Climate Change & Christianity

The Word of God places the responsibility of the Earth in our hands, so why don't churches talk about environmental issues? Why aren't we mobilizing against the pollution of our planet the way we mobilize against other issues?

²⁶Then God said, “Let Us make mankind in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the livestock and over all the earth, and over every crawling thing that crawls on the earth.” ²⁷So God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. ²⁸God blessed them; and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” Genesis 1:26-28 NASB

definition

Dominion [1]

noun

1. : DOMAIN
2. law : supreme authority : SOVEREIGNTY
   having dominion over the natural world
3. dominions plural, Christianity : an order of angels
   — see CELESTIAL HIERARCHY
4. often capitalized, government : a self-governing nation of the Commonwealth of Nations other than the United Kingdom that acknowledges the British monarch as chief of state
5. law : absolute ownership

Our Responsibility

• Mankind was given dominion over the earth
• It is our responsibility to care for the Earth
• As we fall deeper into sin, we fail at the initial task God gave us: rule over the Earth
• Our sins are what lead to the final judgment, which is to be proceeded by cataclysmic events (Matthew 24; Revelation)
• Many of the events prophesied to occur during the end times sound a lot like Climate Change...

Climate Change	End Times
caused by people's actions	casued by people's actions (sin)
affects the climate of the Earth, can cause storms, earthquakes, famines, etc.	earthquakes, wars, famines, pestilence

Important Documentaries to Watch

• The Devil We Know
• A Plastic Ocean

Both are on Netflix

The Devil We Know

• Teflon was created by 3M and DuPont, and began distribution in the 1940's[2]
• Cancer rates have been drastically increasing since at least the 1970's (note, Teflon pans were "ok'd" for cooking in the 60s)[3]
• The creation of Teflon requires the productions of PFOA, PFAS, and/or C8 (all of which are carcinogenic)
• 3M warned DuPont about the hazards of these chemicals in the 1980s and by the 1990s, DuPont knew they were carcinogenic[4]
• DuPont continues to produce PFOA, PFAS, and/or C8 in the making of Teflon until 2015, when they were finally "held accountable" in court[4]
• DuPont dumped these chemicals in the Ohio River and polluted the entire world between the beginning of Teflon in 1940 until 2015
• No one was sentenced to jail[4]
• DuPont was given a 3 year period to phase out the use of PFOA, PFAS, and C8 in producing Teflon
• Now they produce GenX[5]
  • Inital studies show that GenX is also carcinogenic
  • It has been found in the water of North Carolina where DuPont has a facility
• Further Reading:
  • Dark Waters Tells the True Story of the Lawyer Who Took DuPont to Court and Won. But Rob Bilott’s Fight Is Far From Over
  • Study Links Teflon Chemical to Higher Cancer Rates"

A Plastic Ocean

• Plastic doesn't break down and is ending up in our ocean
• Bacteria grows on the plastic and toxins leech out into the fish in the ocean[6]
• The toxins released into fish, are then consumed by humans eating said fish[6]
• Fish and birds are consuming and dying from this plastic
• China started refusing our recycling[7]

Our Fault

• The environmental issues in our world are caused by greed and selfishness
• Both greed and selfishness are sins the Bible warns us about (specifically in the last days!)
• 1 Timothy 6:10

For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, slanderers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, 2 Timothy 3:2 NASB

The Importance of Water

• Scientifically, water is the sole reason for life on Earth
• Let's look at water in the Bible:
  • God's Spirit hoovers over the waters at Creation (Genesis 1)
  • God destroys the world with water during the flood (Genesis 6)
  • Baptism by water represents salvation and points to eternal life (Matthew 3:16)
  • Yeshua/Jesus—the living water—is sent to bring salvation and eternal life (John 4:10)
  • In the final days, the water will be poisoned (Revelation 8:11)

The star is named Wormwood; and a third of the waters became wormwood, and many people died from the waters because they were made bitter. Revelation 8:11 NASB

• The implications of destroying our water supply are being fulfilled both literally and symbolically

References

1. "Dominion". Merriam Webster; visited May 2021
2. "Perfluorooctanoic Acid (PFOA), Teflon, and Related Chemicals". Cancer.org; visited May 2021
3. William A. Haseltine. "Cancer Rates Are On The Rise In Adolescents And Young Adults New Study Shows". Forbes. December 9, 2020
4. Nathaniel Rich. "The Lawyer Who Became DuPont’s Worst Nightmare". New York Times. January 6, 2016
5. Alex Formuzis. "EPA: GenX Nearly as Toxic as Notorious Non-Stick Chemicals It Replaced". Environmental Working Group. November 14, 2018
6. Gianna Andrews. "Plastics in the Ocean Affecting Human Health. Geology and Human Health; visited May 2021
7. Kenneth Rapoza. "China Doesn’t Want The World’s Trash Anymore. Including ‘Recyclable’ Goods.". Forbes. November 29, 2020