opposed to the other way around.
Genesis 1:26-28 states, "Then God said, 'Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.' So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that 8moves on the earth.”
I do believe that part of that dominion means that we are to be caretakers of this creation. However I feel that society, particularly the American media, has chosen to bow down at the altar of the Earth rather than the throne of the One who made the Earth.
Romans 1:19-25 puts it this way, "They know the truth about God because he has made it obvious to them. For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God.
Yes, they knew God, but they wouldn’t worship him as God or even give him thanks. And they began to think up foolish ideas of what God was like. As a result, their minds became dark and confused. Claiming to be wise, they instead became utter fools. And instead of worshiping the glorious, ever-living God, they worshiped idols made to look like mere people and birds and animals and reptiles.
So God abandoned them to do whatever shameful things their hearts desired. As a result, they did vile and degrading things with each other’s bodies. They traded the truth about God for a lie. So they worshiped and served the things God created instead of the Creator himself, who is worthy of eternal praise!
A proper balance is what is needed. We need to act responsibly and reasonably when it comes to the care and well-being of Earth but not in lieu of the care and well-being of the inhabitants of the Earth and the worship of it's Creator.
Today is Earth Day. The day that we has been set aside to raise appreciation and awareness for this planet we call home, particularly the environment. The founder of Earth Day, Gaylord Nelson, believes, ‘The fate of the living planet is the most important issue facing mankind. As someone who holds a Biblical worldview, I would disagree on two fronts.
First of all, in my opinion the most important issue mankind faces is whether or not they will choose to recognize their Creator and be reconciled to Him. God seeks to know and be known on a relational level by the people he has created. According to the Scriptures, this is only made possible through faith in the atoning work of Christ on the cross and his defeat of death as demonstrated by his resurrection.
Additionally, I take issue with Mr. Nelson's statement in that, I believe that God has granted mankind dominion over the Earth as opposed to the other way around.
Genesis 1:26-28 states, "Then God said, 'Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.' So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that 8moves on the earth.”
I do believe that part of that dominion means that we are to be caretakers of this creation. However I feel that society, particularly the American media, has chosen to bow down at the altar of the Earth rather than the throne of the One who made the Earth.
Romans 1:19-25 puts it this way, "They know the truth about God because he has made it obvious to them. For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God.
Yes, they knew God, but they wouldn’t worship him as God or even give him thanks. And they began to think up foolish ideas of what God was like. As a result, their minds became dark and confused. Claiming to be wise, they instead became utter fools. And instead of worshiping the glorious, ever-living God, they worshiped idols made to look like mere people and birds and animals and reptiles.
So God abandoned them to do whatever shameful things their hearts desired. As a result, they did vile and degrading things with each other’s bodies. They traded the truth about God for a lie. So they worshiped and served the things God created instead of the Creator himself, who is worthy of eternal praise!
A proper balance is what is needed. We need to act responsibly and reasonably when it comes to the care and well-being of Earth but not in lieu of the care and well-being of the inhabitants of the Earth and the worship of it's Creator.
1 comment:
Sean,
great post! While i agree with almost all of your statement I think you might be surprised by how rampant this ind set is outside of the us. I do not think that this is something the American media (as messed up as it can be) is the major perpetrator of this. I think it is a world wide turning from God and what he says is truth.
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