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Earth-Wise: A Biblical Response to Environmental Issues
Christians play a crucial role in maintaining the environment as stewards of God's creation. Calvin B. DeWitt, a nationally recognized authority on environmental issues, describes in detail the wonders of God's creation, how fallen humanity and modern society have abused it, and how Christians can respond. Discussion questions are included for use in group settings.
- GenresNature
86 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1994
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June 16, 2024
AN EXCELLENT EVANGELICAL SURVEY OF ENVIRONMENTAL QUESTIONS
Calvin B. DeWitt is a professor of Environmental Sciences in the Nelson Institute, University of Wisconsin-Madison. He wrote in the Introduction to this book (first published in 1994, 2nd edition 2007), “From the subtitle… it would seem reasonable to conclude that this book is rooted in ‘the environment.’ But my own vocation … stems from a time before anyone heard or taught much about ‘the environment’ or ‘environmentalism.’ … While [this book] is a response to environmental issues its ROOT… comes from my delight in God’s creation… This book aims both to lighten the load we carry and to urge us to joyful, redeeming action in and with God’s amazing world. It will not pile on guilt…”
He outlines, “What I present here as ‘Seven Degradations of Creation’ is based on primary or refereed literature… ALTERATION OF EARTH’S ENERGY EXCHANGE: … Today we know we cannot take the atmosphere for granted because we are in the process of changing it---with serious consequences… GLOBAL WARMING: … It has to do with our … grand-scale burning of great deposits of carbon, sequestered beneath us as coal, peat, and oil… Because of these practices, carbon dioxide is increasing every year in our atmosphere—at an increasingly dangerous rate… DEPLETION OF THE OZONE SHIELD: Earth’s ozone shield … absorbs much of the sun’s ultraviolet radiation, protecting life from damage to DNA. Ozone destruction has been under way, however, because of the human abuse of creation… SOIL AND LAND DEGRADATION: … soil life has been devastated… The microscopic life of the soil has been severely altered… CONSUMPTION, WASTE, AND ECOSYSTEM DYSFUNCTION: In our day, 70,000 different chemicals are being used in commercial quantities, most of them brand-new to the creation… some of these chemicals leave living things defenseless. Some are even specifically designed to destroy life… We remove parts of the creation… and produce discards and wastes… LAND CONVERSION AND HABITAT DESTRUCTION: … Why do we continue with tropical deforestation?... All this comes at the cost of destroying the long-term sustainability of soils, forest creatures, and resident people… SPECIES EXTINCTIONS: … We add to this species destruction when we destroy natural habitats by expanding our homes and churches and eliminating woodlots or wetlands… GLOBAL TOXIFICATION: … Globally circulating toxins disrupt ecosystems, and hormone-mimicking chemicals create reproductive disorders and affect normal development in animals and people… HUMAN AND CULTURAL ABUSE: … In the tropics, longstanding cultures living cooperatively with the forest are being wiped off the land by force, death, and legal procedures… AgriCULTURE is being replaced by agribusiness… The meek people of the earth… are driven into joblessness and poverty.” (Pg. 31-37)
He suggests, “We know that over the centuries the Bible has been critically important to people who seek to live in love and obedience to God… In fact, the Bible provides such powerful environmental teachings that it can be thought of as a kind of ecological handbook on how to live rightly on earth!... the Bible helps us to understand our privilege and responsibility for environmental stewardship—for creation care. The Bible also helps us thoughtfully address who we are, how we have failed to live up to our God-given identity, and the problems we create in creation. The Bible’s serious treatment of environmental matters should not surprise us. Since God creates and sustains all of creation, we should expect the Bible to call us to bring honor to God in creation. We should expect Scripture to support creation’s care and keeping and to encourage us to maintain the integrity of the creation that God repeatedly calls ‘good.’ … we should expect [the Bible] to decry creation’s destruction, to call for creation’s restoration, and to look forward to the whole creation’s being made right again. And so it does!” (Pg. 43)
He points out, “So we are not gardeners of the entire creation. We are not even gardeners of the biosphere. But we are its stewards! At the very least we are stewards of everything in the biosphere on which our human life and society have an impact. And since our impact today has become global, it is increasingly necessary to know that we are stewards of the entire earth.” (Pg. 55)
He deals with some objections: “[1] ‘This world is not my home; I’m just passing through.’ … everlasting life in Christ includes the here-and-now, in which we take care of our teeth, our hair, and other parts of our body… [2] ‘Caring for creation gets us too close to the New Age movement’… As Christians, we confess that our entire earth belongs to God. It is not the private property of any group. [3] ‘Respecting creation gets us too close to pantheism.’ … The example of Noah is instructive: Noah cared for the creatures on the ark, preserving all the species endangered by the flood---not because they were gods but because God required it. [4] ‘We need to avoid anything that looks like political correctness.’ … We approach the subject of caring for creation as God’s stewards, not as members of a politically correct group. [5] ‘There are too many worldly people out there doing environmental things.’ ,.. if there are some worldly people out there clearly doing God’s work, let’s be glad for the help…
“[6] ‘Caring for creation will lead to world government.’ There is no doubt that cooperation (with unbelievers and with other nations) will be necessary in order to address many environmental concerns… Such cooperation does not have to lead to world government… [7] ‘Before you know it, we will have to support abortion.’ … The fact that many people justify abortion as a population-growth control does not mean that people who are convicted of a God-given responsibility of stewardship should not work to care for the earth, including its population problems… [8] ‘I don’t want to be an extremist or alarmist.’ … Gloom and doom are not necessary components of the message… Frightening ourselves into action is far less preferable than caring for creation out of gratitude and love for God…
“[9] ‘Dominion over creation means oppressive domination.’ … dominion as outright oppression is not advocated or condoned by Scripture… [10] ‘People are more important than the environment.’ … recall the account of the flood… Who perishes? Who is saved? Are species less important than individual people? … Christ’s redemption covers all creation, not just humans. [11] ‘We must tell “both sides” of environmental issues.’ ... There is present among us a concerted effort to promote doubt and uncertainty whenever it helps maintain sinful structures and institutions fueled mainly by greed… [12] ‘Science is necessarily suspect.’ … Promoters of doubt about the findings of climatology and environmental science have become expert in playing on the fears and apprehensions of the public…” (Pg. 78-81)
He concludes, “I hope that this book has been mostly inspiring and uplifting to you. I hope it has helped… you… to address the world and its environmental concerns in a healthy, wholesome way---in your church, community, and household. I also hope you have renewed with me your awe and wonder for our Lord’s creation.” (Pg. 87)
This book will be of very great interest to Christians concerned about environmental issues.
Calvin B. DeWitt is a professor of Environmental Sciences in the Nelson Institute, University of Wisconsin-Madison. He wrote in the Introduction to this book (first published in 1994, 2nd edition 2007), “From the subtitle… it would seem reasonable to conclude that this book is rooted in ‘the environment.’ But my own vocation … stems from a time before anyone heard or taught much about ‘the environment’ or ‘environmentalism.’ … While [this book] is a response to environmental issues its ROOT… comes from my delight in God’s creation… This book aims both to lighten the load we carry and to urge us to joyful, redeeming action in and with God’s amazing world. It will not pile on guilt…”
He outlines, “What I present here as ‘Seven Degradations of Creation’ is based on primary or refereed literature… ALTERATION OF EARTH’S ENERGY EXCHANGE: … Today we know we cannot take the atmosphere for granted because we are in the process of changing it---with serious consequences… GLOBAL WARMING: … It has to do with our … grand-scale burning of great deposits of carbon, sequestered beneath us as coal, peat, and oil… Because of these practices, carbon dioxide is increasing every year in our atmosphere—at an increasingly dangerous rate… DEPLETION OF THE OZONE SHIELD: Earth’s ozone shield … absorbs much of the sun’s ultraviolet radiation, protecting life from damage to DNA. Ozone destruction has been under way, however, because of the human abuse of creation… SOIL AND LAND DEGRADATION: … soil life has been devastated… The microscopic life of the soil has been severely altered… CONSUMPTION, WASTE, AND ECOSYSTEM DYSFUNCTION: In our day, 70,000 different chemicals are being used in commercial quantities, most of them brand-new to the creation… some of these chemicals leave living things defenseless. Some are even specifically designed to destroy life… We remove parts of the creation… and produce discards and wastes… LAND CONVERSION AND HABITAT DESTRUCTION: … Why do we continue with tropical deforestation?... All this comes at the cost of destroying the long-term sustainability of soils, forest creatures, and resident people… SPECIES EXTINCTIONS: … We add to this species destruction when we destroy natural habitats by expanding our homes and churches and eliminating woodlots or wetlands… GLOBAL TOXIFICATION: … Globally circulating toxins disrupt ecosystems, and hormone-mimicking chemicals create reproductive disorders and affect normal development in animals and people… HUMAN AND CULTURAL ABUSE: … In the tropics, longstanding cultures living cooperatively with the forest are being wiped off the land by force, death, and legal procedures… AgriCULTURE is being replaced by agribusiness… The meek people of the earth… are driven into joblessness and poverty.” (Pg. 31-37)
He suggests, “We know that over the centuries the Bible has been critically important to people who seek to live in love and obedience to God… In fact, the Bible provides such powerful environmental teachings that it can be thought of as a kind of ecological handbook on how to live rightly on earth!... the Bible helps us to understand our privilege and responsibility for environmental stewardship—for creation care. The Bible also helps us thoughtfully address who we are, how we have failed to live up to our God-given identity, and the problems we create in creation. The Bible’s serious treatment of environmental matters should not surprise us. Since God creates and sustains all of creation, we should expect the Bible to call us to bring honor to God in creation. We should expect Scripture to support creation’s care and keeping and to encourage us to maintain the integrity of the creation that God repeatedly calls ‘good.’ … we should expect [the Bible] to decry creation’s destruction, to call for creation’s restoration, and to look forward to the whole creation’s being made right again. And so it does!” (Pg. 43)
He points out, “So we are not gardeners of the entire creation. We are not even gardeners of the biosphere. But we are its stewards! At the very least we are stewards of everything in the biosphere on which our human life and society have an impact. And since our impact today has become global, it is increasingly necessary to know that we are stewards of the entire earth.” (Pg. 55)
He deals with some objections: “[1] ‘This world is not my home; I’m just passing through.’ … everlasting life in Christ includes the here-and-now, in which we take care of our teeth, our hair, and other parts of our body… [2] ‘Caring for creation gets us too close to the New Age movement’… As Christians, we confess that our entire earth belongs to God. It is not the private property of any group. [3] ‘Respecting creation gets us too close to pantheism.’ … The example of Noah is instructive: Noah cared for the creatures on the ark, preserving all the species endangered by the flood---not because they were gods but because God required it. [4] ‘We need to avoid anything that looks like political correctness.’ … We approach the subject of caring for creation as God’s stewards, not as members of a politically correct group. [5] ‘There are too many worldly people out there doing environmental things.’ ,.. if there are some worldly people out there clearly doing God’s work, let’s be glad for the help…
“[6] ‘Caring for creation will lead to world government.’ There is no doubt that cooperation (with unbelievers and with other nations) will be necessary in order to address many environmental concerns… Such cooperation does not have to lead to world government… [7] ‘Before you know it, we will have to support abortion.’ … The fact that many people justify abortion as a population-growth control does not mean that people who are convicted of a God-given responsibility of stewardship should not work to care for the earth, including its population problems… [8] ‘I don’t want to be an extremist or alarmist.’ … Gloom and doom are not necessary components of the message… Frightening ourselves into action is far less preferable than caring for creation out of gratitude and love for God…
“[9] ‘Dominion over creation means oppressive domination.’ … dominion as outright oppression is not advocated or condoned by Scripture… [10] ‘People are more important than the environment.’ … recall the account of the flood… Who perishes? Who is saved? Are species less important than individual people? … Christ’s redemption covers all creation, not just humans. [11] ‘We must tell “both sides” of environmental issues.’ ... There is present among us a concerted effort to promote doubt and uncertainty whenever it helps maintain sinful structures and institutions fueled mainly by greed… [12] ‘Science is necessarily suspect.’ … Promoters of doubt about the findings of climatology and environmental science have become expert in playing on the fears and apprehensions of the public…” (Pg. 78-81)
He concludes, “I hope that this book has been mostly inspiring and uplifting to you. I hope it has helped… you… to address the world and its environmental concerns in a healthy, wholesome way---in your church, community, and household. I also hope you have renewed with me your awe and wonder for our Lord’s creation.” (Pg. 87)
This book will be of very great interest to Christians concerned about environmental issues.
August 24, 2009
Mostly I loan library books but this wasn't at mine so I purchased on Amazon. I already own many conventional (secular) environmental books but wanted to read and own a few with some Christian connections. That way I could turn corners, underline and highlight just like a used text book.
This one rates high for being short since many find this topic dry and tedious. However, more of the general public should learn about a topic that wasn't even touched on 10 years ago except in elective college courses and niche readers.
I am personally frustrated by some religious leaders resisting any human influence on the earth's condition. I read this in preparation for solid language on defending the BIBLICAL reasons humans are responsible to have positive current and future behavior.
I was delighted to see in a published work, how my casual Christian upbringing actually influenced my early beliefs in doing what is right and now taking it a step further in leading others.
This would be EXCELLENT in a church library or as a book for study group discusions. I especially like his rebuttals to stumbling blocks.
This one rates high for being short since many find this topic dry and tedious. However, more of the general public should learn about a topic that wasn't even touched on 10 years ago except in elective college courses and niche readers.
I am personally frustrated by some religious leaders resisting any human influence on the earth's condition. I read this in preparation for solid language on defending the BIBLICAL reasons humans are responsible to have positive current and future behavior.
I was delighted to see in a published work, how my casual Christian upbringing actually influenced my early beliefs in doing what is right and now taking it a step further in leading others.
This would be EXCELLENT in a church library or as a book for study group discusions. I especially like his rebuttals to stumbling blocks.
April 11, 2013
A very good, nicely-brief summary of the biblical/doctrinal basis for creation care and stewardship of environmental resources. DeWitt avoids both extreme and pessimistic perspectives which have hands-full of problems (a diminished or non-existent view of God’s sovereignty over His creation, a demotion of mankind as pre-eminent among creatures, etc.), and the finger-wagging, tongue-clucking attitude that is common among environmental rhetoric.
Instead, he offers a positive encouragement to tend the earth and care for it, to love it as God loves it. This is neither an intimidating nor boring read, but reads quickly and engages well.
Instead, he offers a positive encouragement to tend the earth and care for it, to love it as God loves it. This is neither an intimidating nor boring read, but reads quickly and engages well.
November 20, 2013
A solid introduction to Christian environmentalism. DeWitt (a biologist) offers a very thorough examination of the complexity surrounding this issue. This edition is a bit dated, but the advice is still relevant. DeWitt also offers some insightful and thought-provoking discussion guidelines and recommendations for church small groups wanting to start thinking about environmental issues. A useful resource.
April 26, 2008
Although this is a topic that I am very interested in, this book read like a boring lecture...right up until the last couple chapters, which could have been easily condensed into a nice pamphlet.
200-299-religion
April 29, 2019261.88
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews