Adventist Review – Letter to the Editor

Because the following Letter to the Editor has gone unpublished, I thought I’d post it here. Elements of this letter have appeared in some of my other AEA musings.

Dear Adventist Review Editor:

I appreciated Roy Adam’s important discussion of the environment in his November 8, 2007 editorial, “Sweat the Small Stuff.” As Seventh-day Adventists, we celebrate creation and its Creator every Sabbath. We also understand that planetary health affects personal health, a traditional SDA value. Yet, I have encountered a strong antipathy for “environmentalism.”

For example, I recently asked a group of Adventists what words they associate with “environmentalist.” The responses included liberals, pointless, new age, liars and fear-mongers. Not one word was spoken with a positive tone of voice. Because old labels build emotional walls, some God-fearing ecologists have adopted the term “creation care.” Regardless, I can understand why some of my non-Christian friends think that Christians have little concern for the environment.

Maybe we need to spend more time caring for God’s creation rather than simply defending its divine origin. Let’s keep doing the critical small stuff, which collectively makes a significant difference, and we should also continue posting excellent statements of belief about our Father’s world (www.adventist.org/beliefs/statements/index.html).

And what else? Could our colleges and universities partner with A Rocha? Matthew Sleeth, M.D., A Rocha’s USA director, teaches that keeping Sabbath is one of the most significant ways to care for our earth. Might our church or ACS properties hold bins for community recycling? Could Unions or the GC add an Officer of Corporate Social Responsibility? How about a green issue of the Adventist Review?

Sincerely,
Jeff Boyd

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