Mike Edmisten Follower of Jesus. Husband of Nicki. Father of Ryan & Brock. Communicator of the Word.

Radical Environmentalism (Part 3)

After He created Adam and Eve, "God blessed them and said to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it." (Genesis 1:28, NIV, bold mine)

God gave the earth to us as a gift for us to manage. His call for us to subdue the earth is a call for us to creatively use the resources the earth provides for us. God created oil, coal, etc. Based on his statement in Genesis, it would seem that his desire is for us to utilize these gifts that he has given us. This doesn't jive with radical environmentalists who view drilling, mining, etc. as "raping the planet."

Now, while we're pointing out the errors of radical environmentalism, let's not go radical ourselves. God's call for us to "subdue the earth" is not a license to treat his creation flippantly. There is a balance between using the earth's resources and just being stupid. As we creatively use the earth's resources, I do think we should be constantly researching new technologies. That just makes sense. But not using the earth's resources because of our skewed spiritual perspective does not make sense.

So, as we wrap up this series of posts, it really does come down to a spiritual principle. It comes down to your view of creation vs. your view of the Creator. It doesn't bother me that people want to respect the environment. I do, too.

When I was a kid, my dad taught me to respect the environment. We would go on fishing trips and he would teach me that a true sportsman will "leave the lake just as he found it." In other words, common sense conservationism.

I'm not advocating that we all start polluting for the fun of it. Taking common sense environmental steps is good. But when we cross the threshold and begin to view the planet as something close to deity status, we're on dangerous ground.

Not because it will raise the price of gas…but because it will lower our view of God.