- Jul 12, 2004
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The Green Bible
New Revised Standard Version
(HarperOne, 1312pgs, $30h)
New Revised Standard Version
(HarperOne, 1312pgs, $30h)
How is a Christian to respond to environmentalism? Personally, I cringe when I see someones trash dumped along roadsides and I wonder if maybe we could serve our planet better every time I pass by industrial smokestacks profitably billowing great clouds of pollution into the air I happen to be breathing along the Interstate I happen to be driving. Some of my friends have accused me of buying into left-wing propaganda when I complain about it. I want to help clean up the planet without joining the Sierra Club but facing my vociferous friends is a bit intimidating. I guess you might call me a closet environmentalist. I just quietly pick up peoples gum wrappers and try to mind my own business.
But I am noticing that more and more prominent Christians lifting their voices about the way we are treating Mother Earth. Recently, I heard a speaker at a conference, a well-known evangelical, bluntly say that Gods directive for humans to have dominion over Mother Earth did not give us a license to rape her (his words, not mine). He went on to point out that Gods first assignment to mankind was to tend his garden; not exploit it. With guys like that leading the way, I am slowly easing out of the closet.
So I was intrigued to learn that Harper Publishers has released The Green Bible in the New Revised Standard Version, an edition with more than 1,000 passages highlighted in green that address God's love for creation and the challenges we face as stewards of his green earth. Despite decades of reading scripture, I had no idea those verses I had applied to other areas of life were actually talking about my responsibility as a warden of Gods creation. So much of what Jesus said had to do with the earth: fields sown with seed, vineyards filled with grapes, wheat ready to harvest, fig trees, vines, and gardens all figure prominently in his teaching.
The Green Bible does not just preach at you, it actually practices what it preaches. Produced in an eco-friendly printing process with soy-based inks, recycled paper, with a cotton/linen cover, it opens with St. Francis "Canticle of the Creatures" followed by Wendell Berry's poem "The Clearing Rests in Song and Shade. J. Matthew Sleeth provides an essay on "The Power of a Green God," and Calvin DeWitt gives us "Reading the Bible through a Green Lens." Other articles are offered by N. T. Wright, Brian McLaren, Desmond Tutu, Pope John Paul II, Ellen Bernstein, and others reflecting Catholic, Protestant, and Jewish perspectives. The Green Bible also has the following features: historical quotes on Christian teachings about creation from Augustine to C. S. Lewis; a Green Bible Trail study guide which accentuates Bible passages that touch on six green themes in the Scriptures; a green subject index that includes listings of Bible passages that cover such topics as animals, caring for your neighbor, land and water, plus a resource guide with suggestions on how to start a green group in your church and simple ways to practice creation care in daily life.
It may be a tad overly-ecumenical for some and will not appeal everybody but for those interested in what the Bible says about environmental issues it can be a helpful resource.
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