Interview with Dr. J. Matthew Sleeth on Faith and a Greener Earth

Thanks for having me. I've just come from a conversation with about 30 people from Conservation International which was exciting and invigorating and ended with the prayer of St. Francis.

It's been a challenging but enriching last two weeks that I've spent in the DC area working with churches and groups similar to CI. There is a growing sense of cooperation between faith groups and groups which have traditionally been focused on environmental issues.

I believe there are two main answers to this question. The first is that the biblical message of creation care was dropped from the theology at many seminary schools starting about 100 years ago. Before that time, stewardship and creation care were integral parts of the education.

One of the things that I do to bring this point home when I'm traveling is to bring along a 120 year old Nelson study bible and open to the 45 pages on plants and animals in the back.

The second thing that I think has happened in more recent times is that environmental issues have been bundled with other social issues which Evangelics cannot agree with. One of the most encouraging developments of late is the separation of environmental questions from those other previous hot-button areas. The more that this happens, the more constructive movement will occur.

There are international organizations such as A Rocha which are involved in the restoration of habitats, particularly wetlands, and the protection of endangered species. A Rocha was founded by an Anglican minister and there is a US chapter.

And then on our page, which is www.ServeGodSaveThePlanet.org, there are links to multiple faith sites which are doing environmental work.

In the book, "Serve God, Save the Planet", there's a chapter called "Food For Thought," which talks about factory farming. As well, there are biblical passages which suggest that we should change our way of caring for animals.

I think it's important to point out that the symbol of the Lord is the tree of life. These symbols show up at the opening of the Bible and in its last chapter. There are over 500 references to trees in the Bible, including specific passages that the Lord loves the tall cedars of Lebanon and other trees. The Bible tells us that the Lord has a special relationship with humans. However, it also tells us that he groans when a single sparrow falls from the sky.

Perhaps the most single important passage for me is the parable of the Good Samaritan. In Luke Chapter 10, we'll learn that our greatest responsibility is to protect our neighbor no matter how far religiously, politically or economically they may be from our own status. Surely it is no great leap to understand that the generations yet to come fall in this category.

In addition, the Bible says that it is a sin to know the right thing to do and not to do it. It goes on to say that faith without works is dead.

When I compared my wealthy western lifestyle with the lifestyle of Jesus, I had some problems. On the one hand, I had the person who I said was the model for all Christian life who only owned one coat, didn't have his own house to live in and only rode a horse once...and it was borrowed; and on the other hand, I had my lifestyle which bore no resemblance. For me and my family, we found that a change and downscaling was in order.

The first thing I would suggest is to take an accounting of exactly what your own footprint is. It is not enough to say that you care, because the future cannot measure our words or good intentions, only our actions. Next, I would begin working on specific areas. For most of us, the areas of transportation and home heating and cooling and diet have the most effect on the planet.

I believe that it's also necessary as people of faith to use any resources that we free up through conservation efforts to help others around the planet.

There is a myth, I believe, that somehow we can save the planet, somehow have our cake and eat it too. But I believe that it is only a myth, and that real and significant changes of lifestyle will be required.

When we act in faith and give certain material things up or forego certain luxuries, we are promised spiritual growth and I've certainly found this to be the case, for myself and for others who I've seen following this path.

Most importantly, I believe that we should carry out these actions as acts of faith, meaning that they should be done with love, without expecting an immediate reward or to even see immediate results. That's what acting in faith is all about.

In Revelation, chapter 22, verse 2 and in Genesis as well; garden of Eden. On the front of most life application study Bibles, there's the symbol of a tree and that's why it's there. And the watermark on the pages of Tyndale study bibles is a tree.

It's interesting to note that throughout human history, we had no idea what it was in the air, what it was that sustained us. Only in modern times have we understood that trees are the makers of oxygen.

Answer to the first is yes, and that people of all faiths find the book edifying.

Two is that I've found the opposite, that when we act in faith and follow Christ's new commandment to love one another, it is a powerful message that no one seems to object to. It is not a shortage of science or politics which has gotten us into some of the problems we now face; it is a shortage of love. Christ's message is one of love and redemption.

The book is published by Chelsea Green in hardback, but will be released by Zondervan in paperback in March. Both publishers have a commitment to supplying the book to faith groups at a reduced cost.

The book can be ordered through Amazon.com and to answer the last one is that I'm sorry that the book has not yet been translated into other languages, but I hope that is something that will be done in the future. The book is written not in technical language, but in ordinary conversational tone.

There are churches associated with Interfaith Power and Light that have active and passive solar systems.

My advice to everyone is to spend all their first money and efforts on conservation before going to active solar systems. As an example, throughout most of the country, an investment of $15,000 in PV panels and an inverter will generally realize about 150 kilowatt hours of energy per month. It's interesting to note that an investment of $50 in a clothesline and clothespins will save about 150 kilowatt hour of energy a month. Perhaps one of the problems is that there are no slick ads for clotheslines.

If you've already done all the conservation efforts, including low-flow showerheads (it takes a lot of energy to move water around besides just heating it), low-flush toilets, front-loading washing machine, and perhaps a very efficient refrigerator, then it is time to look at active solar systems.

What I have noticed in general is that urban and rural faith communities have different sets of concerns based upon the different environments they live in. For instance, asthma and lead or mercury poisoning are much more prevalent in urban areas while people in urban areas often expend much fewer resources in energy in transportation, because they have public transportation available.

In rural communities, the ability to grow one's own food is often available and an option. Also, in rural communities, an understanding of global climate change is often more apparent. For instance, it's hard to go sledding in the city under the best of circumstances, and so someone may not notice that there's less snow falling, while this is more readily apparent to youth in a rural area.

Also, I've found that, in general, poorer people are less able to protect themselves or cope with environmental degradation, i.e. bottled water is expensive. In the third world, access to clean water is a daily dilemma.

Dear Doug,

Your point is well-made. For many, their understanding of the biblical mandate for creation care only extends a few pages into the Bible on either side. This type of shallow dust cover theology misses the vast bulk of writings in the Bible. For instance, the mandate to be fruitful and multiply is also given to all the plant and animals on the planet. We as humans are given dominion over the planet, which should not be confused as license.

When I was a child, my parents gave me a bicycle. I had complete dominion over that bike. They did not have the resources, however, to give me another bicycle if I did not exercise proper dominion.

One of the most important things that we have responsibility for is the care of what is referred to as "the least in the kingdom." In the Ten Commandments we find that the fourth commandment that we are to keep the Sabbath holy as a day of rest. This is the longest commandment in of the Ten Commandments. In it we find that we are supposed to let everyone rest: those that are visiting us, those that would work for us and even the animals in our care. Perhaps one of the reasons that we pay so little attention to animals is that we don't even follow this mental health commandment ourselves. One of the first steps that I stress in creation care is to begin to take a day of rest.

One of the things that I've noticed from observing the friends that my 16 and 18 year old children have over to the house is that their friends have a great interest in things other than TV, they just have to be supplied, i.e. there is nothing more wonderful for a parent than having a dozen teenagers playing a board game on a Friday evening. One thing that parents can do to model this is to invite their children's friends over for food and fellowship time.

One thing that you might suggest to a friend that has some interest is to simply give up television for a period of time, i.e. for Lent, and keep a diary of how their mood and life changes.

Dear Leeanne,

I think it helps for someone in the church to take a leadership role and that does not necessarily have to be a minister. This should be done in the spirit of love and cooperation. Going through a book or course of study together as a small group is an extremely effective tool.

If you're interested, there's a free study guide on Serve God, Save The Planet. When Zondervan's edition of the book comes out, this will be included in the appendices of the book. Another important thing to do is an environmental audit of the church. If there is some resistance to the church changing lightbulbs for instance, simply donate compact fluorescents. If your church uses throw-away plates and utensils for fellowship time, offer to buy silverware and ceramic coffee cups, etc. and offer to wash them.

Another suggestion is to focus on the upcoming Christmas season and have group discussions about how to cut Christmas spending in half and to give more to charitable efforts.

The model of Christ's perfect life is one of sacrifice. Too often in church, we've gotten used to being served and not sacrificing. If we had a savior who washed the feet of a bunch of sailors, is washing the china and cups too much to ask?

I think even more important than worrying about what the world thinks of us is worrying about what God thinks of us. The word "conservative" is based upon the root "conserve". The definition of the word "conserve" is "protect from harm, destruction or wasteful overuse." In that sense, I hope that the whole world becomes conservative and stops using resources in such a liberal fashion. My goal is to put the "conserve" back into "conservative".

The most important person to change is ourselves. Our current environmental problems are unprecedented in their scale and seriousness. Mankind has perhaps never faced a moment like it does now. If love and reason are to triumph, we must recognize that we are in a pitched battle, and we must know who the enemy is. We can view that enemy every morning in the mirror when we brush our teeth, but we can take a second glance and view the world's greatest next ally.

For me, a crucial passage from the Bible comes from Matthew chapter 7, where we are instructed to remove the log that obstructs our own vision before we offer to fix our neighbor's eyesight. When Gandhi read this passage, he rephrased it as, "Be the change you wish to see in the world."

Sociologists point out that generally when 5 to 10 percent of the population to changes their behavior, the rest of the population follows along.

Thanks for the question, and be the change.

I’d like to thank those that wrote in. It has been a new experience for me communicating online and I’d like thank my hosts at CI. I hope to come back and talk with you again.

In parting, I’d simply like to quote one of the most loving people that I have been able to hear personally and leave with her parting wisdom.

“The fruit of silence is prayer
The fruit of prayer is faith
The fruit of faith is love
The fruit of love is service
The fruit of service is peace”
- Mother Teresa