Greetings, Boston Faith and Justice Network! As we enter into the second half of the year, we also enter into a new focus area for BFJN: Climate Change. Over the coming months, we hope to learn alongside you with the goal of becoming better stewards of this planet and this life that God has so graciously given us.

Now, where to begin?

Although it is certainly important to learn the basics of climate change, how it intersects with our daily lives, and how to combat it, this is not where we start our journey. These things will come, but first, I’m going to talk about my own Christian conviction in this area with hope that you too can find your avenue into the issue.

For most of my life, I was taught that climate change was not a real problem and I certainly never believed that there was a Christian duty to care. So, up until college, I operated in this mindset. I simply lived in the world, unaware of the impact of my everyday actions.  

Upon arriving at Gordon College in 2020, I found myself registering for classes. Attempting to get my core requirements out of the way, I signed up for an Environmental Science class thinking, “No labs? This should be easy!” But this class served as the seed that eventually grew to become my passion for environmental justice. Through this class, I learned about the impacts of my everyday actions, the amount of pollution in the world, and the extent of the climate crisis. I became painfully aware of the damage that has been done. From there, I took a class on environmental ethics, read a lot of books, and started having conversations with friends and family. These things all contributed to my newfound passion for the environment and my desire to be a better steward. However, it has been my own journey through the Bible that has equipped me with the heart for God’s creation. 

In the beginning, the book of Genesis explains that God created the world. All of it. The plants, animals, forests, oceans, desserts, ponds, lakes, and human beings. We often focus on the verses detailing God’s creation of mankind, formed out of the dirt of the earth. But what about the rest of the picture? God intentionally created every aspect of the natural world that we witness today. He intimately knows and cares for all of His created beings and calls them good. And, God placed mankind over His creation, not to dominate and use the fruits of the earth for ill-intention or personal gain, but rather to selflessly care for, and ultimately bring the glory back to Him who created it all. 

Every time I step outside of my home into God’s creation, I am immediately blown away by this reality. The Psalmist writes that all of creation sings praises to the Lord. When I step out into nature, I feel this as well. I can’t help but look around and appreciate the intricate details of the world around me. The coloring on the blue jay or the variety of flowers in the field. And when I think about God’s goodness and care reflected back to me through nature, I begin to feel the weight of the responsibility that is caring for this creation. This is where my Christian conviction to steward the planet is found.

As I stand in awe and gratitude for the world around me, I stand in reverence to the Lord for His great gifts. And in this posture, I realize my obligation to care for creation. I am still growing and learning how to practice justice for the environment in all areas of my life. I have just embarked on my journey. But through God’s grace, I do not intend to stop.

This is my story, the avenue that I have found, leading me to fulfilling my duty as a human being to care for the earth. I encourage you to think and pray to find where God is leading you in this area so that you too can develop care, compassion and concern for the world around you.