In the next few weeks I’ll be writing variations on a theme here at Mere-O and I’m interested to know how you all feel about the theme itself.
A few weeks ago we were contacted by an organization that plants trees in the name of Jesus and they sent me their founder’s book. I was pleasantly surprised by the depth of thought and love it demonstrated, but wasn’t yet sure what to write.
After a weekend in Oregon reading too much John Muir (I take that back, just enough John Muir), I found my little heart breaking as our plane descended into the Los Angeles basin. His tales of the beauties of California are not my own. I never had the chance to see much of what he saw because it was paved over or dried-up before I was born. And so a blog series was born.
It seems that environmentalism (or creation care if you want to be Jesus-y about it) is something most people have an opinion about, especially if they are religious. Some of the more common reactions to the word are, “UGH I hate liberal agendas. Also Greenpeace.” or “Jesus cared about sparrows, man. Consider the lilies of the field and live sustainably.” Environmentalism has long been politicized, but it has, I think, more recently been framed as a moral issue, causing its role in our lives to become even more hotly contested.
So before I begin, I’d like to gage the general opinions of the audience so I know who I’m writing for. Any gut reactions out there you want to tell me? Do you shudder when you hear the word “environmentalist”? Do you believe that the natural world is spiritually significant? Does how we treat creation reflect how we understand God as Creator? I s this topic overplayed? Uninteresting? Invaluable? Tired? Fascinating?
