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 ...