Preserving Eden

Is the modern conservation movement consistent with Christian and/or Seventh-day Adventist principals and theology? We will explore this over the next few issues. Let’s look at the leaders of the conservation movement and what influenced their ideas. The conservation movement has developed alongside technology and industrialization since the 1600’s. Many great thinkers have contributed to the discussion, but one person is widely considered the originator of the modern conservation movement in the West.  George Perkins Marsh and his momentous work Man and Nature defined the problem of environmental degradation due to overuse of the earth’s resources. He also laid out solutions to help correct this. He was one of the early heads of the U.S. Forest Service and contributed much to the science of forest management. Where did he get his ideas about preserving nature? He was raised by Calvinist parents and his father was an amateur naturalist. He seems to have continued in the faith of hi...

Is the modern (since mid-1800’s) conservation movement consistent with Christian and/or Seventh-day Adventist principals and theology? We will explore this over the next few issues. To begin let’s look at some prominent Christians who influenced the conservation movement either indirectly or directly. Charles H. Spurgeon was a powerhouse evangelist and writer in the 19th century who is still read widely today. He frequently used nature imagery and metaphor in his teaching with the astuteness of an accomplished artist. This resonated with his city audiences who were enthralled with the outdoors during the back-to-nature movement of the later 19th century. He encouraged his hearers to see God’s lessons in nature just as Jesus did. Many at that time under the influence of manifest destiny saw nature as something to be completely conquered by man. The 19th century view that nature was simply a machine led people to regard it as solely for human use. For Spurgeon, nature was not there just ...

Its that time of year again! You know the one. When special music, decorations, and good food make you smile. When good deeds are done, and cheer is in the air. Christmas, the season of giving. This is a favorite time of year for most people. Many enjoy giving and especially getting presents. Gift giving makes it easy to buy too much and then a little more. There are plenty of sales in the stores and online. A good deal is hard to pass up. But it is time to check our habits. Some facts 1 : Americans trash 25% more waste during the holiday season (Thanksgiving to New Year) than any other time of year totaling 25 million tons of garbage. The 2.65 billion Christmas cards sold each year in the U.S. could fill a football field 10 stories high. If each family in America wrapped just 3 presents in re-used material it would safe enough paper to cover 45,000 football fields. Those are some baffling numbers. It is easy to get carried away in the decorating, gift giving, and card sending. Bu...

The holiday season is my favorite time of year. It’s all about family, friends, good food, lots of fun, and most importantly, faith. The abundant food and thankful spirit of Thanksgiving work to remind us of all the bountiful blessings that God gives us. The songs, stories and decorations of Christmas typically brings to the imagination the reason for our faith. Despite the emphasis placed on Jesus it is quite easy to miss the reason for the season. All too often we make the mistake of Martha and focus on what needs to be done instead of imitating Mary and spending our time at the feet of Jesus. It is also easy to get distracted by the material things. Unsurprisingly we often focus too much on the material things. Make this holiday season different. Set a goal for you and your family to put Jesus first in every aspect of what you do. One great way to do this is by how you spend your money. It is easy to ask Jesus to bless your meal, or to think about him during holiday programs at chur...

Water is the essence of life. Imagery of water as a representation of our spiritual longing is all throughout scripture. Water is one of the most basic human necessities both physically and spiritually (John 4:14). It is necessary for nearly every aspect of life. Look around you right now. Water was used in the making of everything you see. Wood and cotton need water to grow. Water is used in the production of all plastic goods. The human body is 60% water. Water is the source of life, water is life. Yet we often treat it with disregard. Some places in the world seem to have an abundance of water and it’s easy to excuse wasting it. Only 2.5% of all the water on earth is fresh, the rest is saltwater. Of that 2.5% only 1% is easily accessible. And, most of that 1% is trapped too deep in the ground or permanently frozen. Only 0.007% of the water on earth is readily useable. Sadly, as pollution continues to contaminate our freshwater sources, filtering it becomes more expensive. As more pe...

Is it only we humans that have rights before God? The rights of humans are well established in scripture. These rights are well known in modern society thanks to the work of many Christians over centuries. Are we the only living things with rights? What does the Bible teach about fundamental rights for non-humans? The Bible indeed promotes the rights of all living things in creation. Humans are presented as having the highest order of rights as image-bearers of God. The rest of creation is also protected by natural God-given rights. Creation was not made solely for our own use and pleasure. Creation is not all about us. It also exists for the glory of God (Ps 66:4). Here I would like to present 3 basic rights that are held by all living creation. I encourage you to study and pray about this topic, so you may gain an understanding beyond what is presented here for this is a broad and complex topic. Here are three basic rights of nature: 1) The right to exist 2) The right to minimal...