January 2019

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 for the use of man. “Now, Nature is not at work to amuse and please us merely — its mission is instruction. Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter, are God's four Evangelists, bringing each one a different version of the self-same Gospel of Divine Love.”1 Spurgeon helped to spur interest in Creation among his listeners beyond that of facility and gain.

President Theodore Roosevelt was a devout Protestant Christian throughout his life. He was also an avid naturalist and conservationist. He is best remembered for establishing the National Parks Service in the U.S. although he accomplished much more than this for conservation. He sought not only to protect the environment from complete destruction but also to encourage others to adopt this goal. He said, “Here is your country. Cherish these natural wonders, cherish the natural resources, cherish the history and romance as a sacred heritage, for your children and your children’s children. Do not let selfish men or greedy interests skin your country of its beauty, its riches or its romance.”2

Perhaps the unlikeliest contributor to conservation is Martin Luther King Jr. He is singularly known for his work in the Civil Rights movement of the 1950’s. His philosophies and approach to political activism laid the foundation for the environ- mental justice movement a decade later. In 1968 these two movements became synonymous coalescing with the Memphis Sanitation Strike. African American’s were forced to gather the city’s trash without the same protective equipment or pay as their White counterparts. Black workers routinely went home covered in unsanitary trash fluid. Trash disposal was conducted without regard to the environmental or human cost. Thus, the Civil Rights, environmental justice, and conservation movements intersected, and King was in Memphis to spearhead it during the strike. His Christian views led him to regard all life with reverence. He said in one speech, “Never, never be afraid to do what’s right, especially if the well-being of a person or animal is at stake. Society’s punishments are small compared to the wounds we inflict on our soul when we look the other way.” He also said, “It really boils down to this: that all life is interrelated. We are all caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied into a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one destiny, affects all indirectly.”3

Finally, we have a man who accomplished a milestone victory for conservation – the passage of the 1964 Wilderness Act. Howard Zahniser was the author of this Act and helped get it passed into law. He was a bureaucrat and conservationist, but he was most importantly a devout Christian. One biographer described him this way, “Zahniser believed in a higher power that had created the universe; he found God in nature, but did not believe that nature itself was God… God had a powerful presence in the world and had given the gift of wild nature to mankind to be cherished and nurtured.”4

These great men show us that Christianity and nature conservation are not mutually exclusive. Our leaders have been at the forefront of the conservation movement! Tree huggers are not a threat to us. Painting them as our enemy or as foolish only makes it harder for them to listen to our message of Jesus. Besides, Jesus hugged a tree for me and you on his way to Golgotha.




Written by David F. Garner



Sources
1 pg 131 http://www.grace-ebooks.com/library/Charles%20Spurgeon/CHS_Teachings%20of%20Nature.PDF

2 http://time.com/3942101/teddy-roosevelt-christian-environmentalism/

3 https://baynature.org/2013/01/20/was-mlk-an-environmentalist/
4. Wilderness Forever: Howard Zahniser And The Path To The Wilderness Act pg 148.