Living Responsibly: Somewhere Between Strip Malls and Carbon Credits April 23, 2007

Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. God blessed them; and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” Genesis 1:26-28 (NASB)

Subdue is not an ambiguous term. This Hebrew word is used to talk about conquest (Numbers 32:29) and even slavery (2 Chronicles 28:10). The question for us is, “how do we understand God’s mandate to ’subdue’ the earth, especially in light of Jesus’ teachings on stewardship?”

I think the problem for me is that the issue of environmental responsibility has become so polarized and politicized.

On one side are the radical environmentalists who quite often are more interested in redistribution of wealth and political gain than they are responsible living. It is difficult at best to say that enviro-friendly politicians like John Edwards (who’s family of 6 lives in a 28,000-square-foot mansion) or Al Gore (who averaged a monthly electricity bill of $1,359 for using 18,414 kilowatt-hours in 2006) are conservationists. Environmentalists have clearly picked their side (with much political power to gain). Which is more important, lower greenhouse gas emission or lower fossil fuel consumption? To the detriment of auto manufactures, environmentalists chose lower emission and now complain about fuel consumption. I believe decisions like this are politically motivated.

On the other side are the decadent consumption-ists. You do not have to look far to find them in American culture. Americans eat 815 billion calories of food each day, which is about 25%, more than needed. (I mention this only because it is the area of consumption that I struggle with the most) Since, the 50’s, the average American house size has more than doubled (more than 2,349 square feet, which is amplified since the size of families has decreased during the same period). The average American generates 52 tons of garbage by age 75. I’ve even read that there are more shopping malls than high schools in America (I was surprised anyone still goes to a shopping mall). Greed is the soup de jour.

Environmentalism can be just as much a scam as pop-Christian paraphernalia. For brevity sake, I site only three examples: Carbon offset credits. Catalytic converters. Hybrid cars. This however does not give us permission to live irresponsibly.

I don’t have it figured out, but I would love to see a positive non-partisan Christian movement of responsible living.culture