April 15, 1989

"I am putting you in charge of the fish, the birds and all the wild animals." (Genesis 1:26b TEV)

The scriptures are abundantly clear; human beings have been charged to care for God's creation -- the earth and everything in it. People are to be co-creators with God as they tend the earth. The creation is to be properly cared for and its natural resources equitably distributed. Proper care of the earth is a prerequisite for peace -- not a peace that is simply the absence of war but a peace with justice -- a peace that allows for abundant living, for shalom.

While the full impact of shalom still awaits us, the coming of the incarnate Christ and the subsequent plan of redemption make individual and environmental shalom a possibility right now. Christians have the opportunity and responsibility to live at peace with each other and with the whole creation, here and now.

It is important to consider the relationship between peace (shalom) and a healthy environment -- a healthy creation.

A healthy environment produces peace. I am convinced that without peace in the natural world -- that is without a healthy environment -- there can be no real peace among people or among nations.

War and conflict lead to a degraded environment -- a destroyed natural world. I once heard Roger Shinn, then professor of social ethics at New York Union Theological Seminary, say, "War, along with everything else that is said about it, remains the most ecologically destructive of all human activities." Conventional warfare has always been destructive to the environment. Modern weapons -- nuclear, chemical and biological -- are so utterly destructive to the environment that the only hope is that they will never be used.

A natural environment stressed by other human activities can also lead to war and conflict. Overpopulation, pollution, overconsumption, deforestation and soil erosion caused by human ignorance and greed contribute to lack of peace.

There is a vicious circle here; war and conflict can destroy the natural environment while destruction of the environment can lead to war and conflict and further damage to the earth.

That environmental degradation may be a significant cause of political conflict and war is increasingly being postulated by many people in our world today. A three day workshop in Oslo, Norway recently had as its theme "The Environmental Dimension to Security Issues." One conclusion from the workshop was that "natural security is no longer about fighting forces and weaponry alone. It relates increasingly to watersheds, croplands, forests, genetic resources, climate and other factors rarely considered by military experts and political leaders."

Several years ago, Earthscan, a global news and information service on environmental issues, published a briefing document called "Environment and Conflict." The thesis of that document was: "Environmental degradation and conflicts over diminishing shared natural resources are now an important cause of violent human conflicts both within and between states."

Peter Thacher, former executive director of the United Nations Environment Program, in a speech on worldwide deforestation phrased the issue bluntly when he said, "The ultimate choice is between conservation or conflict. Trees now or tanks later. The choice for governments is either to find the means by which to pay now to stop destruction of the natural resource base, or be prepared to pay later, possibly in blood."

The final report of the United Nations Group of Experts on the Relationship Between Disarmament and Development says, "There can no longer be the slightest doubt that resource scarcities and ecological stresses constitute real imminent threats to the future well-being of all people and nations. These challenges are fundamentally non-military and it is imperative that they be addressed accordingly."

Oppression, conflict and injustice that lead to the destruction of the natural world should be of concern to Christians interested in peacemaking. Robert Muller, former assistant secretary general of the United Nations states in his book Planet of Hope, "Peace cannot be taken in isolation; hunger, oppression, injustice, unemployment, lack of meaning are all causes of conflict. To work on these causes is therefore to work for peace."

I believe that to be a peacemaker in today's world means to be an environmentalist. By acting on environmental issues one is working toward peace. In fact, I do not see how it is possible to be a peacemaker today without having a special concern about and respect for God's creation. Furthermore, I do not see how it is possible to participate in war or preparation for war and have appropriate respect for the created world. Christian peacemaking and Christian ecology are completely compatible. In fact, they are inseparable. For Christians who are witnesses to the gospel of peace there is really no choice -- there must be a faith concern about the environment.

The tragic fact is that many Christians, including some who profess peacemaking, have lost both the peace and the environmental ethics dimensions of their faith.

It is clear that for God's creation to be restored -- to be saved from further environmental degradation -- all Christians will need to act in terms of biblical environmental ethics and the gospel of peace and justice.

I believe that it is through the action of God's people that the creation can and will be preserved. For this to happen renewed teaching on creation theology and environmental ethics is needed in the churches. Christians need to become knowledgeable environmentalists and to be motivated to act on the basis of inherent biblical faith.

As I understand the Scriptures, the earth and all the creation will eventually be redeemed. It would seem appropriate that Christians take an active role now in that exciting and ongoing process.