Reading through the interchanges following my article this week on Green Awakenings (and having lots of personal ones), I am humbled by the power of words to go out and make all sorts of things happen. It was words that in the first place prompted my passionate reaction, as I read a booklet whose words startled me—especially with its context of Christian education, which is where I live. May I use just a few more words to offer sort of a P.S., in light of the other words which have followed?
First, thanks to all those who have responded, on all fronts and in all ways. This is clearly a sensitive issue, and we have probably all learned even more about that sensitivity in the past few days. The responses (both personal and public) have been so helpful and encouraging, and I am thankful for the chance to keep on considering these issues in light of God’s Word and among God’s people. Let me offer a few clarifications, as we all keep on considering.
The aim of my article was to respond to the words in a booklet that arrived in the mail. I took the booklet on its own terms, as a kind of public summary statement of the environmental work on Christian college campuses. The article specifically responded to the way that booklet articulated the gospel and its biblical understanding of the work being done, not to the value of the work being done. I hope my words expressing utter appreciation for the environmental work college students are doing will be taken at face value. I mean it when I say that we older Christians did not care for this world carefully enough; we have a lot to learn from the next generations.
So when the discussion has moved in the direction of whether we Christians are called to care for the environment, the discussion has moved away from the point of my article. Of course we are so called, as I expressed, and these young people are leading in that cause and doing so many things to help this fallen world. The concern is that we understand, express, and live out that cause in a truly biblical way. Maybe it’s my English-teacher mentality that makes me super-sensitive to the words used. But, then again, we are a people given a book of words as God’s revelation, and we need to follow those words with such great care. As the last sentence of the article intimated, my concern is in great part for those of us who carry the responsibility to teach and speak into the younger generation—that we would encourage such a love for Jesus Christ and his Word that it would seep into and flavor everything we do and say, and everything the young people we teach do and say.
This love for Jesus Christ and his Word characterizes so many young people today, and surely so many of those involved in creating this booklet and working for Renewal. This love did not emerge clearly in the booklet sent out to represent their work. I would hope that my article would not alienate any of them but would indeed encourage them and all of us to examine our gospel language and gospel understanding more and more with each passing day of our lives, until Jesus comes again.
