Christian Environmental Responsibility

Christian Environmental Responsibility

Genesis 1:28

Sermon by CH (CPT) Keith J. Andrews

All scripture marked ESV: The Holy Bible : English Standard Version. Wheaton : Standard Bible Society, 2001, S.

1. In my stay in Iraq this year, I have notice one image that is repeatedly on my mind and that is the image homes in the midst of heaps of trash. This is not a slam on the county of Iraq, but a direct result of one of the many problems that is going on here.

In Iraq, we know firsthand that there are many problems that are going on—terrorist attacks, poverty, government stabilization and agricultural sustainability. All of these problems seem to outweigh the massive environmental mess that is present.

2. But that leads me to ask the question…what is our excuse?

We live in the strongest country in the world—militarily, economically, constitutionally, and even agriculturally—although we seem to be losing ground which I will touch on later. We have our ups and downs in each of these areas—and we could probably debate the validity of that statement. However, I think we would all conclude that we are leading the world in most if not all of these areas.

But, we are constantly not at the top of environmental responsibility or even awareness that there is a problem at all.

3. A study by the Pew Research Center found that less than 50% of the US Population believes there is solid evidence of Global Warming because of human activity. And less than 50% of the Protestant believe this to be true.

This is not a sermon on Global Warming, but the reluctance for Christians to acknowledge that Humans have an effect on the climate is indicative of our reluctance to be active in environmental issues.

Christians should be in the lead on this issue.

A recent study conducted by LifeWay Research states that 49% of Pastors address Environmental Issues rarely or never.

4. We are not in the lead; we have taken the back seat.

I am a firm believe that while the Bible contains the Word of God that speaks to every area of our lives, we as Christians have allowed the world to take the lead on ethical, moral, and even spiritual issues. And environmental responsibility is one area in which we have taken a back seat or have even judged the environmental movement as foolish or evil.

It is time that this perception changes.

5. We, as Christians, must become the leaders of the environmental movement.

God has given us a specific task to be proactive in environmental issues.

6. Genesis 1:28 says:

28 And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” (Ge.1:28, ESV)

Filling the earth, subduing it, and having dominion over all of the animals means that we must take responsibility of them.

We are to be good stewards of our environment and we are failing in this task.

7. In the area of air quality. The Scientific American Earth 3.0 magazine states that;

The United States emitted almost 1600 million metric tons of Co2 into the air in 2007. This compared to China’s 1800 million metric tons that resulted in 750,000 premature deaths with in that country. (Scientific American Earth 3.0, volume 18, number 5)

8. In the area of water quality, the World Wildlife fund found that:

Almost a billion people lack access to safe drinking water, and 2.6 billion lack adequate sanitation services. (http://www.worldwildlife.org)

9. In regards to land and soil, The Scientific American Earth 3.0 magazine also states that;

Coal mining by “mountaintop removal” had decapitated the Appalachians for three decades. Already 450 summits have been destroyed in West Virginia and southeastern states. (Scientific American Earth 3.0, volume 18, number 5)

10. The Bible says in Genesis 1:28;

28 And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” (Ge.1:28, ESV)

The Bible says “Be fruitful”--which is something we must do, given some balance.

11. However, the Bible also says to be fruitful and multiply, and then it says to fill the earth and subdue it. Filling the earth doesn’t mean stacking everyone up into the cities. We must manage the population, yes. But, murder through abortion is not an answer.

12. Giving more support to rural communities to help them provide for their families is. One of the biggest industries that is dying is the farms. The farms give us a biodiversity through the managed use of crops and vegetation.