Celebrate Earth Day by Remembering Earth’s Creator

It’s officially Earth Day in my time zone now, and before going to sleep, I thought I’d post some assorted thoughts related to Earth Day or environmentalism in general.

I don’t buy into global warming or that mankind is somehow adversely affecting global weather patterns.

I think recycling is a good idea. Actually, anything which results in more judicious use of resources is good. The fact of the matter is, the earth is finite, and so its resources are necessarily finite as well.

I believe that God cares how we treat the earth, for mankind was commissioned to tend to the Garden. It’d be easy enough to dismiss that as a command relating to Eden alone if it wasn’t for the continued emphasis on judicious use of land and resources throughout the Mosaic Law. Even the treatment of domesticated animals was required to be humane.

I know that regardless of your environmental views, certain practices have tangible benefits now, such as recycling aluminum. Even if you don’t drink pop yourself, you could turn a profit by recycling the cans of family, coworkers, or others who don’t recycle. You’d be stupid not to (like me, until recently!).

But more than all of that, I know that the earth is not ultimate reality, and as large and wondrous as it is — Discovery Channel and others will never tire of reminding you of such — it is itself garbage in comparison to its Creator.

Ultimately, if we Christians are going to celebrate Earth Day, I think we should do so with a focus not on how desperately this planet needs us to hug a tree — I promise you, the world will continue more or less unhindered until Yahweh Himself engulfs it in fire — but rather in how incomprehensibly awesome Earth’s Creator is.

It is He who must be our focus, our source of hope… the object of our praise and affection.

Perhaps this Earth Day, in addition to whatever you normally do, you could celebrate by reading Genesis 1–2 and Romans 1 and by giving the Creator His due.

Remember: You may live on the earth, but it is through the Creator that you, the earth, and everything else has their existence. Without Him and His ongoing influence on Creation, there would be simply void.

2 thoughts on “Celebrate Earth Day by Remembering Earth’s Creator”

  1. Thank you for this post! Today I just read Psalm 65, and it reminded me of what you wrote here.

    “You care for the land and water it;
    you enrich it abundantly.
    The streams of God are filled with water
    to provide the people with grain,
    for so you have ordained it.”

    (Psalm 65:9 NIV)

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