On July 23rd, Mark McReynolds, the Eco-Pastor for the Pacific Southwest Mennonite Conference, spoke to us at PMC on creation care. Mark has a BS in natural science, and MDiv, and a PhD in natural science.

Mark told a story about being an exhibitor at a booth for a 6th grade science camp at a Christian camp. His display told that roughly 90% of big redwoods had been cut down, 5% are protected, and 5% are in some sort of method of preservation. He demonstrated the numbers for PMC by cutting a strip of wood with a circular saw. He wanted us to see the extent of resources that had been destroyed. A young woman stopped by the camp booth, yet thought that God knew the redwoods would be cut down, and that they were for our use — no holds barred. She was okay with that.

Mark taught a class on eco-action for kids at this camp, stressing good stewardship of God’s creation: water conservation, turning off lights, recycling, etc. One teacher evaluation of his class saw his teaching as conformity to the world, and another liked it and felt that Christians should be leading the way in terms of creation care. Both were Christian perspectives.

Are Christians leading the way? Support varies widely among denominations. But there is a Mennonite creation care network. But Mark has noticed over much experience bridging science and theology, that most of the environmental work — caring for God’s creation — is done by secular organizations.

Should there be Christian organizations included here? Mark thinks yes. He introduces us to a few out there: Arocha International, and Arocha National, who he works with nationally on creation care curriculum,the Eco-Church, and Arocha Arts, song writer workshops in Nashville making creation care music CDs and working on backyard habitats; and the Church of Creation in Southern CA.

So why is it that American Christians who profess love of God the Creator do so little to care for what God made and declared very good? Why can we see the same conservation problem and come to radically different viewpoints? We’ve bought into our culture’s secular scientific materialistic view of the environment. We no longer see that earth is crammed with heaven and every bush afire with God. (Elizabeth Barrett Browning)

Mark goes on to discuss this divide, and goes on to beautifully share through scripture about how we’re called to care for God’s creation. Hear more in the recording below.

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