Should Christians Care About the Environment?

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Jay Kim
Does God care about environmental sustainability and caring for creation? And if he does, what does that mean for for Christians today?

Gavin Ortlund
I want to hear your thoughts as well, I’ll just share my conviction about this is that yes, absolutely. I think, you know, Genesis chapter one, our first charge involves having stewardship and dominion over the created order. And then that’s repeated in Genesis nine. So that isn’t something that goes away after the fall. And so that’s something we have to think about is how do we exercise godly stewardship? You know, I think of biblical principles like the value of simplicity of life. In Proverbs 30, it talks about the there’s the prayer give me neither riches, nor poverty. That’s a great little prayer, you know. And so, a lot of basic, just Christian wisdom, I think, would be consistent with not overusing recent resources. And then you just think of care for neighbor. You know, if we use resources poorly, people suffer. And we have to think about as an act of love for neighbor, how to be wise. And I think that means future generations as well. If the Lord doesn’t return, we need to think about how we are affecting our children or grandchildren. But what I like to say about this topic is to not help someone feel pressured, that they have to agree with another Christian on every tiny detail of what that looks like. But just to encourage Christians, to be open hearted, to study these issues, and to think about and come to their own convictions about what that looks like, because it is so controversial. But sometimes we’re because it’s so politicized. We can be influenced by that, rather than just having an open heart to study and learn and go as our conscience directs us.

Jay Kim
Yeah, I don’t know if people notice, but you and I are wearing the same shirt. And now simplicity of like, I’m failing all sorts of pressure, like were these environmentally responsibly sourced. But, you know, you talked about Genesis one, I would agree with you, there’s certainly to me, I think, however, you read the Genesis texts, the creation narratives, there is a connectivity to the rhythm of, you know, day night on and on land, sea, and then you have the culmination of that, which is humans, male, female. And then as the connectivity continues, God’s God calls them to steward the planet. It’s interesting, people don’t talk about it much. But when we get to sin, and the entrance of sin into the human story, it’s so fascinating to me. God does not disconnect the relationship between humans and creation humans in the earth, he actually names it, and talks about the tension that is now created there. So then if you go to the end of the story, Revelation 2122, there’s a new garden, you know, and a new garden city, new heavens and a new earth. The through line of the story seems like the connectivity between us and the earth that we recall to inhabit and steward doesn’t ever really go away, just like this ongoing relationship. But regardless of how you read that, or don’t I love your point, Gavin about love of neighbor. I think that’s such a key point. It’s all again, it’s all connected. I mean, how we, you know, like, you throw trash on your street, that’s not just polluting on your street. It’s, it’s a lack of love or care for your neighborhood, and the neighbors who inhabit that space with you. Yeah, I also think I love what you said about open heartedness. Because every we were talking before we started filming, like everything’s become so politicized. And words begin to shut like just a word can shut down conversation. You know, you even in a word like environment, or creation care on all sides can begin shutting down environment and talk about that a little bit more. What does open heartedness in a practical sense? Maybe someone’s watching they’re like, have strong feelings one way or the other? What does open heartedness look like? Yeah,

Gavin Ortlund
well, it just seems as though sometimes a good test for how much we love the truth is, are we willing to follow it? Even if we’re not sure what the answer is? Are we willing to even be open and live in that space of tension? While we’re still seeking the truth on a particular topic? If it is, sociologically inconvenient for us if it goes against our circle, or whatever? And are we willing to have our our worldview adjusted as we respond to things and so just, you know, studying something with an open heart, and then I think it’s really helpful on an issue like this to do what we call theological triage, which is where we just rank things. And so we might say that the basic idea that we have a stewardship role over creation, that’s really important, that’s clear in Scripture, but the D details of what that means for us like policy decisions. I think Christians have to have a lot of patience for each other, where we might incline differently and how our conscience leads us. And we just have to remember, Christ died for that person who disagrees passionately with my view. I’m called to love that person. We’re called to come to the Lord’s table together, and partake of the Lord’s supper together. So we unfortunately, this happens a lot where these political and social issues are actually more divisive to us than the gospel is unifying. And that is grievous, I think to the heart of Christ, because I think he wants us I think it’s healthy to have a church where people are united in the gospel, but they actually have freedom to have differences on some of these tertiary doctrines, like the details of how we should care for the environment. Yeah,

Jay Kim
yeah, in some ways, it all comes down to love of neighbor, love your neighbor as yourself, care for God’s creation as an act of love for our neighbors. And when there is disagreement on matters like that. Love your neighbor, right? Yeah, that’s a good word.