We live in a time dominated by climate change and related environmental issues. Environmental protest groups have brought major cities to a standstill, painting a bleak picture of impending doom unless we act quickly to save the planet. Scientists and academics repeatedly warn of dire consequences without radical and immediate action.
Those who raise sincere questions about the science behind the climate agenda, or who advocate a balanced approach to green issues, are usually met with ridicule and dismissal. The easiest response is therefore to remain silent and yield to the increasingly alarmist way in which environmental ideology shapes day-to-day life.
This issue raises wide-ranging questions for the Christian. The main purpose of this article, however, is to assess how the mainstream presentation of climate change measures up against the Bible. We do not intend to discuss the merits of the science, which is very complex and in which we claim no expertise.
The theological angle is particularly pertinent. We fear that much of the church is hopelessly confused between the secular worldview and the Biblical worldview when trying to articulate a response to the aggressive nature of environmental activism.
Our Duty of Stewardship
Before we begin, let us stress that we unequivocally endorse a wise and responsible approach to the stewardship of God’s planet. We advocate restraint in the use of earth’s resources, and the conservation and care of our planet.
Scripture is clear on this. The earth belongs to the Lord (Psalm 24:1). Humanity was given authority over it (Genesis 1:28) and placed in the garden to work it and care for it (Genesis 2:15).
It is extremely distressing to see the needless, greed-fuelled plunder of many of earth’s resources, and the incredible suffering and destruction that results.
One day, we will each give an account of our stewardship of God’s creation, according to the level of responsibility and influence we were given (Romans 14:12; Luke 12:48). That should motivate us all to leave a minimal environmental impact.
With that as our starting point, we must now explore the Bible’s description of the world of which we are custodians. As is often the case, we cannot accurately assess where we are now, or look ahead, without first looking at how we got here.
A Fractured Planet
At the outset, we must recognise that the planet has changed dramatically from its original condition at creation. The world we see today bears very little resemblance to the paradise God intended us to enjoy.
The first fracture: the curse
We are responsible for the cause of that change. Yet it was God, not us, who cursed the planet in response to our rebellion:
To Adam he said, “Because you listened to your wife and ate fruit from the tree about which I commanded you, ‘You must not eat from it,’ “Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat food from it all the days of your life. It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field. (Genesis 3:17-18 NIV)
Our actions led God to declare the curse, but it was God who mandated it. The world is a more oppressive place for us as a result, and the stewardship of the planet will always be incredibly hard:
By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return.” (Genesis 3:19 NIV)
This curse led to a dramatic fracture of the world. We cannot undo it. Only the Lord God can.
The second fracture: the flood
Conditions worsened further with Noah’s flood, the second major fracture of the planet (Genesis 6-9). Again, it was our rebellion that led to it, yet God was active throughout. This fracture, mandated by God, made living conditions harder still.
The planet became even more inhospitable and dangerous, a change reflected in the dramatic reduction in life-spans that soon followed (Genesis 11:10-32).
The key point throughout is that it was God who mandated these fractures. What God has done, we cannot undo.
A cursed planet
We therefore live on a planet that is undeniably created, and beautiful in many amazing ways, yet still cursed and unable to function properly. Life is unpredictable and difficult. We live with many forms of danger, and survival will always be an uncomfortable struggle.
Nothing we do to ‘save the planet’ will change this. Any attempt to undo the curse displays an undercurrent of defiance against God. It is arrogant to believe we can rescue a situation that only the Lord Himself can restore.
This is not an argument against caring for creation. Faithful stewardship honours God, whereas the belief that we can reverse the curse usurps His role.
The most obvious contrast between the ideology of the green movement and the Christian worldview, however, lies in their conflicting views of the future. Those views lead to significantly different proposals for action.
What Lies Ahead?
The Bible clearly warns of grave environmental disasters ahead, but they are not caused by humanity. Revelation 6-19 describes catastrophes that are unimaginable compared with anything we see today. Consider some of the trumpet judgements:
The first angel sounded his trumpet, and there came hail and fire mixed with blood, and it was hurled down on the earth. A third of the earth was burned up, a third of the trees were burned up, and all the green grass was burned up. The second angel sounded his trumpet, and something like a huge mountain, all ablaze, was thrown into the sea. A third of the sea turned into blood, a third of the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed. The third angel sounded his trumpet, and a great star, blazing like a torch, fell from the sky on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water– the name of the star is Wormwood. A third of the waters turned bitter, and many people died from the waters that had become bitter. (Revelation 8:7-11 NIV)
Matters grow worse still later in Revelation, when the seven bowls of wrath are poured out:
The second angel poured out his bowl on the sea, and it turned into blood like that of a dead person, and every living thing in the sea died. The third angel poured out his bowl on the rivers and springs of water, and they became blood. … The fourth angel poured out his bowl on the sun, and the sun was allowed to scorch people with fire. They were seared by the intense heat and they cursed the name of God, who had control over these plagues, but they refused to repent and glorify him. … Every island fled away and the mountains could not be found. From the sky huge hailstones, each weighing about a hundred pounds, fell on people. And they cursed God on account of the plague of hail, because the plague was so terrible. (Revelation 16:3-4, 8-9, 20-21 NIV)
From an environmental perspective, the terror described here is unimaginable. Many other passages, particularly some unfulfilled Old Testament prophecies of end-time events, paint an equally bleak picture of what will happen to our environment in the end times. Peter sums up the climax:
But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything done in it will be laid bare. Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, where righteousness dwells. (2 Peter 3:10-13 NIV)
God is in control
None of this is pleasant reading. The crucial point is that God is in control throughout. It is God who inflicts this carnage, not humanity.
We will not destroy the planet. We cannot destroy the planet. God will reduce it to ground zero as He exercises His wrath and judgement on a rebellious and unrepentant people determined to dethrone Him.
After the flood, God Himself promised that the seasons, and the cycle of sowing and harvest, would continue for as long as the earth endures (Genesis 8:22).
Even if we could undo all the environmental harm we are responsible for, it would, in a sense, be futile. God’s word reveals a coming destruction infinitely worse than anything we will cause.
The Promise of Restoration
There is good news, however: God promises to restore all that He destroys. After a calamitous period known as the Great Tribulation, the believer can look forward to a redeemed planet, enjoyed to the full by those who choose to take refuge in Him.
As followers of Jesus, we long for this time and eagerly await a world without any environmental problems whatsoever. Again, Scripture provides a glimpse:
[Revelation 21:1-5 NIV, verses 6-7 removed – quotation unchanged from the original]
Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,” for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” (Revelation 21:1-5 NIV)
The key point is that the Lord God will bring this about. It will be done in His time and on His terms, not ours.
A Biblical Response to Climate Change
Yes, the world is a mess. Yes, it will only get worse. And yes, we have a duty to be responsible stewards. The best response, however, is a restored relationship with God the Creator, rather than a restored relationship with the planet He created.
An obsession with saving the planet is a form of idolatry. It displays a misunderstanding of what lies ahead and subtly dethrones God from His place in our minds.
Our Lord is patiently waiting for those willing to turn to Him. The safest place is securely within the kingdom of God, which can be accessed only through the Lord Jesus Christ.
The times we live in
We are convinced that time is rapidly running out, and that this world will be subject to successive waves of judgement that cannot possibly be imagined. No effort of ours will save the world from what has been foretold. We can, however, look forward to the complete restoration that the Lord Himself will bring about for those who surrender to Him.
Until then, the attempt to save our planet will gather intensity and result in ever more radical action and alarm. Those who question the ‘facts’, and who resist the intrusive ways in which regulation affects day-to-day life, will face growing pressure to conform, and risk being marginalised.
Our politicians, media, education system and academic establishment will largely follow the prevailing environmental orthodoxy.
Our focus
As followers of Christ, we should focus instead on the return of the coming King, discerning the times we live in and viewing the world through the prism of Scripture. Only then can we reach a balanced approach to the environment that does not descend into alarmism and fear.
Our King will return soon, and He is the only hope for this planet. The question for us all is this: will we be ready when the time comes?
Paul reminds us that creation itself awaits that day:
For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God. We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption to sonship, the redemption of our bodies. (Romans 8:20-23 NIV)