Christianity and the Survival of Creation
I. Problem. The culpability of Christianity in the destruction of the natural world the the uselessness of Christianity in any effort to correct that destruction are established cliches of the conservation movement. The indictment is, in some ways, just. The second part is due to an inadequate understanding of the Bible.
“…first rule of criticism of books: you have to read them before you criticize them.” There has to be a precise distinction between biblical instruction and the behavior of those who have been instructed.
II. If we carefully read the Bible, we will discover
- Humans do not own the world or any part of it
- God found the world, as he made it, to be good.
- Creation is not in any sense independent of the Creator.
- Destruction of nature is the "most horrid blasphemy.”
III. The idea that the church building is the exclusive place of holiness is not consistent with the idea that we can pray anywhere. We fall into a trap when we believe that nothing is true that has already not been written.
IV.
V. If we believe that we are living souls, God’s dust and God’s breath, than all of our acts have a supreme significance. Any bad art in any trade dishonors and damages Creation.
VI. … modern Christianity has become the religion of the state and the economic status quo.