The Green Bible

For those concerned with creation care, the Green Bible couldn’t be a more fantastic idea.

Christianity has often been berated for failing to live up to the ideas of stewardship and responsibility for creation that the Bible encourages, but the Bible has now gone green – and it calls us to our responsibilities.

What is the Green Bible?

The Green Bible is an English version of the Bible, with a concern for the environmental teaching in the Old and New Testaments. Similar to the Red Letter Bible, the Green Bible highlights verses in green, which focus on the environment.

In print since 2008, The Green Bible is a comprehensive study Bible that features essays by prominent theologians and environmentalists such as N.T. Wright, Wendell Berry and Pope John Paul II. The Green Bible has also been officially endorsed by many environmental groups including the Sierra Club, The Humane Society and the Eco-Justice Program.

The Green Bible aims to encourage readers to see God’s vision for his creative work, and to help engage humanity in matters of environmentalism.

How Did it Come About?

The inspiration for the Green Bible originally came from the desire to produce a specialty Bible that centres on issues of sustainability, stewardship and creation care.

Mark Tauber, Senior Vice President of HarperOne states:

“…the Bible has a profound message of sustainability—some might argue, the original message—is not all that surprising. What is surprising is that it is not one of the first things that comes to mind when most folks think about the Bible and its message… this Bible seeks to change that fact. We believe that the unique and specially added features by some of today’s most important thinkers, writers and leaders, across the ecumenical spectrum make it a must-have for those who already find motivation, comfort and inspiration in it and for the many more who might see it freshly as a critical resource in their journey to sustain our planet.”

What’s so Special About it?

Because the Green Bible is designed to be a study Bible, it features a ‘green trail study guide’ which directs readers to verses which are germane to issues of environmentalism and creation care, as well as a topical index to help readers find verses pertaining to specific subjects.

As well as being focused on ‘green’ issues, the Green Bible is printed on recycled paper using soy-based ink. The cover is also designed from renewable cotton linen.

‘Green’ can be traced throughout the entire Bible – from creation to new creation. We see green in the Garden of Eden, in Noah’s olive branch, in the parting of the Red Sea, in Gethsemane, on the wooden cross and in the new heaven and new earth. The Green Bible reminds us that as Christians, and as people, we are called to care for the earth because God cares for the earth, and because God cares deeply, for all things green.

To purchase a copy of the Green Bible, go here

If you would like to celebrate God’s creation, then sign our petition to establish Creation Day as an official holiday

What Does the Bible Say About Global Warming?

Global warming and climate change are concepts that you will not see in the Bible. However, does this mean that as Christians we should just accept what’s happening around us as part of God’s grand design? While the Bible does not mention these terms, it is explicitly clear about our role in taking care of the earth.

Causes of Global Warming

One of the identified causes of global warming is the significant increase in greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide. Apart from the lesser amount of carbon dioxide that humans release during the breathing process, the majority of these greenhouse gases come from cars, production factories, fertilizers, and other things that humans use regularly.

Natural occurrences such as volcanic eruptions or the sun’s radiation cycles could also contribute to global warming. However, there are no definitive studies yet that will conclude how much of the earth’s increase in temperature can be attributed to natural or artificial causes.

How Should Christians Respond to Global Warming

The issue does not lie on whether we are causing global warming or not. The more important question to ask is what are we going to do about it?

Revelation says:

“The fourth angel poured out his bowl on the sun, and the sun was allowed to scorch people with fire.” (16:8)

Should we accept global warming as an apocalyptic event? Or has God given us instructions on how we must deal with global warming and climate change?

God’s Specific Instructions

As stated in Genesis,

“God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.” (1:28)

Even in the Bible’s first book, God has made it clear that we should have dominion over the earth and be good stewards.

All throughout the Bible, God has also given specific instructions on how we can make this happen. For instance, he gives the following instructions in Leviticus:

“For six years sow your fields, and for six years prune your vineyards and gather their crops. But in the seventh year the land is to have a year ofSabbath rest, a Sabbath to the Lord. Do not sow your fields or prune your vineyards.” (25:3-4)

He also told us to rely on His goodness and His sovereign will and to be totally dependent on Him by praying to Him, about the earth. In 2 Chronicles, He says:

“If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” (7:14)

Only God knows what will happen in the future. However, He has given us clear instructions on how we can be good stewards over all of His creation. Aside from His word, He has also given us advanced scientific and technical knowledge that we can use to alleviate global warming and heal the earth for the sake of future generations, who will inherit God’s blessings.

By signing the petition to make Creation Day an official holiday, we can spread awareness among fellow Christians about God’s mandate and our inherent role in taking care of the earth.

We Came in Like a Wrecking Ball

We Came in Like a Wrecking Ball

The Problem

Christians need to face up to a problem that we have not always taken adequate responsibility for.

We, as humans, and as Christians, have failed to take proper care of the earth, and at times have even been directly involved in its destruction. Christianity has not only participated in this destruction, but has failed to take any action to correct it. Economist and Creationist Wendell Berry argues that, not only are Christians being counted in those who add to the destruction of creation, but have often been amongst the worst of its perpetrators;

“Christian organizations, to this day, remain largely indifferent to the rape and plunder of the world and of its traditional cultures. …most Christian organizations are as happily indifferent as most industrial organizations to the ecological, cultural, and religious implications of industrial economics. The certified Christian seems just as likely as anyone else to join the military-industrial conspiracy to murder Creation.”

A Sinking Ship

Fundamentalist eschatological theories have indirectly cultivated a culture in which Christians have lost all sense of responsibility for the created order. Movies, blogs and books including best-selling novel series “Left Behind” have come to foster a philosophy that perceives the earth to be a temporary dwelling which will succumb to ruin before Christ’s second coming. The line of thinking is this;

If the earth, in the future (possibly near future) is going to become a desolate wasteland which will only be redeemed upon Christ’s return, then why should we, as Christians, make any efforts to care for it now? This philosophy leads to a focus on evangelization and the ‘saving of souls’, over care for the environment. DL Moody himself felt this way, and said; “I look upon this world as a sinking ship…”

According to this view, the earth is a kind of Titanic, beyond redemption and doomed to founder. Moody’s statement implies that the only recoverable component of the wreckage is people. While we must keep mission in focus at all times, saving souls created by God, we must not do so at the expense of the rest of God’s creation. The Bible describes the future earth as gloriously redeemed and rebuilt, but this does not give us permission to use and abuse it in the present age. The blessed hope that we look to of a future re-creation does not provide license for humanity to abandon the care for this creation. The opposite is the case – we must utilise the inherent goodness of the material world in order to please God and care for his creation in our own time and place.

It is with this philosophy, that Luther famously remarked;

“If I knew Jesus would return tomorrow, I would plant a tree today.”

A Witness to all Nations

The relationship between Christianity and creation is becoming increasingly urgent. Humans are perceived to be the most intelligent life form that roams the earth, and yet we are responsible for almost all of the damage that the planet has suffered. As Christians, we are even further enlightened through the Light of Christ, and yet we are passive when it comes to issues concerning the created order.

Over the last few decades, there have been many movements which have taken up the environmental flag and advocated for responsible earth care in order to preserve God’s creation. Christians, however, have often distanced themselves from these movements, or just failed to act with conviction when it comes to environmental issues. This stands in opposition from scripture, which sees creation as deeply bonded and relational with God, as well as revealing God’s glory and omnipotence. Christians should be leading these campaigns which address environmental concern.

We are no longer in a position to sit back and pray for a miracle. Stories of pollution, climate change and animal extinction are endemic in our media, yet we are no more compelled to make changes than we were four or five decades ago. As Christians we must respond with conviction, to represent and take responsibility for the environment that we recognise as God’s. The entire cosmos matters deeply to God, and thus it should matter deeply to us. If we abuse the environment, neglect it, or fail to advocate or it, then we are allowing the earth that our God cares about, to perish.

Biblically speaking, to not take action is a failure on our part, to understand our role in the created order, and in the Gospel.

Why should we care?

The Bible gives many reasons why we should be concerned for our world:

God himself is pleased with his creation
God is in relationship with his creation
God expects humans to exercise responsible stewardship over nature
God commanded us to care for the environment
The entire created order will be renewed and re-created

The significance of the earth in our estimation ultimately depends on our understanding of the story in which we are taking part. We must spread the Gospel to the four corners of the earth – as we have been commissioned – but to preach the Good News whilst failing to model it by caring for God’s creation, is a failure to understand our place within God’s redemptive plan.

The biblical story outlines a framework in which we are all participants. After five days of creating planet earth, the sixth day is used to create human life. The first man is then formed from the dust of the earth, and filled with God’s breath. Humans were created to be in relationship with the earth in the same way that God is – we are bound to the earth and rely on it to care for us, as we in turn should care for it.

So What Can We Do Today?

To become a part of the solution TODAY, the first thing you should do is subscribe, and sign the petition to officially inaugurate Creation Day. Help establish Creation Day as a national holiday in which all of humanity will recognise the need for responsible, caring stewardship over God’s creative handiwork.

http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/creation-day