Thoughts on Earth Day

Today is Earth Day.  Now I am not sure exactly what that means.  It certainly is not a celebration of the earth's birthday because we don't know when that occurred.  Is it a celebration of something that the earth has done?  Well, the earth has been doing what the earth has been doing for a very long time - that length of time dependent upon how one understands Genesis 1 and 2. 


Earth Day is a relatively new celebration having first been celebrated in 1970, thus making the event 45 years old.  Its purpose was to call people's attention around the world concerning the needs of environmentalism.  The Bible calls us to be good stewards of the earth that God has created for us to enjoy.  We read of God's first commandment to mankind following their creation: "So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.  God blessed them and said to them, 'Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it.  Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground'" (Genesis 1:27-28).  Man, the last in God's creative order, was given the task of superintending the earth.  Man was to be a good steward of the world God had entrusted to his care. 


As a Christian, I have a responsibility to use the resources of this earth wisely.  I need to exercise care in how I use the water resources around me.  Should I pollute a nearby lake by throwing my trash along its shores?  Absolutely not!  Should I exercise care in how I use herbicides and pesticides on my lawn so that they will not damage the water table?  Yes, absolutely...I have used those sparingly, but I have used them.  A Christian forester exercises care in his logging operations, carefully replanting replacement trees for everyone he has harvested.  A Christian fisherman exercises care in his fishing operations, guarding carefully those spawning beds so future generations can enjoy fishing as much as he does.  A Christian farmer exercises care in his tilling of the soil making sure that both wind and water erosion is minimal on his lands.  Those practices model what God's first command to mankind really meant.  Yes, a Christian is to be an environmentalist.


But here is where the problem comes.  Many of today's environmentalists have elevated the status of this earth to that of being like God.  We hear of those who worship Mother Earth, as it is called.  At times there is almost a silliness to some of the decisions that are reached: a beneficial dam that would bring necessary irrigation to parched farm ground cannot be built because such a dam would endanger the life of a little snail.  And the list of such silliness grows each year.  Friends, this planet earth is not a god to be served, but is a creation by our God to be used and enjoyed with careful stewardship.  Perhaps, instead of celebrating Earth Day, as Christians we ought to celebrate Creation Day.  That way we keep the priorities right.