Among many environmentalists religious beliefs are often viewed as irrelevant for addressing environmental issues. This is especially the case with Christianity, which is criticized as being the leading culprit in creating the global environmental crisis. The two main excuses given by the Christian community for a lack of environmental stewardship are:
1) God is going to destroy the earth, so it would be a waste of time and effort to care for the environment.
2) Environmental stewardship is a “secondary” issue. Our “primary” task is to evangelize a lost world.
Whether or not the above opinions are formed from an improper view of an eschatological position is beside the point. More importantly is how eschatology shapes one’s care of the environment. Though one’s eschatological convictions might be considered a third order matter of doctrine, such convictions do affect one’s opinion of biblical hermeneutics and environmental stewardship. Theologically speaking, a concern for ecology is rooted in the recognition of God as creator who calls humans to care for the earth and its resources in responsible and just ways. Christian eschatology has a responsibility to be an ecological eschatology.
The real issue ecologically is not what “will happen” (or better put theologically, the shape of the “not yet” for creation that corresponds to the “already” of Jesus Christ), but the human relationship to creation in the present. We can think about creation as a usable resource even while we hope for its eventual replenishing. Our willingness to undermine the integrity of all the planet’s ecosystems and consume the ground out from underneath our own feet betrays a flippant conception of the world in the present.
Evangelical Christianity is concerned first and foremost with salvation and how that salvation is relevant for the rest of humankind. But for most, the concern stops there without any regard for the restoration of the planet. Soteriology and eschatology is about a grand, massive reconciliation of all things to the creator. Jesus spoke of the “renewal of all things” (Mt 19:28); Paul wrote about the “reconciliation of all things” (Col 1:20); and Peter talked about the “restoration of all things” (Acts 3:21).
One of the things that Rob Bell touches on in "Velvet Elvis" is eschatology. He does a great job of explaining the new heavens/new earth concept, countering the popular misconception that the afterlife involves being sucked off to a disembodied heaven. Bell claims, “one of the most tragic things to ever happen to the gospel was the emergence of the message that Jesus takes us somewhere else if we believe in him. The Bible ends with God coming here. God, in the midst of people who can imagine nothing better, celebrating the life that we all share” (p. 171).
Rob Bell believes that heaven will be on earth, that all created things will be reconciled to God. The heaven-coming-to-earth view of the Bible affirms our bodies, our sexuality, and our material selves. This is a clear rejection of latent Platonism, which has gradually made its way into much of the Christian faith. Plato taught that our bodies are prisons for the soul; souls yearn to be free of material and escape into the realm of spirit. According to Platonism the afterlife is bodiless, immaterial, and not subject to the pains and difficulties of physicality. Traditional Christianity holds to Plato’s view of eschatology, that is, that eternity is about another life. Christians are longing to escape this life in order to receive a better life. This theological position has led to a real disconnect between people and the planet. It is from this position of disregard that the earth now needs saving. The Church has contributed to that disconnection by communicating messages about being left behind and that this place is going to be destroyed through some apocalyptic event. These messages go against the teachings of Scripture, which state that we are connected to God, the earth, and each other. Salvation is not about escaping the realities of this life to be with God, it’s about the restoration of all created things so that God can take up residence here.
In "Surprised by Hope," Wright argues emphatically that the word parousia, used by Paul to describe the ‘coming’ or ‘appearance’ of Christ, would have suggested to the minds of Paul’s readers the custom of escorting a visiting ruler back into the city. When the emperor came to visit a colony or province, the people would go out to meet him at some distance from the city. It would be disrespectful to have him arrive at the gates as though they couldn’t be bothered to meet him properly. When they met him, they wouldn’t then stay out in the open country, instead they would escort him royally into the city itself. When Paul speaks of “meeting” the Lord “in the air”, the point is precisely not, as in the popular rapture theology that the saved believers would then stay up in the air somewhere, away from earth. The point is that, having gone out to meet their returning Lord, they will escort him royally into his domain, that is, back to the place they have come from.
If Wright’s eschatology were correct it would mean that Christians have an obligation and a role to play in the building of God’s kingdom here on earth. God intends for us to have a certain level of care taking for the earth. This is a responsibility that we, as a community of believers, seldom consider. When we do participate in environmental stewardship it is not regarded as our God given duty, but rather as a societal responsibility. Few Christians would dare argue that it is acceptable to intentionally destroy the earth, yet there is a disjunction between thought and action, and our thoughts do not reach far enough. Responding correctly to global concerns requires a different kind of thinking about the Christian calling. As believers, we acknowledge that we’re supposed to spread the Gospel, serve others and live lives of faith, hope and love. But, we tend to stop short of applying these God-given guidelines to our thinking about consuming more than we need of a product, disposing of our unwanted waste or doing other things that ultimately harm our fellow inhabitants of planet earth. Each time believers face a choice to be environmentally conscious, no matter how large or small, it is an opportunity for obedience, an opportunity for us to act as we should toward God’s creation. Caring for the earth is important, because the earth is God’s handiwork, it reflects who He is, and it matters to Him.
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