Can Faith Be Green? (Open Forum)
Tim Keller | November 16, 2008
Overview
Genesis shows us the goodness of creation, the stewardship of creation, the fallenness of creation, and the final restoration of creation. The Bible calls us as Christians to be careful stewards of creation because nature reflects God’s goodness and because nature will ultimately be restored in heaven.
Open Forums are specifically designed for skeptics or those wrestling with the claims of Christianity. Each Open Forum included a brief concert by guest artists followed by a talk and open mic Q&A with Timothy Keller. This audio recording includes the talk only.
Outline
1. The goodness of creation
When we read in Genesis that God saw creation as “good,” we see that creation’s value is not based on us, but on God. The world, simply by being, praises God, just as Psalm 19 suggests. We are not just consumers of nature, but its keepers, given the task to respect and nurture it in its divine role of worshipping God.
2. The stewardship of creation
The Bible teaches that we are meant to care for creation, not misuse it. In Genesis 8, God makes a special promise with Noah and the earth, showing His plan to protect the earth from our wrongdoings and encouraging us to do the same. The laws in the Bible remind us to take care of our environment, underlining the religious foundation for looking after creation.
3. The fallenness of creation
People who don’t believe in God might see things like species dying out or forests being cut down as just part of nature. But for Christians, nature is viewed as broken and damaged, straying from God’s original plan. That’s why we work to solve natural problems like sickness. We believe that even though the world is in a rough state now, there is a future where God will, through Jesus, fix nature and do away with all bad things.
4. The final restoration of creation
What sets Christianity apart is the belief that heaven will come down to renew our physical world, showing God’s deep love for His creation. This truth, emphasized by Jesus becoming a human, motivates us to care for the environment. Understanding the goodness, our responsibility, the brokenness, and the future renewal of creation should drive our dedication to uphold God’s promise with the world.
Related
