It’s time for Seventh-day Adventists to be more active in environmental issues, says Dr. John T. Baldwin, a professor of theology at the Seventh-day Adventist Seminary at Andrews University, United States.
“Proper care for God’s creation is a theme emphasized throughout the Bible—in its imagery, in the doctrine of creation, and in its teaching about the seventh-day Sabbath,” says Baldwin.
But Christians in general have been perceived as less interested in environmentalism than many secular groups, he acknowledges. “Even worse, some Christians take a “throw-away” attitude to the environment,” says Baldwin, “reasoning that, according to Scripture, the earth will eventually be destroyed.”
Baldwin has explored the relationship between Adventism and environmentalism in a paper he presented at a meeting between representatives of the Adventist Church and the World Alliance of Reformed Churches in Jongny sur Vevey, Switzerland, April 1 to 7.
Entitled “Keepers of the Garden: Christians and the Environment—An Adventist Perspective,” the paper takes a closer look at the Biblical bases for ecological responsibility and the role Adventists should play in caring for the environment.
“Only when our decisions and actions regarding the environment favor a sustainable, healthy habitat for all humanity, can we truly be called ‘faithful keepers of the garden,’” says Baldwin.
Christianity has something to offer that secular environmental organizations lack, he adds. “It offers an antidote to the self-interest and greed that is at the root of much environmental abuse or neglect. The real answer is a spiritual one.”
In his paper, Baldwin draws out Biblical imagery that he says “encourages our environmental sensibilities.” Among the many Biblical passages he explores is the creation account contained in Genesis, where humans are given the responsibility of caring for their environment. Baldwin also notes the powerful environmental imagery of Revelation, the final book of the Bible, including the command to “worship him who made heaven and earth, the sea and the fountains of water.”
Often Christians have treated the earth as something that is disposable, Baldwin says. “We must distance ourselves from that understanding.”
“In Revelation 7, verse 3, we are told ‘Do not harm the earth or the sea or the trees.’ In other words, ‘Be careful with this world I have made.’ While the world will someday be destroyed, it must be treated as precious in the meantime.”
The Adventist Church, which has proclaimed the Biblical teaching of the Sabbath for more than 150 years, has a unique perspective to offer, says Baldwin.
“The Sabbath day is a weekly reminder of the amazing creative ability of God,” he explains. “It is celebrated as a memorial of God’s power to renew the environment, based on His power to create and sustain earth.”
In 1996, the Adventist Church released an official church statement affirming the importance of environmental care, calling for a “reformation of lifestyle” based on “respect for nature, restraint in the use of the world’s resources, reevaluation of one’s needs, and reaffirmation of the dignity of created life.”
Local Adventist church groups and individual church members around the world have also been involved in community initiatives to care for the environment. Baldwin applauds the work of Dennis Woodland, a biology professor at Andrews University, who has led an effort to raise environmental awareness both on campus and within the local Adventist community in Berrien Springs, Michigan.
“But these are just the small foothills,” says Baldwin. “I think it’s time to move vigorously ahead on this.”
Environmental care is both an individual and corporate responsibility, says Baldwin, and acknowledging that responsibility is an essential part in stepping up an Adventist response to environmental challenges.