AR: God Was a Recycler

As noted previously (link), the Adventist Review has been posting updates on the International Conference on the Bible and Science. News editor Andrew McChesney reports on two presentations regarding environmentalism or creation care. Steve Dunbar, a marine biologist at Loma Linda University and co-editor of Entrusted, asked the group, "Should Seventh-day Adventists care for the environment more than the rest of the world?" Dunbar continued:

“It’s interesting that some research has been done, and what it has found is Christians are measurably less interested in caring for the environment.”

Dunbar said he was reminded of the Israelites’ complete apathy toward the environment as described by God in Jeremiah 12:10, 11: “Many rulers have ravaged My vineyard, trampling down the vines and turning all its beauty into a barren wilderness. They have made it an empty wasteland; I hear its mournful cry. The whole land is desolate. And no one even cares” (NLT).

“No one cares,” Dunbar said. “What a statement for God to say about Israel, His chosen people. Not even one cares.”

He said Adventists more than anyone have reason to care about the environment because they should understand the biblical teaching that the Earth is owned not by humans but by God.

The second presenter to address environmental issues was Jo Ann Davidson, a professor at Andrews University Theological Seminary. Davidson shared "that the Bible contains a 'robust doctrine' in support of the environment from the first pages of Genesis to the last pages of Revelation, and she said that Adventists needed to adopt 'a more worldly attitude.'" She continued, "It seems curious to me and even remarkable that Seventh-day Adventist Christians who believe in the divine creation of this world … have rarely acknowledged that the biblical parameters of stewardship involve more than money.”

The entire article can be read online here.