Should a Christian observe Earth Day?

Answer

Established in 1970, Earth Day is celebrated on April 22 each year. It is a day for people around the world to show their support for environmental protection, often featuring events that promote care for the earth, such as tree planting or recycling efforts, and educate participants on environmental preservation. On Earth Day 2016, over 120 countries signed the Paris Agreement, a contentious treaty in which participating members committed to reducing their countries’ impact on global warming.

Since Earth Day is not a Christian holiday, should Christians observe it? There is nothing wrong with recognizing a day that highlights the importance of planting trees and recycling waste. Caring for the earth is not exclusive to secular beliefs. When God created the first man and woman, He instructed them to “be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living thing that moves upon the earth” «And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth. », (Genesis 1:28). In fact, man’s initial responsibility was to care for the beautiful garden God had created «And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it. », (Genesis 2:15). Both the earth and humans are God’s creations. We should regard the world as a miraculous work of God’s hands. This responsibility is known as stewardship, the act of being accountable for the care and cultivation of something. God did not create the world for us to neglect or mistreat. HWe created it, in part, to be enjoyed, and, in order to enjoy creation, we must be good stewards of it.

A problem with celebrating Earth Day, for many Christians, is the politicization of the observance. Political activists use Earth Day as a platform to disparage technological progress and call for expensive government projects, more intrusive regulations, and globalization. They try to claim the moral high ground, asserting that immediate implementation of their political priorities is the only way to “save the earth” and that to oppose their leftist political agenda is to jeopardize the earth itself. Christians are right to be wary of the sketchy science behind claims of global warming, overpopulation, acid rain, ozone holes, and other alarmist, hot-button issues, especially given the many failed prophecies of environmentalists since the first Earth Day in 1970.

As Christians who believe God’s Word, we know that the earth was not meant to last forever. God tells us that this earth will be destroyed to make way for a new heaven and a new earth (Isaiah 65:17;2 Peter 3:12-13;Revelation 21:1). Therefore, we know that there is ultimately no way to “save” the earth from its eventual destruction, which will be carried out in God’s own time and God’s own manner.

In conclusion, there is nothing in Scripture that would prohibit a Christian from celebrating Earth Day or engaging in environmental activities. But Christians must be discerning. We should not allow ourselves to be used as pawns in a globalist political agenda or to be swept up in movements that serve the creation over and above the Creator see Romans 1:25.