Argumentative Essay On Environmentalism

In recent decades, concern about environmentalism has risen on a worldwide scale. Environmentalism is defined by Merriam Webster as the “advocacy of the preservation, restoration, or improvement of the natural environment; especially: the movement to control pollution” (Merriam Webster). In the United States, we have the Environmental Protection Agency, but the positions and policies that come from that department are highly politicized. Within the Christian community specifically, the controversy is not necessarily because of environmentalism itself as there is a mainstream consensus that Christians are to be good stewards of Creation. Rather, the debates are really centered on what “good stewards” should do. Some of the biggest controversy

In Left, Right, & Christ, Lisa Sharon Harper describes God’s rule as “characterized by emphatic love, blessing, provision, and protection” (Harper and Innes 185). This theme is reflected in Genesis 2, which goes into great detail about the way that the Garden of Eden was beautiful and perfectly designed to be good. However, this theme is not just confined to the Creation narrative, it resonates throughout many parts of the Bible. Psalm 104 again echoes that the design of God’s creation causes it to be good and that God’s provision can be seen through nature. The psalmist writes, “They all depend on you to give them food as they need it. When you supply it, they gather it. You open your hand to feed them and they are richly satisfied” (Psalm 104:27-28). When liberal Christians read these passages and apply them to environmentalism, they usually conclude that humanity should care for the environment in the same way that God cares for all of creation. Humans should not destroy the Earth through their greedy desires, but should respect and protect it, as it was a God-given gift. Thus, advocating for policies and engaging in daily practices that protect the environment are not just actions based on a political stance, but are ways to fulfill a mandate to be good stewards of what humanity was

The purpose of environmentalism is not just to preserve the environment we were entrusted with, it is also to ensure that the lifestyle of people with power does not continue to come at the expense of those without it, and to ensure that future generations do not have to struggle for resources. Harper delineates the history of oppression and destruction caused by greedy use of resources and irresponsible actions that damaged the environment. She gives examples of Native Americans being pushed off lands so miners could strip it of its resources, Polynesian islanders in danger of losing their land to rising ocean waters, and of the toxic side effects people have endured from exposure to radiation from atomic bombs and from exposure to pesticides (186-188). Similarly, in his book Jesus for President, Shane Claiborne goes as far as to call for a reduction in fossil fuel use because of the connection between war and oil (247). Regardless of what specific environment related issues liberal Christians focus on, it is clear that they believe that the end goal for environmental policies is not just to preserve some land, but to make the world a better place to live for all