Going Green?

We’ve been doing a series at vertigo (vertigomovement.net) entitled “I’ve got a friend who…” one of which was “Ive got a friend who believes in global warming and ive also got a friend who thinks it’s a hoax”. I had no idea of the vast array of responses, many of which were quite passionate, that I would receive at the mere mentioning of the topic. On one end there was the “yea, its about time the church spoke up on global warming! You tell em Bobby” and on the other end there was the “youre speaking on global warming? But, I thought you were a Republican?” It was interesting to just sit back and hear all the various opinions.

Based on current trends and with what little objective and non-politicized information I was able to obtain, it does indeed appear that, currently both of the pole caps and most (not all) glaciers are presently in a retreat mode. The debate rages on the culprit. Is it a natural (including more sun spots and solar flares) and cyclical phenomenon; the result of the industrial revolution, or a combination?

Here’s what I do know. Regardless of the environment’s status, believe it or not the Bible does provide some insights


1. Worship the Creator and not the creation. Gen 1:1 reveals that God is the creator and that the earth and the animal kingdom are His creation.

2. We are to live responsibly with the earth

God spoke: "Let us make human beings in our image, make them reflecting our nature So they can be responsible for the fish in the sea, the birds in the air, the cattle, And, yes, Earth itself, and every animal that moves on the face of Earth.” Gen 1:26 Message

3. The earth was created for our enjoyment. See Gen 1: 29, 30. I used to know this one guy who had a mint condition 1970 ford mustang mach 1. He only drove it once a year and for the most part kept under a cover. He eventually sold it and the guy who bought enjoyed it by taking care of it and by also driving it. While we’re to live responsibly with the earth, it was also created as something for us to enjoy and utilize.

3. The land belongs to God

"The land cannot be sold permanently because the land is mine and you are foreigners—you're my tenants.” Leviticus 25:23 The Message

Q: who does the land belong to?
A: God.

Q: Imagine if somehow Jesus allowed you to borrow his car. And just for the sake of discussion lets say it’s a vintage mint condition 1983 El Camino. He gives you the keys and says use it, but take good care of it. I’m pretty sure we’d do just that-take good care of it because, well because it’s Jesus car. Or imagine that it was a painting in which Jesus had personally painted and presented to you? The painting is not to be worshipped but because it was created by Jesus I think you would probably be a little extra appreciative and mindful of its care.

4. Jesus is the ruler of creation. "These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God's creation." Rev. 3:14

I think this, albeit in a very sophomoric way, illustrates how we’re to live and treat the earth. Its His. Its for us. Treat it responsibly.

What can we do? There's some good news; whether youre a hippie or venture capitalist you'll be happy bc the following 2 things will both be good for the environment and save a few $.

-reduce your usage of phantom power. phantom power = appliances, etc that are on but not in use. one simple thing we can do is unplug our cell phone chargers when we're not using them.

-if you drink coffee or water each day at your work place use a mug or thermos rather than a paper/plastic cup each day.

-pray.