Last week I wrote that Christians are mandated to care for God’s creation and that the over-use of fossil fuels results in harm both to his creation and to people – especially the poor and marginalized. This week I would like to share two other caveats on the use of God’s gifts of coal, oil and natural gas:
Our use of God’s gifts obligates us to leave a legacy for our children and grandchildren. A few weeks ago I preached on the commandment “Thou shalt not steal” and I noted that the Hebrew word translated as “steal” has a much broader meaning that includes “kidnap.” Kidnapping is the theft of freedom. Meanwhile Proverbs 13:22 says, “Good people leave their grandchildren an inheritance.”
This past decade has been the warmest on record. Hurricanes pack a bigger wallop. There are more frequent and stronger floods and wildfires. Greenland’s ice is melting at an unprecedented rate and it was 65º in Antarctica last month. Climate change is happening and the science behind it is clear. Scientists have understood how CO2 traps heat since the 1800’s and fossil fuel companies knew the effect burning their products would have on our climate in the 1960’s.
Yet we keep burning more.
We have to ask ourselves what inheritance are we leaving to our children and grandchildren as a result of our over-consumption of fossil fuel? Are we stealing their freedom to enjoy a stable climate? I hope my kids will get to see the glaciers of Glacier National Park before they are gone. I’m guessing my grandchildren will not. Sad, perhaps, but not nearly as sad as the fact that the inheritance of whole Pacific island nations is sinking beneath rising seas.
Our use of God’s gifts provides an opportunity to practice both freedom and responsibility. One of the Apostle Paul’s great themes in his letter to the Galatians is freedom in Christ. Jesus came to show us how to live, teach us how to live, take our sins upon himself on the cross and die that we might have life abundantly. In his death and resurrection we have freedom from sin, death, and the power of the devil. Paul charges, “You have been called to live in freedom, my brothers and sisters. But don’t use your freedom to satisfy your sinful nature. Instead, use your freedom to serve one another in love.”
I believe God is ultimately in charge, but he requires us to take responsibility for our actions and find alternatives to those actions that harm others. Bad things happened in ancient Israel when God’s people broke his covenants – when they turned to other gods, were prideful, gluttonous, and lazy, when they practiced injustice, muddied the waters and misused the land. The twentieth century was the deadliest century in history – 200 million people died in wars, massacres and oppressions, and the responsibility for not a single one of those death’s can be laid at God’s feet – he requires us to take responsibility and act with justice. Climate change is no different. Of course he is in charge – but as his representatives, we have been given both freedom and the responsibility to care for his creation.
What can we do? First we can support clean energy initiatives. Solar energy has its basis even more firmly in scripture than fossil fuels – God causes the sun to shine on all. We can choose better fuel economy for our next vehicle purchase, perhaps a hybrid or an electric. We can share rides to Duluth, get out in the woods on cross country skis or snowshoes in the winter or in a canoe or on foot in the summer. We can buy less plastic and reuse more of what we buy – perhaps shifting to aluminum or glass or buying liquids in larger containers. We can use LEDs and turn down the thermostat a degree or two. We can let our representatives in Congress and the Legislature know we care. We can refuse to buy into the narrative that for whatever reason environmental stewardship isn’t for us.
Matthew’s gospel calls Christians to shine the light of Christ. One way we do this is by sharing the good news of grace and forgiveness that Jesus brings. Another is by living our lives as beacons of hope. Jesus didn’t address the pollution caused by fossil fuel overuse, but he did ask us to consider the lilies and the sparrows, and love our neighbors as ourselves. In my Christian walk, I am to ask myself, “In my employment, my commuting, my recreation, and my consuming, am I shining the light of Christ?” 1 Corinthians 10:31 says, “Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”
Daren Blanck is the Pastor of Zoar Church in Tofte, MN, a Lutheran Congregation in Mission for Christ (LCMC). Pastor Daren holds a BS in Environmental Science from Bemidji State, a MS in Education from UW-Superior, and recently completed his MA in Pastoral Theology from Kingswood University in New Brunswick. In addition he studied theatre in the UK and trained for ministry through the LCMC’s Beyond the River Academy. He’s also a part-time teacher in Silver Bay.
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