A Poet’s Look at the Environment

My earliest memory of facing an environmental issue is from my 5^th or 6^th grade year.  My mom had moved to Las Cruces, NM with my step-dad.  Las Cruces was a thirty minute drive from El Paso, TX which sat across the Rio Grande from Juarez, Mexico.  When I visited my mom (I was living with my dad elsewhere) we would often drive to El Paso.  There were shops there which we didn’t have in Las Cruces.  Each drive to El Paso took us past a large industrial factory on the outskirts of El Paso.  The factory was located near the homes of thousands of the poor in Juarez, Mexico who lived in cinder block homes.  From miles in any direction you could see thick colored smoke pouring out of the smoke stack of the factory.  Day and night smoke spewed out of the factory. 

 

I remember my mom talking about articles in the paper which said that the people living near the factory were getting sick.  Scientists determined that their illnesses were related to the smoke from the factory.  I remember her talking about how people were demanding the shutdown of the plant.  Even as an elementary student, I remember that even I wanted the plant to shut down.  Finally, it did.  I remember how happy we all were.  We smiled every time we drove by that now silent smoke stack.

 

That is my first memory of facing an environmental issue.  What’s yours?  These days, you can hardly read a newspaper, listen to a newscast, or watch a political debate without facing similar issues.  People everywhere are talking and writing about the environment.

 

Now, I’m no scientist.  My role is not that of a scientist but that of a theologian.  I have read some of the science, however.  And I’ve learned that organizations such as The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the U. S. National Academy of Sciences, and the G8 Academies of Science all state that by burning fossil fuels like coal, gas, and oil humans have dramatically increased the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, that this is impacting global temperatures, and these temperature changes have negative consequences.  I’ve also read others who disagree with the scientific conclusions of these organizations.  And while even the Vatican recently called environmental pollution and ecologically damaging behavior a sin,[i] other Christian groups disagree.  After a recent leading Christian magazine explored environmental issues, one reader wrote this: Get this straight.  There is nothing—nothing—Christian about the Global Warming fraud and hysteria.  If your church is wasting its time talking about how to make your carbon footprint smaller, you have lost your way and abandoned your mission.[ii]

 

Well, as I said, I’m no scientist.  But as a theologian I can tell you it is not a waste of time for Christians to talk about the environment.  Regardless of what you decide about the science, if you follow Jesus you are compelled to talk about the environment.  Why?  Because the environment is a major point of discussion in Scripture.  One of the most fundamental doctrines of the Christian faith is the doctrine of “creation”—the story of how the universe and its inhabitants came to be.  This doctrine is found in both Old and New Testaments.  Its presence compels us to at least talk about the environment.

 

And, as a theologian I can tell you that no matter what you believe politically or scientifically, there are certain things about the environment which all Christians can agree on.  I want to focus on that common ground in this lesson. 

 

A helpful place to explore environmental issues in Scripture is the Psalms.  The Psalms were written by ancient poets and musicians.  They are not literal.  They don’t use numbers and graphs.  Instead, they use metaphors and analogies.  They engage our imagination to help us see things from a different perspective. 

 

One of their most significant contributions has to do with the way they frame this discussion.  The Psalms move us beyond one of the major ways in which environmental issues are framed today.  Much of the current discussion is bordered by a particular view of the earth and of us.  The earth is primarily discussed as a product.  Humans are primarily discussed as those who consume this product.  (God is not even a part of the public discussion.)  This way of framing the discussion can be seen across the spectrum.  At one end of the spectrum people argue that humans are consuming too much of the product of the earth and that the product is headed toward annihilation.  At the other end of the spectrum people argue that this product is not in danger and we have the right to continue consuming its resources.   In-between the two ends we find others arguing for renewable resources because we need to make sure there is enough of the product for future generations to consume.  Much of the dialogue today occurs within that frame: the earth is a product and we are its consumers.

 

But the poets in the Psalms engage our imaginations and open up new ways of seeing this issue.  As with other poetry and art, there are many meanings we might pull from these Old Testament poets.  I want to discuss three.  First, these poets picture the earth as the handiwork of a God who is a craftsman. Listen to their lines of poetry:

·        When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place (Ps. 8:3)

·        6 By the word of the LORD the heavens were made, their starry host by the breath of his mouth… 9 For he spoke, and it came to be; he commanded, and it stood firm.   (Psalm 33:6-9 TNIV)

·        16 The day is yours, and yours also the night; you established the sun and moon.  17 It was you who set all the boundaries of the earth; you made both summer and winter.  (Ps. 74:16-17 TNIV)

·        4 In his hand are the depths of the earth, and the mountain peaks belong to him.  5 The sea is his, for he made it, and his hands formed the dry land.  (Ps. 95:4-5)

 

These poets describe the earth as the handiwork of God.  His fingerprints cover it.  His hands formed it.  Creation is the handiwork of a master craftsman.  You can see this unparalleled skill and intricate detail in the towering waterfalls, delicate flowers, and mighty lions which he has crafted.  The earth is the handiwork of a God who is a craftsman.

 

And what does this image mean for us?  It moves us from simply people who consume the earth to people who celebrate the earth.  When we go to a workshop and see a piece of furniture hand-made by a craftsman, we celebrate it.  We take joy in it.  When we go to a museum and see the painting of a renowned artist, we celebrate it.  We appreciate it.  We don’t abuse handiwork.  We celebrate handiwork.  In the same way this poetry ought to move us beyond consumption to celebration.  The Psalms are filled with words of celebration—Rejoice!  Praise the Lord!  Hallelujah!  We who believe in a God who is a craftsman who created this handiwork ought to celebrate that handiwork.  We ought to get out into nature and take joy in it.  We, among all people, ought to recreate in nature and appreciate nature.  We, among all people, ought to be out at city parks, traveling to National Parks, and greeting sunrises and sunsets.  This is the handiwork of a craftsman.  Let us celebrate it.

 

A second image which comes from this poetry is the image of a garden: the earth is a garden of a God who is the keeper.  I’m using the word “keeper” in this way: a person who is responsible for the maintenance of something; a person charged with responsibility for the preservation of something.[iii]  God is the keeper of the earth which is a garden.  Listen to these lines of poetry:

·        9 I have no need of a bull from your stall or of goats from your pens, 10 for every animal of the forest is mine, and the cattle on a thousand hills.  11 I know every bird in the mountains, and the creatures of the field are mine.   12 If I were hungry I would not tell you, for the world is mine, and all that is in it.  I know every bird in the mountains, and the creatures of the field are mine. (Psalm 50:9-12)

·        8 The whole earth is filled with awe at your wonders; where morning dawns, where evening fades, you call forth songs of joy. 9 You care for the land and water it; you enrich it abundantly.   (Psalm 65:8-9 TNIV)

·        He covers the sky with clouds; he supplies the earth with rain and makes grass grow on the hills.  9 He provides food for the cattle and for the young ravens when they call.  (Ps. 147:8-9 TNIV)

 

God is the keeper who knows every plant and animal.  He cares for the land and the water.  He enriches it.  He is the one who puts the clouds in the sky.  He turns on the rain.  He causes the grass to grow.  He ensures there is enough food for the cattle and the ravens.  He tends this garden.  He nurtures it.  It is not just the handiwork of a craftsman.  It is a garden which God keeps.  God is out in this garden with his large hat and his gloves, and spade, bag of food and water hose, nurturing, enriching, and tending.

 

What does this image mean for us?  It moves us from simply people who consume a product or celebrate a handiwork to people who conserve this garden.  I’m using the word “conserve” in this way: to prevent injury, decay, waste; to use or manage wisely.[iv]  The poets portray God as one who is intimately involved in the life of this earth.  He tends to its every animal.  He cares for its every plant.  Thus, the best posture for us to take is one of conservation.  We ought to partner with God in nurturing this garden.  We ought to prevent injury, decay, and waste.  You don’t plant a garden and then abandon it.  More, you don’t plant a garden and then dump all your garbage there.  You keep a garden.  We, among all people on earth, ought to promote efforts to conserve this garden in which God works.  We, among all people, ought to be at the forefront of efforts to more wisely manage these resources. 

 

A third and final image from these poets is the image of suitor and letter.  There is a sense in the Psalms in which God is our suitor and creation is his letter to us in which he discloses who he is and how he feels about us.  We glimpse this image in these lines of poetry:

·        1 The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. 2 Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge. (Ps. 19:1-2 TNIV)

·        3 The seas have lifted up, LORD, the seas have lifted up their voice; the seas have lifted up their pounding waves.  4 Mightier than the thunder of the great waters, mightier than the breakers of the sea—the LORD on high is mighty.  (Ps. 93:2-4 TNIV)

·        10 he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities.  11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him;  12 as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.  (Ps. 103:10-12 TNIV)

·         5 who by his understanding made the heavens, His love endures forever.   6 who spread out the earth upon the waters, His love endures forever.   7 who made the great lights—His love endures forever.   8 the sun to govern the day, His love endures forever.   9 the moon and stars to govern the night; His love endures forever. (Ps. 136:3-9 TNIV)

 

The stars, moon, sun, earth, and waters prove the enduring love of God.  They are gifts given to communicate how deeply in love God is with us.  As the diamond engagement ring says “I love you” to the fiancé, so the majestic mountains, rolling waters, and graceful deer say “I love you” from God to us.  Creation serves as an illustration of God’s love.  To visually demonstrate the height of his love, he placed a large distance between the earth and the skies.  To visually demonstrate the width of his forgiveness, he placed a large distance east and west.  The thunder of the crashing waves communicates the strength of God.  In the Psalms God is a suitor who is wooing us.  Creation is his letter, revealing who he is and how he feels toward us.

 

What does this mean for us?  It calls us to contemplate.  The Psalmists were able to sit and contemplate what creation disclosed about the Creator.  As they contemplated the crashing waves, they could hear the waves as an illustration of God’s might.  As they contemplated the height of the clouds, they could envision it as an illustration of how high God’s love is.  While God’s greatest self-disclosure came through Jesus, creation is also part of God’s self-disclosure.  If we just slowed down and saw with the right eyes, we would see in nature God’s letter—things which communicate to us his glory, his might, and his love.

 

Even if we put the scientific debates aside (and I personally find the science compelling) here is what the poets of Scripture call us to imagine: The earth is no mere product for us to consume.  Rather, the earth is the handiwork of a master craftsman which we celebrate and take joy in.  The earth is the garden of a devoted keeper whom we join in conserving its beauty and glory.  And the earth is the letter of a suitor which we are called to read so that we might learn more and more of his love and might.