Moral Ground 2010: A Seminary Student's Perspective

"We should care for [Earth] because God obviously does."

 ~ Leslie Montgomery, seminary student at Cornerstone University

 

Do we have a moral or ethical responsibility to preserve planet earth? Many Christians hold the conservative view that our body is a temple of the holy spirit and therefore feel a moral and ethical call to preserve it. But what about the planet? Do Christians feel a moral and ethical to preserve Earth as well? Leslie Montgomery, a seminary student at Cornerstone University, has a lot to say about the human call to preserve the planet, a view she believes that many, Christian or not, might find controversial.

Asked whether we have a moral responsibility to preserve the planet, Leslie answers, “Yes, and I have a book that would help you with that. It is called Heaven is a Place on Earth.”  She explains. “God is going to come back to the earth and restore this place, so we should take care of the earth now. We should care for it, because God obviously does.”

She suggests that heaven is not actually a place in the sky but rather right here on this earth. The earth is corrupted right now by the sin of people and the devil’s work, but when Jesus comes back the earth as we know it will cease to exist and He will make it heaven. Therefore, she explains, we should do our best to preserve this planet because God obviously cares about it enough to come back and make it heaven.

In Heaven is a Place on Earth, Michael E. Wittmer explains: "This world is a beautiful place in which to live. It was very good when it left God’s hand, it remains good despite our sin, and it will one day be restored to its original goodness.”

Whether we as humans are called to preserve the planet because of our religious beliefs is a question each person must decide on his or her own. As Leslie points out, religious reasons are often some of the strongest reasons behind the good people do, and working to preserve the planet is indeed a good thing.