A Theology That Values Ecology
And I brought you into a plentiful land to enjoy its fruits and its good things. But when you came in, you defiled my land and made my heritage an abomination. (Jeremiah 2:7)
Historically, Christian theology has not been supportive of the environment. Christians have often been so focused on the afterlife in heaven that we diminish the value of planet Earth. The idea of polarizing heaven from Earth is not entirely Biblical. The Book of Revelation, chapter 21, speaks of “a new heaven and a new earth.” The Earth does not go away or lose value because there is a heavenly kingdom. Instead, heaven and Earth come together. The world returns to the Garden of Eden. In God’s vision, the Earth has a divine uniqueness worthy of eternal renewal.
Imagine for a moment that Christianity affirmed reincarnation, just as Jesus was preexistent and born of a woman as any other human birth. Now, our human souls are preexistent. After death, our souls continue to take new bodily forms born of a woman. If we Christians believed we would return as humans to the same Earth, perhaps we would desire a safer, cleaner world.
Let me give you an example before you roll your eyes and get on with your day. During the Reagan administration, the Secretary of the Interior, James Watt, proclaimed that we do not need to worry about polluting the Earth because Christ is going to come again, and we would all be going to heaven anyway. A member of a previous congregation where I served was a military advisor in the Reagan administration, and he confirmed he heard James Watt make that statement. It is concerning when the leader of the US Interior believes the Earth will soon be without value.
Today, please prayerfully focus on our ecological needs in light of our theological understanding. Ask God for the wisdom to honor God and all creation. Consider your beliefs and how they make a specific impact on the world. Ask God for the Biblical illumination necessary to know what God expects of us and how best to remain God’s care provider to an earth made by the hand of the divine One. Before you say Amen at the end of your prayer, do not forget to thank God for the glory of the Holy One’s creation!