"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).

As Christians, we must also look to the impact our environment has on people and societies around the world.  We are to love one another as Christ loves us.  

Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: For I was an hungered, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me...  And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me. (Matt. 25:34-36, 40).

Feeding the hungry worldwide will become harder and harder as our environment degrades.  One of the top health concerns worldwide continues to be the simple access to clean drinking water.  One has to look at the deserts of Saudi Arabia and the middle east to see a reminder of how lush forests can turn to desolate sand.  And how many of God's creatures have disappeared from the earth already due to deforestation and loss of habitat?

There are religious organizations who are making a difference in environmental care.  The following links will guide you to just a few of these groups that offer information and resources for Christians and churches.  Get your family and your church involved if they are not already.  God intended for all of His creation to live in harmony.  A discordant environment has implications that we have only begun to understand, and the race to save our Lord's earth is a desparate one.

Evangelical Environmental Network  -- Sign up for the quarterly Creation Care magazine.

The National Religious Partnership for the Environment  --  Provides information, resources and research for religious groups.

Au Sable Institute -- "Provides college and university level programs in environmental studies, field biology, stewardship ecology, and ecological sustainability for students worldwide."

Christian Environmental Resources - Order books and other resources on Christian environmentalism from Amazon.com. 

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