This section of our website is devoted to identifying some of the justice issues we face as the Church . . . some of them are very simple things that we often don't think of . . . others are huge and much more controversial.  Be assured, though, nothing is too obscure or obvious to escape commentary in this section of our website.

Sunday, April 24, 2005 is Earth Day.  Thus, our featured ELCA Social Statement for April 2005 is Caring for Creation: Vision, Hope, and Justice, and in this section, we're going to focus on caring for God's creation because . . . .

Caring for Creation -- It's a Justice Issue

By Chuck Bentjen

Some folks have recently accused me of being an environmentalist.  I find that pretty amusing because if those folks only knew how thoughtlessly and carelessly I've wasted energy and filled up the local landfills, they'd change their thinking pretty quickly.  In fact, it's only been in the last couple of years that I've even cared about "environmental issues" at all -- and that's not because I'm an environmentalist, but rather, it's because I'm a Christian.

Paraphrasing Genesis 1:1-26: "God created and God's creation was good.  God created everything:  the earth, the sky, the seas and everything that inhabits the earth, the sky and the seas.  Then God created humankind as the crown of God's creation.  God trusted humankind to care for God's creation."

We know the "rest of the story" . . . the the selfishness, the sinfulness, the brokenness, the judgment and ultimately God's saving grace through the gift of God's son, Jesus Christ.  Though we didn't and don't deserve salvation, God has given it.  Just how are we to respond to such a spectacular gift!?   By walking as Jesus walked -- by following Jesus and living a life worthy of discipleship.  A disciple of Jesus celebrates the beauty and wonder of God's creation and seeks to not only use creation as God intended, but to take care of it as well.   As a follower of Jesus, I must prayerfully wrestle with all the choices I make on a daily basis, including those that impact God's creation in negative ways.  If I use up or waste creation, am I truly following the path that Jesus set out for me?

Having wrestled with these things, I've started thinking about ways I can make a difference for creation in my own life.  As a result, my wife and I now have a fairly intricate recycling/trash system developed at home.  We look at everything we use.  If it's recyclable, it gets recycled.  If it's not, we think carefully about whether we should actually support the manufacturer by purchasing the product in the first place.  Some other simple adjustments we've made in our lives include:

• replacing all of our lights with compact fluorescent bulbs (they last longer and use a lot less energy)
• turning off lights that aren't being used
• turning off the water while brushing our teeth
• turning up the thermostat in the summer and down in the winter
• cleaning the coils on the back of our refrigerator every six months (when they are clean, they use less energy)
• purchasing cars that use less fuel and produce fewer emissions 

But like with most things, when I start thinking about caring for creation, the implications grow exponentially.  So I start wondering about how my church, community, state and country treat creation, and how that impacts not just the environment but the crown of God's creation -- humankind.