Who cares about the earth anyway?

When Jen Hatmaker mentions in 7 the Christian shirt she wore growing up in the Bible belt of America, it brought back memories of my own experiences growing up.  I am embarrassed to admit that I bought and proudly wore a T-shirt which read “Save Forget the Whales, Save the People.”  Believe it or not, somewhere I had gotten the distinct impression that environmentalism and Christianity were two irreconcilable and opposing forces.  (On a side note, that T-shirt got some remarks from non-Christians at my school.  Surprise of all surprises, they weren’t asking to go to church with me on Sunday.)

My journey in becoming “more green” started a several years ago while reading The Tightwad Gazette.  Amy Dacyczyn that environmental efforts and frugalness often go hand in hand—that being resourceful and reusing is actually quite helpful to the environment, (maybe even more so than running out and purchasing all the “green” products now advertised…)

Reading this book started the wheels turning in my mind and led me to think about replacing paper products in our home to save money and cut down on our wastefulness.   (I’ll share specifics in a later post.)  I started researching alternatives to paper towels, napkins, etc, and came across a blog written by a Christian lady who, from what I could tell by reading, really loves Jesus and is also environmentally conscious.  Shocking.  This discovery caused me to start to think about whether or not Christianity and environmentalism in and of themselves really were at odds with each other.

And here is where I landed:

God created this Earth and all of its living creatures.  God put man in charge of the earth and its living creatures.  And while I do not believe putting the earth or its creatures in a place of worship (above God or people), I also feel that many Christians have missed the mark when it comes to being good stewards of what God has created.  To be perfectly blunt, wastefulness, squandering, and inhumane living conditions for animals are not Biblical values.  However, being faithful with what one’s been given, responsibility, servant leadership, and compassion are valued in scripture.  Proverbs 12:10 even tells us that a righteous man takes care of his animals.

Which leaves me with the following questions:

Why is it that we would be outraged if a house guest wasted our food and money, trashed and dirtied our home and broke our possessions, yet we feel as if we have no responsibility whatsoever to properly care for and manage the home God made for us?  Why would anyone else want to follow a God whose followers squander the world that they claim He made with absolutely no regard for how their actions affect others?

Regardless of how others may have turned environmentalism into a religion in and of itself, as a Christ-follower, indifference and apathy just don’t cut it with respect to wastefulness.   God cares how we use what He's given us.