Protecting the Lord’s Canvas

INTERVIEW

Calvin DeWitt is professor of ecology and environmental studies at the University of Wisconsin in Madison, and a leading figure in the fledgling Christian ecological movement.

Why do you consider it urgent for Christians to address environmental problems?

If people at an art gallery saw Rembrandt’s paintings being destroyed they would try to prevent the destruction. Similarly, the Earth is the canvas of our Lord and Creator, and his masterpieces are being destroyed.

We’re losing to extinction more than one species of plants or animals every day. Judging by how Christians treat creation, I would have to conclude that many no longer believe in God as Creator.

What change are you calling for?

Churches need to become creation-awareness centers, where the Creator God is honored. A church could reflect this by reclaiming the immediate environment of their building, perhaps purchasing adjacent land as a preserve to show it respects God’s creation.

Individuals can also reflect their awareness of creation in their stewardship. When we say the Lord’s Prayer, we ask for daily bread. But our visible prayer is, “Give us this day enough for ten years”; we’ll consume it today, and tomorrow we’ll ask for another chunk. When we go beyond what we need, not only do we often add misery to our own lives, but we also add misery to the lives of God’s creatures.

Aren’t there more important concerns for Christians to devote their time and energy to such as abortion and pornography?

All these are part of the same problem: the abuse of God’s creatures, the abuse of life. To view the recent flooding in Bangladesh simply as a natural disaster, for example, is to take too narrow a view. The flooding was largely due to the removal of trees, thus limiting the earth’s capacity to hold water that will be needed to avert drought during the dry season.

Likewise, world hunger and environmental degradation go hand in hand. Our impulse is to feed hungry people, and it’s a good impulse. But food doesn’t come from bags or cans; it comes from the land. If the land is treasured, kept in the sense of Genesis 2:15, it will continue to pour forth its bounty.

Aren’t you bothered that the ecology movement is so closely identified with the agenda of non-Christian religions?

The Ku Klux Klan uses the cross; we haven’t removed crosses from our churches. Some in the New Age movement use the sign of the rainbow. That doesn’t mean we no longer respect the rainbow as a symbol of God’s covenant. As we try to call people to faith in God, we might be called fundamentalists. Likewise, as we reach out to heal the Earth, we might be called New Agers. People who strive to be obedient will be called every name in the book, including Christian.

I find it sobering that some of our greatest prophets are scientists, many of whom do not profess the Lord, but they are nevertheless compelled to bring him honor. They are calling attention to the degradation of the Earth, pronouncing the sinfulness of man without using the word sin. And many Christians are rebelling against being called sinners.

In emphasizing nonhuman creation, isn’t there a danger of losing sight of humanity’s unique standing?

There is not even a hint of that danger among those who testify to God as Creator. It’s like thinking that putting up a bird feeder means we’ll wind up worshiping robins. As people continue to try to harmonize with nature without professing God, we’ll see an increase in satanic approaches to revering the Earth. The solution to this problem is not further isolation from God’s creation, but a powerful witness to the one true God. If we stand back and no longer profess God as Creator, we will see a resurgence of paganism from those in the environmental movement we’ve abandoned.

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