Monday, April 23, 2007
Earth Day
Yesterday was Earth Day. I got the brilliant idea to walk all the way down to Hawrelak Park, so I am quite sore today. It took me 50 minutes to get from home to the festival spot. I didn't ride my bike because the weather looked iffy, and the bike path was all muddy anyways. I checked out the displays, hung with friends, and took in some musical performances. One of the displays was for the Environmenal Studies program at King's University College, a Christian college that I believe is Reformed. My friend thought this was strange because in his mind, if it is Christian than it is right-wing, and if it is right-wing, then it is supporting the Conservative government and would be in agreement with the Bush administration down south, and if that is the case, then whatever they are doing is counter-revolutionary. After talking to a Christian friend of mine who also showed up, apparently the Reform movement is very big into stewardship and would take something like Earth Day seriously. I believe all people of faith should uphold values of stewardship, and if political parties generally affiliated with fundamentalist beliefs do not uphold those values, they are in violation of an important moral issue for Believers. A celebration of the Earth does not mean we worship the Earth, because all here is temporal, but rather it involves making a commitment to be good stewards of what He has created.
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2 comments:
That’s an unfortunate belief your friend holds because caring for the earth is part of the creation mandate. It would be short-sighted to say that conservative Christians are less concerned about the environment. Unfortunately Christians like other citizens of this world vary in their adherence to what the Bible teaches on the subject. However, those in the Reform tradition, of which King’s is a part, definitely teach and practice it.
Not sure if you knew but King’s had the first comprehensive B.A. & B.Sc. degree program in Environmental Studies of any Christian University in Canada, going back to 1995 – which is well before the recent environmental movement began. The Environmental Studies program represents a deeply held belief that Christians must contribute to the well-being of God’s creation. The program is committed to equipping graduates with the theoretical knowledge, applied and technical skills, and biblical principles of stewardship that will enable them to practice earthkeeping in their life vocation. Most of the program’s graduates are employed in the environment sector or are continuing their education. These students and graduates represent an emerging generation equipped to care for creation on the Creator’s behalf.
In addition King’s has an active program to insure its campus is environmentally friendly, including the construction of a wetland/natural area on campus property. In its own community it has joined in various movements to oppose construction that was viewed as unfriendly to the environment.
Just a few thoughts for your friend.
I understand what you are saying very well. I tell my friend, and others who hold similar beliefs, that if one is truly a Believer, that it is one's responsibility to be a good steward of that which He created. He agrees with that perspective totally, but points out that many in the Evangelical Christian camp have abandoned that part of the equation. As a result, the entire Believing world is tainted. My solution is to be vocal whenever anyone raises such objections to this very point, and for Believers who feel similar to maintain a high profile in the environmental movement despite any such backlash. Kudos to King's for having such an excellent program.
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