Two Themes
Missions and Creation-Care:
Two Themes that Belong Together
By Ed Brown – Director, Care of Creation, Inc.
Thirty-five years ago, as a shy, awkward missionary kid, I was drafted by my Earth Science teacher into taking part in my high school assembly to mark something being called ‘Earth Day ’ 1. In the paper mill town of Fitchburg, Massachusetts, we knew nothing about ‘environmentalism’, as it would be called, and I honestly can’t remember a word of the speech I gave or any of the others we heard that day. We didn’t know that Earth Day would be historic – we had no conception that we were part of 20 million people around the country beginning a grassroots movement that would result in enormous changes in policy and practice throughout the country. But we knew it mattered to us. You see, we had a river that was an embarrassment: It could have been beautiful – but in fact, it functioned as a sewer outlet for the nearby paper mills, running in different colors on different days, depending on what color paper was being produced in the mill on the upstream side of town.
Thus began my career as an advocate for caring for God’s creation. And that’s where it almost ended. I went to college. To seminary. Into a number of different ministries – many oriented toward missions. With regard to environmental issues, I was a moderately good citizen, but in terms of my life’s work I had a “higher calling”, I thought. I recycled when they told me to. I tried to turn the lights off to conserve energy, but that was about it. I had more important things to be involved in – ministries that seemed to be more “spiritual” and seemingly more important: preaching and teaching and witnessing. “Missions” didn’t leave time for more than a passing thought about the environment.
Over the last few years God has changed my focus considerably. Called to serve an organization that promotes Christian environmental stewardship, I thought – at first – that I was being asked to abandon the great call to missions that had directed my entire career to that point. But I learned, and now believe fully, that I wasn’t leaving my call to missions at all. Instead, I was adding a new and important dimension to my understanding of what missions really is. God was bringing two great themes together in my mind and in my heart.
Missions is an expression of love for people – acting on the truth of John 3:16 (“for God so loved the world…”) and acting in obedience to Jesus’ last command (“Go and make disciples of all nations…” Matthew 28:19). Creation-care, or environmental stewardship is an expression of love for God’s creation – acting on the truth of Romans 8:19 (“the Creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed”) and acting in obedience to God’s first command to us (“God put him (Adam) in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.” Genesis 2:15)
Too long we have artificially separated these two, thinking that one excluded the other, or was more important than the other. This is a false dichotomy. These two themes belong together and support each other. As we share God’s love by telling people about Jesus, we can help them to understand that love by showing them the wonders of the world God made. One of the things Creation does is reveal the Creator (“…since the creation of the world, God’s invisible qualities…have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made…” Romans 1:20), and we are foolish indeed to ignore such a powerful evangelistic tool.
On the other hand, when we express our love for God by healing and restoring his damaged Creation, we are ministering love to people who living in misery and poverty because their corner of the world has been so badly abused. Helping people live in a way that will preserve their farmland or allow them to drink pure water is as much an expression of love as treating a sick child or helping rebuild a house destroyed by a hurricane.
This is a timely issue. Environmental abuse, driven by and combined with population growth and political corruption, is reaching critical levels in many parts of the world. It is more important than ever that the evangelical, missions-minded church restore love for God’s creation as an essential part of our belief and practice.
The Nobel Prize Committee recognized the role of these problems when it awarded it’s highest honor, the Nobel Peace Prize, to Wangari Maathai, an African environmentalist. “Peace on earth depends on our ability to secure our living environment… she represents an example and a source of inspiration for everyone in Africa fighting for sustainable development, democracy and peace.” 2 What is true of the struggle for world peace is equally true of our task of bringing the truth of the Gospel to the ends of the earth. The Gospel cannot advance where people can no longer farm, drink clean water or breathe fresh air. We who would be missionaries must learn how to address the issues that affect people in these ways if we expect them to hear our message of God’s love.
There is another side to this: At its root, environmental problems, like all others, are sin problems. We abuse creation because of our sin, and the only complete solution will be found in the life-changing, sin-conquering power of knowing Jesus Christ and in living out that knowledge through the new life he brings.
Thus, to bring the gospel effectively, we have to address creation-care issues. And to address creation-care issues completely, we have to address the problem of sin. Two sides of the same coin. Two dimensions of the same problem. Two themes that belong together.
Back in 1970, none of us knew what that first Earth Day might accomplish. But we knew we had to begin. Today, if you were to return to Fitchburg, Massachusetts, and walk down to the Nashua River as it flows through the center of town, you would wonder what the fuss was about. The river is clear and clean and the fish are back. It is a wonderful miracle and an example of what can happen when people care. The same thing can happen in villages in Kenya, on the shorelines of India and in the slums of Haiti. Will it happen because of the efforts of mission-minded Christians – or in spite of us? Let’s get out there and lead the way!
- This year’s 35th Anniversary of Earth Day is April 22. Check out http://www.earthday.net/ for events in your area.
- Press Release, Norwegian Nobel Committee, http://nobelprize.org/peace/laureates/2004/press.html (November, 2004).
Ed Brown is the Director of Care of Creation Inc., a brand-new missions organization dedicated to bringing the two themes of Missions and Creation-Care together. Contact him for more information.