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 Georgia L. Beaverson If you're like most students, you do what you can to recycle. You probably take your soda cans and bottles to the line of bins in your residence hall. Maybe you bundle your recyclables into a bag and toss them on the curb when trash day comes. 
And, as much as possible, you throw the seemingly
endless supply of paper from your classes into the cardboard
box under your desk for recycling at a later date.
Occasionally you'll hear of serious environmental issues
when some news anchor reports on an aspect of it. The
ravaging of the rain forest. Activists "spiking" or chaining
themselves to trees. The greenhouse effect. Or the news that
yet another species nears extinction. Somehow it all seems
so huge and distant, unless you're personally involved in a
cause. Or until someone comes by asking for money.
Students seem to fall into two broad camps regarding earth
care: some are content to toss trash into the bins and leave
it at that. Others want to do more, but feel overwhelmed.
After all, what can just one person or one chapter really
do? And should you do anything, anyway? After all, many of
the "green" groups on campus don't share your Judeo-
Christian world view. If fact, some seem downright weird.
Isn't it more important to concentrate on evangelism and
chapter outreach? Isn't caring for people more important
than caring for inanimate objects and animals?
What's a chapter leader to do? |
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 Sidebar: (Bible Study Guide)
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TURNING TO
THE WORD A good first step is to turn to your Bible for some insights. When I first undertook this challenge, reading just a few key passages convinced me that many of my ideas about environmental responsibility needed a complete overhaul. I discovered that my assumptions were based on ignorance of God's attitude. Here are a few misconceptions I held that quickly bit the dust:
Environmental problems are too overwhelming for me to make
any kind of real impact. This assumption will stop all but
the most determined in their tracks. But a quick look at
Genesis 1:26-27
reveals that God gave humans a
responsibility as stewards of his Creation. He didn't say
anything about how difficult that responsibility is, or how
we might feel about it. It's ours by virtue of appointment
to the King. There's no squirming out of it, no matter how
overwhelming it might seem.
Should I even make an attempt to do anything about the
environment? As I did, maybe you feel that each person has
his or her own special calling to a certain ministry. Yours
just isn't ecology. Doesn't that let you off the
environmental hook? Read Revelation 11:18 and you might want
to rethink your position. It talks about God's judgment of
both saints and sinners, and his plan to destroy those who
destroy the earth. We're all caretakers of this planet.
People are more important than the environment. God talks
about "a new heaven and a new earth," but that doesn't make
this one disposable. 
Check out Genesis 1, in which God
declares all of Creation "good." God values his Creation,
and we who have eternal life are still part of it. Go on to
Colossians 1:19-20: "For God was pleased to have all his
fullness dwell in him [Christ], and through him to reconcile
all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by
making peace through his blood shed on the cross."
Creation itself "roots" for us, too. In Romans 8:19, Paul
tells us that Creation waits "with eager longing for the
revealing of the children of God." People are important, but
people are also intimately intertwined with Creation. By
caring for the earth you show how important people are.
Surely God won't let humans destroy the earth. Maybe not,
but we may come close. God is ultimately sovereign, but he
also gives us freedom to act, expecting us to act
responsibly. Think for a moment about the concept of
stewardship -- managing something on behalf of the owner. Psalm
24:1 declares "the earth is the Lord's and the fullness
thereof," and Genesis 1:26-27 reveals us as stewards of that
earth. How is God going to feel about the way we've treated
his property? After all, we're stewards -- trusted
caretakers -- not owners. Recall the parable of the steward in
Luke 12:42-46.
According to Luke 12:46, God won't be happy
with faithless stewards: "[God] will cut [the steward] to
pieces and assign him a place with the unbelievers." |
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"ECO-PHILOSOPHIES"
Okay, maybe you're ready to run with this idea of stewardship. You agree that believers -- in fact, all people -- have a God-assigned responsibility to care for the earth. But how should you and your chapter relate to the green groups around you? Should you get involved with environmental groups on campus? What about refraining from being "unequally yoked" with those who don't share the Christian world view?
Both Stan LeQuire, president of the Evangelical
Environmental Network, and Gordon Aeschliman, president of
the Christian Environmental Association, believe that
Christians are too easily scared off by media stories
depicting environmental groups as fringe zealots. "Certainly
there are such groups out there," explains LeQuire, "but I
sense that they are few and sensationalized by the media."
In his work with secular environmentalists, Aeschliman says
he has found most environmentalists to be both good lay and
professional scientists and compassionate toward the less
privileged of the world. He sees hope in their motivation
for working toward a better environment.
Besides, if we never interacted with those who don't know
Christ, how would they have a chance to even consider the
claims of Jesus?
If Paul had avoided non-believers, he would
never have gone to Mars Hill and told his Greek audience
about the "unknown God" (see Acts 17).
In the same way, we
can show those who care for the earth that there is a
genuine basis for their hope -- a hope that will be realized
only in the biblical God.
However, LeQuire cautions that it's good to know the
philosophical foundations of those you work with. The
following philosophies motivate some environmental
activists:
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WALKING THE TALK
Being informed of others' philosophical leanings is different from blindly attacking them as people. "If all we do is criticize New Agers and their philosophies, we will accomplish little," LeQuire believes. "We cannot be all talk. We must challenge ourselves to get on board and demonstrate what it means to really care for Creation and thereby honor the Creator."
Both LeQuire and Aeschliman urge Christians, especially
college students, to go beyond mere words to "walk their
talk." They want to see Christians involved with the green
movement. So how can the average InterVarsity student make a
practical, daily commitment to stewardship of Creation? Here
are some practical things you as a chapter leader can
suggest to help your chapter members get started:
There are hundreds of other ways to protect the environment
and make your lifestyle earth-friendly. This listing is just
a start. Green living is limited only by your imagination
and the level of your desire to change your habits.
Stan LeQuire sees God's mandate for earth stewardship as a
positive imperative. "We have turned Creation into a
commodity instead of a blessing from the Lord," he says. "We
know a loving Creator who is also a Redeemer.
 He will wipe
sin and its curse from our planet. Therefore, a biblical
environmentalism is a hopeful, joyous engagement of a new
frontier of discipleship."
Getting involved with earth care also provides a way to
build bridges between the Creator and those who desire to
restore and care for his Creation. As you put some of the
above challenges into practice, pray that God will open the
door for you and your chapter members to tell others about
this Creator and the redemption he's provided for
humanity -- and Creation -- in Jesus.
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. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Georgia Beaverson is a freelance writer living in Monona, Wisconsin. for educational purposes provided this permission notice, and the copyright notice below are preserved on all copies. Not to be reprinted in any other publication without permission. © 1997 InterVarsity Christian Fellowship of the USA. All rights reserved. We'd love to hear from you. Questions about the website? Contact  Member of the International Fellowship of Evangelical Students
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God may provide opportunities for you to share your own motivation
for what you're doing! You may also want to consider
membership in a Christian environmental group.
