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Religion and the Environment

A Covenant With All Creation

By Pastor Leiser

 However, I also believe that we do not readily accept those gifts.  Sadly, many of us are more concerned with the immediate gratification of self than for the well being of the environment – not understanding or ignoring that we and the environment are intimately connected.  Of course, this is nothing new.  There have been people who have shown a disregard for nature throughout history.  Thankfully, there have also been people, with and without religious affiliations, who have and who do exhibit love towards the environment.

 Treating the environment with love and respect goes hand in hand with the Christian belief of loving God and loving neighbor.  It is obvious that at times Christians fail to live up to this belief.  All too often there is tension between the Christians’ proclamation of love and care for the natural world and their behavior towards the environment.  This really should be no surprise.  Christians, like all people, allow themselves to be manipulated by selfish interests.  It is far too easy to accept assumptions, practices and policies that benefit humanity but not necessarily the environment.  People of all backgrounds have struggled with accepting that humanity has not been given a license to despoil or exploit the environment.

 However, we can be a united in our concern about the health of the environment.  We can realize that the health of the environment is not dependent upon an individual’s or a society’s whims or desires.  Even if we insist, the well being of creation is not centered upon humanity.  Reality is not necessarily how we define it to be.

 Thankfully, there are voices among us that challenge us to examine our values and priorities.  We need to listen to these voices.  These voices remind us that our community is just a small part of creation.   Our notion of community must be expanded to include not only our relationship with people around us but also our relationship with the environment. The voices challenge us not to place our selfish concerns above those of creation.   Indeed, they teach us that our concerns must be those of creation. 

 I believe we are to try to live within the covenant of love that God makes with every living thing:  God said, ‘This is the sign of the covenant that I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all future generations.  I have set my bow in the clouds, and it shall be a sign of the covenant that is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh.  When the bow is in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.  Gen 9: 12-16.  

 So how can we attempt to live within God’s covenant with all creation? We can accept the gifts with which we have been blessed.  We can honor the integrity of the environment.  We can admit that we have abused the environment and accept our responsibility to the world.  Although it is clear that our ability to live in balance with the environment is limited, we can encourage each other to live in a manner that demonstrates our solidarity with the natural world.

 Acknowledgements: Conversations with Pastor Jeff Louden, Shepherd of the Mountain Lutheran Church, Park City; editing with Dr. Jennifer Leiser, Salt Lake City; review by Pastor James Hytjan, Rocky Mountain Synod, Denver, Colorado;  ELCA social statements on creation and environment. For a more in-depth understanding of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America’s stand on environment and creation issues, see “A Social Statement on Caring for Creation:  Vision, Hope, and Justice”and “A Social Statement on Economic Life Sufficient, Sustainable Livelihood for All”  available at http://www.elca.org/dcs/socialstatements.html

This article by Pastor Leiser was part of an ongoing series of essays from the clergy of many diverse religions describing their philosophies concerning the natural world.

Pastor Steve Leiser began his second career as pastor of the Mountain of Faith Lutheran Church in Stansbury Park, Utah after his recent graduation from the Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary in Berkley, California. His church is affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America. Although Steve had a degree in Plant Pathology and had worked toward a graduate degree, he decided to become a housing contractor. Steve, who was constantly being pulled toward a religious vocation, has now found the profession he loves as a member of the Lutheran clergy.  With a ministry focused on a joining of individuals in the discovery of faith and community, Steve looks forward to a bright future for his church.  Steve is married and the father of four children. He loves to hike in the mountains behind his house and finds the solitude of the Wasatch Mountains a perfect place for meditation and reflection. 

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