Seven Reasons for Christians to be Environmentalists That Don't Have a Thing to do With Global Warming

I hate the whole global warming debate--mainly because there isn't much debating.  Skeptics of global warming would not believe it if they fried an egg on their sidewalk in winter.  Meanwhile,  global warming advocates apparently believe the best way to  convince opponents is to exaggerate evidence and cry heretic.  If either side wants to make converts, they should be less shrill and more realistic.

Frankly,  I don't know what to believe about global warming (excuse me climate change, I forgot they changed it again) But what concerns me more is that in all this discussion about global warming obscures real obvious damage to the environment that seem to be completely overlooked in the argument . There is copious evidence of the heavy boot prints of humanity on the earth that have nothing to do with global warming.

A Christian does not have to believe in global  warming to be concerned about the environment,  and you don't have to be a New Ager to have be a tree hugger.   The Bible contains many reasons for being concerned that have nothing to do with climate change. Here are a few:

1. The kingdom mandate Genesis 1:26

"Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground."

Humanity rules over the earth in God's stead.   So--what kind of rulers are we supposed to be?  If God gave us the mandate to rule,  doesn't it make sense that we should at least try to be the same kind of ruler God is?   Either  we are called to dominate the world, tear it up  as we wish, or to rule gently,  leaving it better than we came.  Are we tyrants  or benevolent kings?  Adam and Eve were put into the garden of Eden to dress and keep it, not to strip mine.  It's hard to imagine God intended us to commit environmental abuse.

2. God's possessions  "The earth is the Lord's and everything in it." Psalm 24:1

However we may wish to interpret the kingdom mandate, Christians must accept that God owns the earth.  Now suppose someone you invited into your home as a welcome guest,  threw oil on your lawn,  messed up your bathroom, threw detergent in your pool and kicked your dog. Even if they did it with no malicious intent, would you be pleased?

3. "Love not the world, neither the things of this world." Let us assume that there is nothing to global warming, that pollution is  a minor inconvenience, and that the earth's supplies of raw materials are inexhaustible.  How should we live, then?   We seem to be obsessed with using more and more of the earth's resources, whether we need them or not.  We act as if happiness can be obtained by acquiring, owning, and seeking material comforts.  It has not worked in the past to bring us happiness.  Materialism hurts us, because it draws us from satisfaction with God to seeking satisfaction with worldly things. It will not work in the future.  We should take Thoreau's advice--"Simplify, simplify."
4. "Our bodies are God's temple."      Do we really think it's healthy to drink polluted water, breathe polluted air,  and eat polluted food?  We may scoff at those who exaggerate the dangers of pollutants in our food and water (and there are plenty of people who do) but they have a point. How much build up of waste products can our bodies take before it becomes more than a nuisance?  Does anyone want to gamble that we can never hurt the earth, or ourselves?
5. The  Millennial reign.  OK, this may be a stretch, but it's worth mentioning anyway.   Many Christians believe that there will be a millennium,  a thousand years at the end of civilization, when God's kingdom will be established on earth. During this time,  Christ will reign on earth. If there is such a time,  then what purpose would it serve, except as a time of global cleaning.  The millenium is a time like the time just before we left for a trip when my children were young, when we would say to them "We're not leaving until you clean up your mess!" Maybe the millennium is a time when God says "You messed it up--now you clean it up!"
6. Aesthetic witness.  "The heavens declare the glory of God and the firmanment shows forth His handiwork."  God wants the earth to be beautiful, and he wants it to stay beautiful for aesthetic as well as practical reasons.  We clean our homes and our yards to make them beautiful--why would we think that God would want the rest of the world to be neglected?
7. Thy Kingdom come."   We pray for God's leadership  to extend over all the earth. If nothing else, we should take care of the earth out of reverence for God. Doesn't God's government of the earth include a rightful ecological balance? Is it fair to suggest that we alone of all God's creatures are exempt for doing His bidding, and not responsible for what we do to God's other creatures?

These are neither precise scientific or ecological reasons. I confess that I do not have all the answers, nor do I expect anyone to embrace all my reasons. But if you accept any one of them, you have to admit that whether or not we agree with  global warming, we should be sensitive to the environment, and do all we can to protect it.