"Going green" is the new catch phrase.  Individuals, companies, cities, politicians and leaders are encouraged and expected to have policies of environmental concern and protection.  While disagreements rage between scientific schools of thought on exactly what role mankind has played in the decline of our environment, there is no question that it is declining.  Most likely the causes are a combination of human activity and natural earth cycles.  The pressing question of the day is not so much what did we do to bring it about, but what can we do to slow the process.

Do Christians have an obligation to the environment?  Absolutely.  Our responsibility is to the earth as a creation of God and also to the ramifications on people and societies.

And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so.  And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind: and God saw that it was good.  And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.  So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.  And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.  And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat.  And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat: and it was so.  And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day. (Gen. 1:24-31).

If you have ever shopped for a new Bible, you know what a daunting task it can be.  Unless your church or a friend has recommended a specific one, the first question you are faced with is, "Which Bible version should I use?"  It seems impossible that there could be so many different choices of the same Holy Book.

So why are there so many different versions?  The answer is in the translation.  The King James Version, New King James Version, New International Version, American Standard Version, the Living Bible...the list goes on and on and each was translated by different people.  While many modern churches teach from the New International Version, there are strong adherants to the King James Version as the only accurate translation.

Unless you are fluent in the classical languages and have access to the original documents, it is impossible for the average layman to truly know which version is most accurate.  We have to place our trust in the experts, their abilities and their attention to accuracy.  Within each translation, you also have the choice of the style of the Bible: a study Bible, expanded Bible with commentary, women's Bible, men's Bible, military Bible, etc.  Each of the different styles uses a standard translation but with added footnotes, pictures, daily study texts, and other lessons to help you better understand the Holy text.