Faith and the Environment
Isn’t It Time We Act With The Same Compassion For The Earth As We Do For People?
April 20, 2025
Opinion
On Easter, Christians like me are reminded that the world God created is good—so good that Christ “became flesh and made his dwelling among us” (John 1:14), suffered, died, and rose again. This isn’t just a spiritual truth; it’s a bold declaration that God deeply values the physical world.
Yet many Christians, shaped by a false divide between the spiritual and material, live as if heaven matters more than the earth God made. But from the very beginning, God gave humanity a vocation: to “work and take care of” creation (Genesis 2:15). That calling wasn’t revoked—it was reaffirmed in Christ. Jesus didn’t come to just save souls. He healed bodies, fed the hungry, touched the earth with His feet and His hands.
His resurrection affirms not just the hope of heaven, but the worth of this world. To follow Christ is to care for what He cared for—including the creation He died to redeem.
While some churches do take action to serve the vulnerable, far too many remain on the sidelines. As Christians, we’re called not just to care in theory, but to act—to feed the hungry, heal the sick, and reflect God’s love in tangible ways. When we see the sick and the hungry, we are compelled not to just sit around discussing the problems of healthcare and poverty but instead, to act by building food pantries and hospitals.
So, why hasn’t that same urgency been applied to the environment? Why aren’t we installing solar panels, organizing clean-ups, creating pollinator gardens or planting trees in our neighborhoods? If we truly believe creation matters to God, then caring for it should be part of our witness. Isn’t it time we act with the same compassion and conviction for the earth as we do for people?
Just as James claims that faith without works is dead (James 2:17), concern for creation without tangible steps forward leaves both our spirits and our world in distress. This Easter, we are reminded that resurrection is not passive; it is a call to new life and renewal, which includes caring for our planet.
What Can I Do? It Turns Out – LOTS!
Just as we seek to clothe the poor (Matthew 25:36), we must also ensure that our clothing choices do not harm others or the earth. That might sound unlikely but unfortunately it is all too true. How?
Our Fashion for the Earth campaign highlights how our environmental choices are a real justice issue. Fast fashion often becomes garment waste and much of it is shipped to countries in the Global South and burned, thereby depleting the quality of their air, soil and water. Even when it is not burned but dumped in landfills, these mountains of abandoned clothes leach chemicals into soil and ultimately poisons water sources. Again disproportionately harming vulnerable communities.
How can we act to counter all of this? Stop buying fast fashion and start shopping second hand instead; by donating clothes we no longer wear to Goodwill not throwing them away and by embracing hand-me-downs, choosing quality over quantity and buying less. Together, these simple choices can honor both people and the planet.
What Else?
Similarly, pollution from fossil fuels has poisoned places like “Cancer Alley,” a 85-mile stretch along the Mississippi River in Louisiana, known for its high concentration of petrochemical plants and unusually high cancer rates among nearby residents. Residents largely from marginalized communities who suffer extreme health consequences as a result.
Jesus healed the sick and cared for the suffering—shouldn’t we be working to prevent these illnesses plaguing these communities in the first place? As a non-polluting source of energy, renewables, like solar and wind, are not just about mitigating the climate crisis but also about minimizing public health risks.
Plus, the renewable energy industry is expected to create nearly 4 times as many new jobs than the fossil fuel industry, not to mention they are safer and well paid. Now is the time to advocate for a transition to renewable energy by signing EARTHDAY.ORG’s letter telling lawmakers to support clean energy, push for investments in green jobs, and make choices that help reduce our reliance on fossil fuels. Let’s be part of the solution for both people and the planet.
Planet vs Plastics
Moreover, plastics, made largely from oil, have infiltrated our bodies and are associated with a range of medical conditions. Microplastics are tiny fragment of plastics, no bigger than a grain of rice, that shed off pretty much everything made from plastics, from kitchenware, to food packaging to our polyester clothes to the plastic coating on cash register receipts.
They have been found in human blood, our major organs, and even breast milk. The very substances polluting our oceans are now inside of us. This blurring of boundaries between what we consume and what we become reinforces the idea that we cannot separate ourselves from creation.
When Christ took on flesh, He affirmed the goodness of the body—shouldn’t we protect it from harm? Reducing plastic waste is an act of reverence for the body God has given each of us. So let’s take action by reducing our use of single-use plastics, choosing alternatives like reusable bags and bottles, and by signing the Global Plastics Treaty, advocating for policies that limit plastic production and waste. Together, we can protect our health and the planets too.
As we approach Easter, we are reminded that Christ’s resurrection affirms the goodness of creation. Jesus, in His sacrifice and victory, showed that the physical world matters deeply to God. This Easter let’s commit to reflecting God’s love not only by caring for the vulnerable but also by caring for the Earth He entrusted to us. Let’s take action, just as Christ did, to care for His creation. Make Earth Day full of positive action for our collective benefit.
