I sat in the coffee shop this morning and listened to a discussion about what kind of chicken farm is best for the environment. The discussion ranged from what kind of chicken is healthiest to what was the best chicken for eatin'. Personally I like it grilled.
Needless to say, my comments were not registered since the most I know about raising chickens is that I once dated a girl whose dad owned a chicken farm in Georgia. Oh yea, in Ecuador I ate a "range" chicken - once. It was the toughest white meat I have ever eaten, but it was boiled not grilled. I much prefer "range" guinea pig to "range" chicken.
But I digress. Bambi and the rest of the environment need protection, not only from us, but I suggest that it needs protection even from itself. Managing the environment is like juggling. We need certain resources from the environment in order to live, but we cannot consume the environment. You leave an environmental footprint upon this planet whether you want to or not. Some of those who seek to protect the environment seem to destroy it in the process. We all leave footprints wherever we go.
So, what does this have to do with the church?
If we were called to have "dominion" over the earth, this inherently demands that we act as stewards of our environment. It is not unlike money. Some of us are investors and others are consumers. If we would recognize that the land is not ours any more than our money is ours, it should change the way we use the land. We are but managers, not owners. God is the owner we just serve Him. We are not called to be hoarders or consumers - our job is to be managers and investors for the future.
So, whether you drive a Hybrid, an SUV, eat range chickens or buffalo is irrelevant. The issue is much deeper - are you an investor in or a consumer of the environment?
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Thoughts, some profound, and others that are not-so-deep. Some are responses from the pastor of a church community in downtown Colorado Springs to questions texted to him during the weekly service.
4 comments:
This is a great post Kurt. I did not realize that you being a right wing conservative church going preacher man, that you cared for the environment. Just kidding. I like seeing things like this because it reminds me that the American consumerism maybe is not getting the best of us yet, and that there is hope for our environment yet. I don't think that enough American people yet think about the impact they have on our planet, and I think that often the Christians are perceived as thinking even less of it.
Thank you
I was thinking (yes I do that)while I was reading the blog, What are some practical ways to use the environment for ministry besides growing food? This sounds like a good argument to present to those who refuse to take care of their yards. Can I use this against you when you don't mow the lawn for two weeks? :)
It is important to remember that we are part of nature, but not the same. For example, as physical beings, we need shelter from the elements, food, etc . . . As spiritual beings, and therefore not the same as other natural creatures, we are endowed with wills that are always reflected in the choices we make -- even choices about our environment.
Putting up Christmas lights takes a toll on the environment. Putting up Christmas lights is one way in which I celebrate Christmas. For the moment, let us ignore the question of whether it is a good way to celebrate Christmas. Let us also ignore the question as to whether my Christmas lights look any good. The fact remains that virtually all of our actions toll our environment, and all of our actions have a meaning in relation to that toll.
Again, Kurt has nailed it! Are my Christmas lights a "consumption" or an "investment"?
It is easy to label many of our actions as mere consumption because they toll the environment. Can we justify what we do as spiritual acts of worship in loving one another just as often? Are my Christmas lights up just for me to appease some inner desire to "keep up with the Joneses", or are they a light to the neighborhood that might be accompanied with some fresh bread and conversations with those neighbors where I let them know that I even though I don't really get them, I love them becuase of Christmas?
And what about grass? I prefer gardens. Shouldn't we only have gardens? There is that fairly obvious Biblical example . . .
That right. We are stewards of this planet the Lord has entrusted us with. There isn't much I hate more when we as Christians make the environment a political issue, it isn't liberal or conservative, its God's creation! Well there is one thing I hate more, when Christians say it doesn't matter because Jesus is coming back anyway . . .
I liken it to a story. Lets say we (christians) are teenagers and our parents leave us home alone for the weekend and entrust us with the family house. We as teenagers have one of two choices, we can be good stewards, honored that our parents would entrust us with the responsibility, or we can have a big party and trash the house and ignore the responsibility we were entrusted with. Either way our parents are coming back, and either way, they are still our parents and we are still their children. But shame on us if we think being entrusted gives us the right to trash what we've been given responsibility for.
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