Christianity and the Environment

Kim and I love God’s creation.  If we were to admit that we have an addiction, it would be that we’re addicted to seeing all that God has created.  We have a huge “bucket list” of places to see before we die.  And for two people who are middle-aged, we’ve done a pretty good job at working through our list, although we have ways to go.

Yet we as Christians often don’t take a serious responsibility to be proper stewards of our environment.  I think it’s because so much of science is immersed in evolution and a biblical worldview doesn’t allow for evolution, so we abandon all empirical evidence of environmental impact across our world.  The sad truth is that environmental causes have become, by default, the cause of the secular humanist.

Regardless of your stance on the “science” of it all, I don’t have to dig very deep to demonstrate the impact mankind has on its environment.  When I was growing up on Catalina Island, my dad was a lobster fisherman around Catalina and some of the neighboring islands.  Later on, as we became adults, Kim and I became partners with another lobster boat, but by that time the fisheries around Catalina were so fished out that it was impossible to make a living there.  This is true about fisheries up and down California.  In only some of the most distant Channel Islands are the fisheries still thriving.  Abalone fisheries have gone the same way.

On the other hand, growing up in Southern California, I remember smog alert days where the smog was so bad we couldn’t go outside.  My football practices were canceled because you couldn’t see the goalposts on the other end of the field because of the smog.  Those days are not experienced by children today, at least not in America.  However, we’ve traveled to many developing countries where the smog and pollution are just awful.  Everyone drives old cars and there are zero emissions controls.  (That being said, if one more person tells me it’s the U.S. that is causing global warming, I’d like to kick them in the shin because they clearly haven’t been to these other places.)

Whether you agree with the science of global warming or not, the empirical evidence of man’s stewardship of God’s creation is obvious.  I encourage you to check into Eden Projects (www.edenprojects.org).  This is a Christian group, one of many, that is working hard at environmental issues around the world.  They take a holistic approach, recognizing the connectiveness of native peoples and the environment, in order to a long-term effect of the health of the human condition.  This is the kind of work that Christians worldwide should be involved in.

The bottom line is this: we all have an impact – good or bad – on our environment.  Christians, God’s appointed stewards of His creation, need to not turn this over to secular humanists.  We should be on the leading edge of environmental stewardship policies.  It affects us all.

About Michael Stickler

Michael Stickler is a highly gifted author, philanthropist, horseman and internationally sought-after conference speaker. His all-time bestselling book, A Journey to Generosity, is widely acclaimed throughout the Christian community. He is the Principal of Leadership Books and writes for many international publications.

His 2017 best seller, Cliven Bundy American Patriot, reveals the truth of what is known as the “Bunkerville Stand Off.”

And, now his 2019 book Life Without Reservation, is charging up the best sellers list! For the first time in his long career he is working on his first fiction book Ghost Patriot to be release in 2021.

You may also contact Mike at Leadership Speakers Bureau to schedule him for speaking or leadership engagements.