February 2019
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...