Book Review: Should Christians be Environmentalists?
by Rich Deem

Introduction

Dan Story, author of the book, Should Christians be Environmentalists?, is a former agnostic, turned Christian. Soon after becoming a Christian, Story felt compelled to write Christian apologetics materials. Some thirty years later Story has written his first work on environmentalism from a Christian perspective. It is probably good Story took so much time to get back to his environmentalist past, since he is now firmly grounded in biblical theology, so that he handles the topic with the skill of a seasoned apologist. The book is not so much a to-do list of things Christians can do to care for God's creation as it is an apologetic to the Church to become leaders in the field of creation care. Story's target audience is Bible-believing Christians, since there is a biblical emphasis throughout the book.

A movement in need of a religion

Dan Story begins his book, Should Christians be Environmentalists?, with an examination of environmental catastrophes of the past and how the environmental movement began in the 1960's. He blames the decline of environmentalism on its failure to provide an environmental ethos. As a movement relegated to liberals, it was often opposed by conservative religious people. Story maintains that things would have been different if the movement had employed a God-centered, stewardship-based foundation.

Because Christians often opposed the early environmental politics, much of the blame for the environmental crisis was placed at the feet of Christians. However, Story goes on to show that humanity's fallen nature has been responsible for the vast majority of the environmental destruction. He repudiates the Hollywood-based image that tribal societies were more environmentally-friendly. The reality is that the Native Americans probably killed off North America's megafauna, some 10,000 years ago. They set wildfires destroying grassland to drive buffalo during hunting. Their inability to radically damage their environment was more a result of limited technology rather than a high regard for nature. Story describes an account of Sioux Indians in May, 1832 who massacred 1,400 buffalo to sell their tongues at Fur Company Fort for whisky.¹ The rest of their carcasses were left to rot on the plain. Story also described attributes of common Native American religions, which, to a large degree, revolved around animism and a fear of evil spirits that were thought to inhabit even inanimate objects. Eastern religions are often said to be more environmentally-friendly, although both China and India have suffered from extreme pollution and environmental destruction as a result of greed and poor environmental safeguards. Virtually every culture and religion have over-exploited the earth to produce environmental damage, mostly as a result of humanity's sin nature.

Bible-based theology of nature

Dan Story does a really good job describing the biblical framework of creation and how it fits with God's plans. God is both transcendent and immanent and both created and maintains nature for our benefit and for the benefit of other living creatures. Psalms 104, 147, 148, along with Job 38 describes God as providing for all His creatures to sustain their lives. God created human beings in His image, commanding us to be stewards of His creation. The biblical Sabbath included not only rest for human beings, but also their animals (Exodus 20:9-10). When God spared the city of Nineveh through the reluctant efforts of Jonah, God expressed pleasure that both the human beings and animals were spared from judgment (Jonah 4:11). The biblical stewardship mandate comes from God commanding Adam to care for His garden, God commanding Noah to care for all the animals rescued on the ark, and from Sabbath commands, including the command to allow the land to rest from planting one year out of every seven.

My only complaint of Dan Story's theology is that he seems to believe in "restoration theology" (the idea that creation will be restored to a garden of Eden paradise). Story believes that the creation, in addition to mankind, will be redeemed at the end of the world. However, it is easy to confuse Isaiah's description of the millennial kingdom with Revelation's description of the New Jerusalem. In reality, Peter makes it clear that the universe will be destroyed "with intense heat,"¹ while Jesus Himself indicated that "heaven and earth will pass away"² and Isaiah said that the heavens "will be rolled up like a scroll."³ In addition, numerous passages suggest that heaven, the new creation, will be vastly different than earth. Even though I believe God will destroy the current creation and create an entirely new, eternal one, this should not abrogate our mandate to be good stewards of God's creation now, since we do not know how many more generations of our children will be living here.

Role of the Church

The third section of Should Christians be Environmentalists? examines the role that the Christian Church should play in care for creation. Story does a good job providing a Bible-based explanation of what environmental ethics should look like for the Christian, including many citations of scripture. Story's call to action involves more than just a passive embrace of creation care, but an active promotion to instill those values in our children. Too many of today's children never get out into nature, but are glued to their electronic devices. Story calls for responsibility at the individual level, the congregation level and through all levels of Christian education (Sunday schools, Christian schools and colleges).

Conclusions

Dan Story's Should Christians be Environmentalists? is a compelling call for action on the part of the Christian Church. For too long Christians have opposed creation care primarily because it has been dominated by liberal "tree huggers." It is time for the Christian Church to get involved and take charge of care for God's creation. Story describes Christian environmentalism as "always 'theocentric,' that is, we care for nature but serve and worship God."