In The Beginning: Creation Appreciation #12

This is the final post in this series, as we finished up our class last Sunday. If you're joining the conversation late, or if you'd like a thorough review, check out all 12 posts.

We began this class session with a review of the first 6 weeks of the course, in which we laid the theological foundation to argue for Christians' concern for the environment. I'll skip most of that review since you can find it at the link for all 12 posts above.

In short, the end of Genesis 1 describes our relationship with the rest of creation. In this text the Creator tells man to "guard" the earth. If we accept this charge, then we must live in ways that guard or preserve the earth.

Our discussion then turned to some practices which we have employed in our lives that give us signs of hope. Class members offered instances of recycling, proper disposal of waste, water and energy conservation, and a greater awareness of sharing resources.

There was some concern that these life changes are too small to positively affect the enormity of the environmental problem. On the contrary, I submit that these are the habits in which we see signs of hope. It is by conserving water that we make a statement that we have love for our neighbors who may not have clean water. It is by turning off light switches in our homes that make the statement that we want to reduce pollution from our energy companies. Then on a larger scale, it is with our votes, our petitions of government, and our dollars that we sway public and private organizations to live gently and use resources fairly.

In these ways Christians can be responsible stewards of Creation and have an active voice in the ongoing conversation about environmental issues. As we wait for God's New Creation, we must work to preserve this Creation out of love for the Creator and out of love for one another.

I used several resources for this class. Here are the three primary books I used in addition to many journal articles and internet research.

Tony Campolo's "How To Rescue the Earth Without Worshiping Nature"


Steven Bouma-Prediger's "For the Beauty of the Earth: A Christian Vision for Creation Care"


Greg Johnson's "The World According to God: A Biblical View of Culture, Work, Science, Sex & Everything Else"

In The Beginning: Creation Appreciation #11

This is part 5 of our class discussion on how Christians can engage the green movement in ways that bless the Creator. Ephesians 1.22-23 and 1 Corinthians 12.27 remind us that we are the incarnate body of Christ on earth. Because we know and accept this truth, the church adopts practices that are Christ-like practices. For instance:
We think it is important to feed the poor so we feed poor.
We think justice is important so we live justly.
We think God deserves worship so we worship.
We think Jesus provides a better way of living so we disciple Him.

Then it follows that:
We think we should steward God’s creation so the Body of Christ should be stewarding.

My point is so simple that it could be missed here. It is illogical and unfaithful for us to believe that scripture teaches that God loves and values His creation and then live lives that are unaffected. In other words, to be faithful to God's call for stewardship of creation's resources, we must take action. We need to put theory into practice.

Since the church is the body of Christ on earth, certainly some of the action we take in favor of stewarding would show up in our local congregations.

Here is how one church practices stewardship:


Beyond being faithful and responsible to God, church practices are also ways of teaching and subversively transforming our culture. The light with which we live our lives (Matthew 5.14-16) and our unity in action (John 17.20,21) are witnesses to those around us.

So, in essence, we get a double return on our "investment" in our environment. We can reduce harm to our environment and teach others about God's love for His creation, including them.

In his book, "How to Save the Earth Without Worshiping Nature", Tony Campolo lists some practical things that churches ought to do.
1. Plant Trees / Become involved in an urban tree growth effort
2. Use recycled paper
3. Recycle waste
4. Use reusable cups, plates, cutlery
5. Use environmentally safe cleaning products
6. Use buildings efficiently – use facilities during the week
7. Recycle sales (benevolence stores)
8. Use the church grounds as a community recycle center w/ signs that read:
a. God wants to turn our trash into something good!
b. The God of creation is also the God of recreation – Recycle
c. Our God makes everything new again
9. Ongoing Effort – Creation Committee? (this one is the key in my mind)
a. Seek ways to involve the congregation in creation care
b. Remind/Teach the congregation how to steward
c. Create Worship Banners like:
i. Live Simply that others might simply live
ii. Be Good Stewards of God’s Creation
iii. Enjoy But Don’t Destroy what God Has Created

How will you invite your local congregation to participate in stewarding God's creation?

In The Beginning: Creation Appreciation #10

Remembering our previous discussion about the world's scarcity of resources, we began this class session with the parable of the rich fool from Luke 12.13-21. From that story I tried to reframe how we might usually think of the terms greed and frugality. We sometimes think of frugality as a selfish, penny-pinching type of lifestyle but actually, being frugal with the earth's resources is exactly what we need to do.

Suddenly, the efficient life of my grandparents doesn't seem so strange. The generation that lived through the Depression came to know how to squeeze every last bit of utility out of every resource because they had to. The challenge for 21st century Americans is to learn how to use resources efficiently even though we don't have to. It's a matter of loving our neighbors, both global and temporal.

So this class provides some hands-on ways to use resources more efficiently:


Speaking of my grandparents, it's amazing to me that they produce about 1 bag of trash per month. Table scraps go to the compost pile in the garden. Most things are reused. Some trash is burned. Only plastic and a few other items make it to their garbage cans. My family produces about 5 bags of trash per week.


National Geographic has a site set up that gives some great tips as well. Here is important information about water conservation in the bathroom:


Great ideas for home cleaning without the use of harmful chemicals:


Cut your utility bills and save energy:


Many more tips are available at National Geographic's The Green Guide.

I'm encouraging the class to be thinking about some lifestyle changes they would be willing to share with the class in a couple of weeks. Leave a comment to share what you are doing to be frugal with the resources God has given us.

In The Beginning: Creation Appreciation #9

This post will catch you up to where we are in class. Along the lines of the previous lesson, this lesson deals with consumption of the earth's resources. This kind of conversation seems like it could be a secular issue. Some might say this dialogue should be reserved for civic centers, universities and legislatures. Part of the point of this class is to bring Christians into these conversations so that people with the interests of God at heart will be able to help shape the future of the earth as we steward creation.

As you think about the below ideas, remember that the earth belongs to God (Ps 24.1) and as followers of Jesus, we are called to live humbly, putting the interests of others ahead of our own. See Philippians 2:4-8.

First consider how we use arable land in the world. Land capable of producing crops is a precious commodity. Here's a quick demonstration of how rare the world's arable land is.

This (and the following issues) is a global issue. China has over 20% of the world's population, but only 7% of the world's arable land. Do you see the imbalance? If we are going to love our neighbors and look to the interests of others, we can not turn our backs on the rest of the world and count our lucky stars that we happened to be born into a country that has enough farmland to feed its people. The only word I can think of to describe that way of thinking is "selfish".

Water shortages are quickly becoming a problem as well. Nations all over the world are facing water shortages as water quickly becomes a high priced commodity. This isn't only a problem in the remote parts of Africa. Remember the water crisis in Atlanta last summer? We're only going to see more of this issue.

The term, "water shortage" is somewhat misleading. Others will argue that there is no such thing as a water shortage. Their reasoning is that the world always has the same amount of water. Remember this picture from 7th grade science class?

The earth's water cycle system is a closed system, so in theory, the world does in fact have a constant amount of water. However, due to pollution we are slowly reducing the amount of usable water we have. More than that, with the earth's population rate growing exponentially, we may indeed have a constant amount of water, but the amount of water per person is declining sharply. Water scarcity is already affecting international relations and agendas between countries. But again, this must be seen as a global issue.

*Nearly 450 million people in 29 countries currently face severe water shortages.

*20 percent more water than is now available will be needed to feed the additional three billion people who will be alive by 2025.

*As much as two-thirds of the world population could be water-stressed by 2025.

*Aquifers, which supply one-third of the world's population, are being pumped out faster than nature can replenish them.

*Half the world's rivers and lakes are seriously polluted.

*Major rivers, such as the Yangtze, Ganges, and Colorado, do not flow to the sea for much of the year because of upstream withdrawals.

Our resource of air is important as well. Ever flown into a major city like L.A. and noticed the brown filth that hovers over the city? It makes an impression on you. We've seen and heard this week all the press about the smog in Beijing. Not only does polluted air cause damage to the environment, it also contributes to all kinds of other problems like healthcare. We clearly need to take better care of our air.

Finally, the issue of energy sources is a huge deal. Obviously this issue is very politically charged due to the recent spike in oil prices. As we look to the future, we can not solely rely on nonrenewable energy sources like oil, coal and gas (the "nonrenewable" label is slightly misleading because the earth does continue to produce these resources - it is just a very slow process). Our energy demands continue to increase and at some point (maybe already?) will exceed what the earth can sustain through these resources. Though politics may be deeply tied to this issue, Christians must look for just and responsible solutions to fill the world's energy needs.

Next week, we'll start looking at some practical solutions and lifestyle changes.

In The Beginning: Creation Appreciation #8

Given Christians' enormous sphere of influence in the world, we need to offer some input into several ongoing conversations in the world. One large social justice issue that is starting to receive attention is that of our diets. Yes, our food choices.

Primarily the information from this class session comes from Mark Bittman. Before that video, let me say that I'm not trying to make a case for being a vegetarian. If you want to be a vegetarian or vegan, I think that's admirable, but I don't think you can make a theological case that we need to do that. Since Noah, God has allowed us to eat animals. Consider Acts 11.4-7.

Also, as you watch this video, remember the words of Paul in Philippians 3.17-20a, as he exhorts followers of Jesus to be a peculiar people. He urges us to be a people that look to Godly things rather than our fleshly desires. He challenges us to look beyond the cravings of our stomachs.

This idea of overcoming our consumption inclinations runs throughout scripture, starting with the first sin in the garden. A sin of consumption, Adam and Eve give in to the desires of their stomachs and consume things that upset God's intent for the world. And so it goes...

In The Beginning: Creation Appreciation #7

So, if we believe that we, as Christians, ought to be stewards of God's creation, how are we doing? Do Christians have a voice in the environmental conversation or green movement? Are we speaking for God's interests on behalf of His creation? Do we even have enough influence in the world to have a voice?

The next three sessions of this class will be a discussion entitled, "How do Christians engage the green movement?" We'll break this discussion into three parts:
1. Our Sphere of Influence
2. The Disease of Consumption
3. Energy and Resources

In order to evaluate Our Sphere of Influence, let's look at the historical growth of Christianity:



According to Mission Frontiers, of the world's population:


There is much data to show that the world is seeing a shift in the geographical center of Christianity (that is, England is already "postChristian" and the U.S. is quickly following, while Africa and Asia are seeing exponential growth in Jesus followers). Already, African nations are preparing to send Christian missionaries to Western countries. There are more Presbyterians in South Korea than in the U.S. Even this month, many underground churches in China are becoming legally sanctioned and moving into the mainstream, thanks in large part to the Olympics pushing China into the world's focus. Still, even with this large shift, Christianity is growing globally. Our influence mirrors that growth.

In 1967, Lynn White published an article that has served well to bring Christians into the conversation of stewarding creation. The Historical Roots of Our Ecological Crisis suggests that the fault of our current ecological situation lies on the shoulders of hundreds of years of Christians promoting a theology that we have dominion over the earth and can consume its resources according to our wants and desires. Moreover, being made in the image of God, we are superior to the remainder of creation and therefore creation exists to serve us.

If you are at all serious about this subject, you need to read his article. It provides great insight into the history of this issue.

I agree with White on a couple of points. First, he is right that Christians have such an influence over the world that our ideals, good or misguided, can have global effects. This, of course, is all the more reason that we need to have strong theology on creation and make sure we are taking care of it. Second, he is right to some degree that Christians can find some level of arrogance in being made in God's image. Sometimes we can forget that we do not own the land. Rather we are a part of God's creation.

In his conclusion, White states,

No new set of basic values has been accepted in our society to displace those of Christianity. Hence we shall continue to have a worsening ecologic crisis until we reject the Christian axiom that nature has no reason for existence save to serve man.

His statement is true, though it has a false premise. More than anything else, Christianity does influence the world, however, not all Christians believe the false axiom that nature serves man. Some of us realize that nature, in fact, serves to glorify its supernatural Creator.

If you find yourself feeling above the rest of creation, or arrogant in any way regarding your place in creation, read God's response to Job in Job 38-41. Not only does God humble Job, but His words can serve to remind us of our place in creation as well.

I'll share one comment from the class that I thought was interesting. Jeff, received the text from Job differently. Since today's man has achieved most of the things the Creator lists to humble Job, Jeff sees this text as an even bigger responsibility we have to steward the earth. That is, since we can feed the lions and catch the whales of the deep, we have all the more reason to be sure we are being responsible guarders of God's creation. I thought that was a pretty fresh hearing of this text as well.

...if you didn't already, scroll back up and read White's article...

In The Beginning: Creation Appreciation #6

Due to a week at camp and a week at the beach, I've fallen behind on my posts about our Sunday morning class on creation care theology. Let me return to our discussion from a couple of weeks ago.

In this lesson we examined some data to consider the state of God's creation. These slides are pretty self-explanatory.






Granted, this data is only recent data when considering the history of the earth. Some of this data shows only minimal, almost expected fluctuations in our environment (although the amount of deforestation is shocking to me).

Still, when we know that 9,000 square miles of the Amazon rain forest disappears each year, and when we have data that suggests that humans are having a radical affect on their world, as Christians, we ought to take notice and speak out on behalf of God's creation.

Consider these short videos:
This is a brief overview of global warming from National Geographic.


Here is the perspective of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change which provides climate data to the UN.


Finally, here is an ad for what looks like an interesting series on ABC that imagines what the world might be like in the future.

Just gloom and doom politics? Maybe. Scientists definitely differ on their estimates about the future of our world. As this topic is debated and discussed throughout the world, it's important for Christians to have a voice. It's an issue of justice, of loving one's neighbors and future generations, and of honoring God's creation.

We sometimes limit the parable of the steward to discussions of money, talents, or spiritual gifts. Doesn't stewardship apply to all the blessings with which the Master entrusts us?

How are we doing as stewards?

Going Green One Upsmanship

Like most people these days, I'm thinking more and more about the environment and resource usage. I find in a lot of cases I don't have the knowledge to know which habits are truly greener than other habits.

For instance, in a public restroom, is it better to use paper towels to dry my hands or use the electricity consuming air dryers? Should I purchase a new Hybrid Prius (damaging the environment with the Prius' manufacturing) or purchase a used, fuel efficient Corrolla?

Check out The Green Lantern for scientific answers to some of these kinds of questions. It's really interesting to me. The downside is that we can't all have bio-environmental engineering degrees to know what to do when we just want to dry our hands. I'm really interested to see what life habits will change over the course of my life time due to the thrust of environmental consciousness.

By the way, I'm not going to purchase a used Corolla or a new Prius - I'm purchasing Lance's F4 Interceptor Scooter! 70 to 80 mpg, baby!

In The Beginning: Creation Appreciation #5

A Christian's Call
Hopefully Lesson #5 will strengthen the case that Jesus must have had concern for God's creation that would have shown up in the things he said and did.

Christ’s Dominion – Master of Creation
We began class with the 3rd account of the creation story: John 1.1-5 (the first account in Gen 1, and the second account was in Gen 2,3):

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.

Also, consider Hebrews 1.1-2:
In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe.

The New Testament states pretty clearly that the creation was made through Jesus. This speaks to part of the mystery of our triune God. Remember we noted the plurality of God in the creation narrative in Genesis.

Then read Colossians 1.15-20:
He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.

The 'Creation Of All Things' and the 'Reconciliation Of All Things' are two complimentary acts in one story. We see in John 1 and Hebrews 1 that Jesus played a role in the Creation Of All Things. The New Testament tells us that Jesus, through the cross, plays a key role in the Reconciliation Of All Things to the Creator. Jesus understood his Father’s desire to restore and reconcile creation so it makes sense to me that He would have much to say about our stewardship responsibilities of the creation.

The Earth Cries Out
Hear the audible sound of the earth.

Romans 8.18-25: The earth cries out awaiting liberation.
Romans 1.18-20: Remember that God is revealed in creation.

God Gives us the Earth
God did give us the earth (Gen 1:29, Gen 9:2, Gen 12:7) but no one would assume that He gave us the earth for us to consume, destroy, or waste. Christ's life embodies the opposite of consumption, destruction, or wastefulness.

Then putting the above pieces together, we see that God loves the earth; that Jesus participated in its creation; that God gives us the earth; that Jesus reconciles creation to God; and that the earth and Jesus are gifts to all generations.

A Decreasing Scale of Recognizability: Your Sin, My Sin, Collective Sin
Your sin – all the easy to spot bad things you do.
My sin – all the bad things I do that are not justifiable in my mind.
Collective sin – a subtle evil that eludes the responsibility of the individual by propagating itself in a social context. It is a collaborative sin of toleration of oppression and injustice. Usually we recognize the wrongdoing, but since we did not cause it, and since society accepts it, we may lament it, but in the end, we tolerate it.

In the context of this conversation, collective sin shows up when we allow 15% of the world to utilize 50% of the earth’s resources. Or, when we cause animal and plant species to go extinct before future generations see them (or discover their medicinal qualities). Or, when we emit so many toxins into our air that we permanently damage our atmosphere. Surely we don’t “love one another” by damaging each other's air or by hoarding resources like oil.

In class, the point was made that there is great difficulty in determining who is right about environmental issues. There are conflicting scientific reports. Extremists on both ends of the debate are irrational and neutralize much progress on this front. That is true. My assertion is that Christians ought to be engaged in that debate. We ought to be the ones leading the cause for better use of God's creation. For too long we have been disengaged from this discussion. We have let God's creation be relegated to a secular discussion, when we should have been eager to have this conversation with the world.

In the second half of the class, beginning July 20th, we will consider our collective sin of wasting God's resources on earth. We will explore ways in which we might become more aware of how we should use those resources. And we will find ways in which Christians can effectively share God's wisdom with the world when it comes to how we need to share and steward God's creation.

In The Beginning: Creation Appreciation #4

Green Jesus?

Lessons 4 and 5 really need to go hand in hand. In fact, I learned I should have presented the material in lesson 5 prior to the material in lesson 4. I think lesson 4 would have been better received after our lesson 5 discussion. In this forum, I'll post them in quick succession and you can consider the information together.

Lesson 4, "Green Jesus?" initiated the first bit of push back in this course so far. It seemed everyone in class was on board with valuing creation against the backdrop of Gen 1-3, and in the context of the Psalms, but when we turned to the life of Jesus, folks in the class were a little bit more reluctant to think that Jesus would have said and done things out of concern for God's creation. I think the general sentiment was, "sure Jesus would have had concern for God's creation as part of the God head, but to read that concern in anything he said or did is stretching the text." Here is what we considered:

Birth to Death: A journey from the barnyard to bread and wine
We tried to briefly take in the scope of Jesus' life through the lens of His concern for creation.
1. Begins in a barnyard with the noise and smell of animals
2. Born into the rhythms of agricultural life
3. Immersion into a river for Baptism; the Spirit lights as a dove
4. 40 days in the desert births a regular practice of Jesus finding peace and sustenance in wilderness areas
5. 1st miracle turns water to wine – a celebration of the goodness of the fruit of the earth
6. 1st miracle with his inner circle – an overwhelming catch of fish
7. Last supper – celebrates the good gifts of creation; eating bread and drinking wine

While I think these, and many many more, events of Jesus' life do indicate weight and value to God's creation, others in the class suggested that perhaps these events have an agricultural nature because this was the context of the people of this time.

Story After Story: Parables – ways of living demonstrated by God’s creation
1. Lilies of the field
2. Birds of the Air
3. Lost Sheep
4. Mustard Seed
5. Sower and the Seed
6. Great Banquet

All these stories are demonstrations of the natural world as the expression of God’s loving relations with divine power.

Matthew 6: Lilies of the field – Ties the wonder of God’s creation to justice and resource distribution. How can a flower out-glorify God compared to Solomon’s splendor? The aesthetic and scientific presence in a flower is astounding: beauty and photosynthesis.

Kingdom Metaphors
1. Leaven in Dough
2. Seeds from a sower
3. A Pearl
4. Treasure in a field
5. Mustard Seed
6. A Net in Water full of fish

'I Am' Sayings of Jesus
1. I am the bread of life
2. I am the true vine
3. I am the good shepherd
4. I am the light

In his teachings and self metaphors he time and again uses metaphors inspired God's good work of creation. Sure these things were readily apparent and understood in Jesus' context, but strikingly absent are any metaphors using the technology of the day. Nothing is said about war machines, chariots, walls, roads, aquaducts, buildings, etc. Again, some in class said this was a matter of relevance to his audience, but I think there is more significance here.

Jesus' love and concern for creation causes him to turn to these metaphors. Because Jesus knows that in creation, God is revealed, he seems to gravitate towards these discussions. I'm not arguing that because Jesus comments about the lilies of the field, then he must be a tree hugger from California, but I think his overwhelming - almost constant - discussion of things involving the creation says something about his valuing of the earth.

Hell Metaphor
It's interesting that in Matt 5:29-30, 18:9 Jesus’ description of Hell is Gehenna: a valley full of smoldering trash and waste outside of Jerusalem. When Jesus does finally discuss trash and waste he uses it as a metaphor for Hell.

Again, was Jesus' primary mission to tell us how to come down on environmental debates? Probably not (although he certainly has a lot to say about justice and distribution of resources). Certainly Jesus' primary mission was to inaugurate God's Kingdom on earth and reconcile creation to God the Father. But in doing so, out of his great love for creation, I suggest that He did have much to say about how we steward the earth.

If you're not sold yet, stay tuned for lesson #5.

Global Warming and Christian Unity

I realize there are a lot of doomsayers out there when it comes to environmental issues. I also realize we only have about 150 years or so of precise weather data which, given the length of the history of the world, isn't enough data to really predict trends. Still, the prospect that there won't be any ice at the north pole this summer is alarming to me. This could just be a blip and we might have huge increases in the north pole ice volumes in the next 50 years or so, but the current situation is alarming nonetheless.

---

I'm not much of a preacher, but I whole-heartedly believe the words I preached a couple of weeks ago. Here's the sermon audio. One of the strongest reasons I stay in the Restoration Movement is because we have a heritage of unity.

In matters of faith, we have unity.
In matters of opinion, we offer liberty.
In all things, we love.

In The Beginning: Creation Appreciation #3

Creation's Role in the Psalms: A Creation That Worships Its Maker

In this class we've had a great deal of conversation about the purposes of God's creation. The Psalms seem to indicate that one of the primary purposes of the creation is to worship the Lord. Consider Psalms 96 and 98:





Also, read the entire 104th Psalm.

Creation is trying to cry out in praise, but is hampered by man's sin.

Another theme of these Psalms is that the earth rejoices at the coming judgment. Most people have fear at the coming judgment. Even the believers who have hope in Christ, know that the day of judgment will be a bittersweet day. So why does the earth rejoice at the approaching day of judgment? And does the earth have any role to play in that day? Is there such a thing as the salvation of the earth?

John 3:16, 17 says: For God so loved the cosmos that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the cosmos to condemn the cosmos, but to save the cosmos through him.

Does that only refer to the people that live within the cosmos?

Maybe salvation of the earth is a setting things right; a return to the Creator’s ideals; a removing of sin and defilement. Sin invites pain and suffering and hampers the full revelation of God’s glory. Salvation will loosen the tongues of God’s creation to sing his praises. Perhaps the earth looks forward to that day when it can more fully echo God's glory.

This conversation can't honestly be held without asking some straightforward eschatological questions as well...

An Allegorical New Heaven and New Earth?
If this world is not my home and I'm just a-passing through, and if this world is just going to get burned up and disappear one day anyway, then should we really care about what happens to the earth? Will the earth be destroyed?

Some passages like 1 John 2.15-17 are misapplied to this sort of discussion. This passage is using "the world" to talk about "sinful desires". Still there are other passages like 2 Peter 3.10-13 that seem to indicate the world will be destroyed.

A good point was made in class that the world was "destroyed" during the flood but did not cease to exist.

A larger theme of Scripture seems to indicate a healing of God's creation.

Consider Jesus' inauguration of the Kingdom of God on earth. He had great concern for healing pain in this world. Jesus wanted us to love our neighbors on earth. His prayer sought the Father's will to be done on earth as it is in heaven.

Lastly, read Revelation 21.1-5. Verse 1 says heaven and earth have passed away and then in the next verse, the New Jerusalem comes down out of heaven... which heaven is that? The one that was just destroyed?

Of course Revelation does rely on metaphors a great deal, but what does this mean? If you read Rev 19-21 you'll notice a lot of language about heaven coming down to earth. It's true that the Jewish worldview consisted of three heavens (first heaven = atmosphere & sky; second heaven = outer space; third heaven = dwelling place of God), but I've wrestled with this a great deal over the last few years and here's my conclusion (which could very well be wrong): earth refers to the dwelling place of humanity and heaven refers to the dwelling place of God. There will be a day when those dwelling places overlap so that we will physically be in God's presence here on earth.

We finished the class with this quote from Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.:

Thank God for John, who centuries ago out on a lonely, obscure island called Patmos caught vision of a new Jerusalem descending out of heaven from God, who heard a voice saying, "Behold, I make all things new; former things are passed away."
God grant that we will be participants in this newness and this magnificent development. If we will but do it, we will bring about a new day of justice and brotherhood and peace. And that day the morning stars will sing together and the sons of God will shout for joy.

What are your thoughts regarding the end of times?

Is investing in the earth a waste of time and energy?

Is our only incentive to steward the earth based on our love for our kids' kids?

In The Beginning: Creation Appreciation #2

We've already deviated from the syllabus a bit, but next week, our class will get back on track with week 3.

This Sunday we reviewed our previous discussion about the value of God's creation and speculations about His purposes.

We then read the remainder of the second account of God's creation, found in Genesis 3. From that reading we considered the following ideas:
1. What was the first sin? Disobedience? Consumption? Greediness? Misuse of earth’s resources?
2. Talk about the Garden of Eden. How do you imagine it? Climate? Water? Ground? Plantlife? Animal life? Food?
3. What is our relationship with God's creation in Eden?
4. What is our relationship with God’s creation, post Eden?
5. What is our relationship with God’s creation in today’s Western society?

Then we meditated on this video, considering the artistry and creativity of God in His creation. Maybe this video gives new insight into the "good" of God's creation. Creating people from dirt is impressive.


We took an ecological literacy quiz:
What type of soil is local to where you live? What type of agricultural plants grow near you? What type of birds light in your yards? What animals share your land? Name 5 trees that grow in your neighborhood. How many days until the next full moon? How many stars and constellations could you see last night? How many stars and constellations could you not see due to light pollution? Where is your food grown? What is your primary water source? To where does your trash go?

And finally we closed with 5 reasons, according to environmentalist David Orr, to improve our ecolacy (ecological literacy):
1. "We need a broad understanding of how people and societies relate to each other and to natural systems, and how they might do so sustainably." That is, we must understand creation's interdependence.
2. "We need to know something of the speed of crisis that is upon us." This of course, assumes there is a crisis, but even arguments against a current crisis proposition that there is not enough data to make a case one way or the other. Then, we can all agree that we ought to be in the business of collecting data to help steward our environment.
3. "Ecolacy requires a comprehension of the dynamics of the modern world." What historical, political, economic, religious forces have molded the condition of the modern world?
4. "Ecolacy requires broad familiarity with the development of ecological consciousness." This goes to the heart of the ethics of nature – What has value? Do we use and abuse resources or do we steward?
5. "We need alternative measures of well-being." For instance the popular production measuring stick, the GDP, omits the depletion of nonrenewable natural resources and the costs of water and air pollution. We need measurements of production that take these factors into account.

Now here's the danger: We could read that list and say, "this is a secular discussion that ought to be held in our governments and in societal forums." I argue against that. Learning, respecting, and loving God's creation is fundamental to our faith. Creation is always the starting point for anyone coming to a faith in God. In the Garden is where we first know God. Any misreadings we have of the Garden lead to misunderstandings about our Father. He first reveals himself in His creation, and then gives a broader glimpse of himself in Christ. We spend many resources developing our Christology and unfortunately tend to neglect our creation theology. If we love God, then we must love his creation.

Next week, on to the Psalms...

In The Beginning: Creation Appreciation #1

This past Sunday I began teaching a new class at church on ecology theology. I plan to post an update each week in this space about some of the things that came up in our class discussion. The goal of this discussion is to cause us to start thinking about how our lives relate to God's creation. As part of His creation, what are our responsibilities to the earth? As disciples of Jesus does our abuse of the earth's resources have any intersection with our love for our neighbor?

There will be a total of 12 of these posts about our class. To find all the posts, click on the label "in the beginning" at the bottom of a post. I'll likely post other entries about the environment but those won't have the "in the beginning" label. Hope this journey causes you to carefully consider how you live in God's creation.

Here is the class syllabus.

Last Sunday we read Genesis 1:1 - 2:3, and then considered some of the following:
1. Why is creation good?
2. What does it mean to subdue the earth v. 28?
a. Surely God doesn’t create goodness and then hand it over to mankind for its abuse at any whim.
3. Was God tired after 6 days of creation? Rabbinic traditions state that God created rest, serenity, and peace on the 7th day. Where do you incorporate these blessings into your life?

Then, we read the second account of creation in Genesis 2:4-2:25, listening for God's purposes in His actions.
1. What does it mean to work (avodah) the ground and take care of (shamar (guard)) it (v. 15)?
2. Side Bar: v. 18 'helper suitable' for...
3. Why is God doing any of this?

We spent a good deal of time on that last question. Why did God create the world? We offered a few different explanations:
1. God's creation is an outpouring of his love.
2. God is seeking relationship and love from free willed creatures
3. The beauty and artistry of God's creation is a literal outpouring of God's glory that could no longer be contained in his other realm.
4. And then Lisa Cantrell offered a beautiful answer that I had never before considered: Perhaps God didn't want Jesus to be an only child. That really moved me. God's love for his son was so great that he created us out of his love for another part of himself. And then Jesus came to the world to reveal the fact that (as Jesus says, in his prayer in John 17.23) God loves us as much as he loves his son.

As a homework assignment, I asked the class to start paying attention to the news about the environment. Avoid the politics of it. Don’t listen to political debates, policies, or candidate positions about the environment. Listen to stories about our demand for oil, the weather, water shortages, food shortages, etc. Pay attention to our relationship to God’s creation.

Next week, we'll continue with Genesis 3 and think about how our relationship with the earth changed after the fall of man.

Feel free to leave a comment if you like. Why do you think God created the world? What do you think about our stewardship responsibilities? Why do you think God commented that his creation was good?