BROADCASTING THROUGH ALL THE EARTH:Ý

Science	Ethics	Action	Author
Au Sable
serviced by the: Christian Environmental Studies Center @ Montreat College http://cesc.montreat.edu

Broadcasting through All the Earth:

Creation's Evangelical Testimony

Calvin B. DeWitt

"The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge. There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard. Their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world." -- Ps. 19:1-4 (NIV)

Worldwide evangelical broadcasting pre-dates Christian radio and television by centuries. It is such powerful broadcasting that not only has every person been reached, but everyone is without excuse about knowing of God's everlasting power and divinity. This earliest of broadcasters, of course, is Creation itself: "For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities -- his eternal power and divine nature -- have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse" (Rom. 1:20, NIV; cf Acts 14:17).

While Creation's evangelical voice continues to be broadcast, it is increasingly jammed and attenuated-- its reception distorted and blocked by separation of people from God's works, its message diminished by Creation's degradation. People are becoming alienated from the Creator and Creation's testimony, confined within their own creations -- the concrete and steel of buildings and freeways, studios and offices, apartments and corridors. And Creation's witness is being impoverished by environmental degradation.

Consider the following: (1) alteration of Earth's energy exchange with the sun; (2) degradation of land by erosion and desertification; (3) deforestation of primary forests; (4) extinction of over 5 species each day; (5) defilement of groundwater by households, storage tanks and landfills; (6) toxification of global circulations of air and water; and (7) decimation of long-standing, ecologically sensitive human societies.

Silencing Creation's Testimony

The silencing of Creation's witness to its Creator-- impoverishment of Creation's ability to bring God praise-- is cause for deep concern for Christians, and particularly for Christian broadcasters who also work to bring the knowledge of God to the world. Creation-- a partner in evangelical broadcasting-- is being "put off the air."

During recent decades, impoverishment of Creation's testimony has been of little concern to people who proclaim God as Creator and Savior of the world. Instead, it has been primarily non-Christians who have been concerned about the environment. Some Christians argued that they did not want to look like pantheists or "New Agers." Still others argued, "Since this world is going to be destroyed anyway, why take care of it?" And nearly everybody has resisted environmental concern because it calls for conversion to a new way of life.

Such arguments are brought up short by the Scriptures, including Revelation 11:18, "The time has come... for destroying those who destroy the earth." (NIV). Christians who have confronted this scriptural proclamation, made at the sounding of the judgement's last trumpet, may ask at this time of Creation's destruction, "What must a Christian do in times like these?"

Affirming Christ as Creator

Clearly, one must investigate the Scriptures. And with John 3:16, the Bible proclaims that God, who declared Creation good (Gen. 1), loves the world He has made. And God's love for the world is immense-- so great that He gives His only Son to buy back the world from sin and degradation, even to the death of His Son upon a cross (Phil. 2:8). Who is this Son? He is the Savior who saves his people from their sins (Matt. 1:21). He also is the one through Whom the whole world was made (John 1:1-4) and is held together (Col 1:16-17). And this makes all the difference, both in His saving power, and in the way Christians live in Creation. Not only are all things created and sustained by Him, but by Him all things are reconciled (Col. 1:20). Creation owes its origin and integrity to Jesus Christ. In Jesus Christ all things are also made right again.

Disciples of the Last Adam

The first 11 chapters of Genesis tell how people chose to be disciples of the first Adam, bringing arrogant abuse to Creation, and falling short of the glory of God (Rom. 3:23). While people will likely follow the first Adam-- the way of death-- the scriptures urge people to become disciples of the last Adam-- Jesus Christ (I Cor. 15:45). They point to the way of life (John 14:6). "For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive" (I Cor. 15:22, NIV). By giving His Son God retrieves the world He loves from degradation and death.

How do disciples of the last Adam behave on earth? They undo the work of the first Adam and do what the first Adam was supposed to have done. They keep the Creation (Gen.2:15) as God keeps His people (Num. 6:24). Imaging God-- exercising dominion in the manner of Christ (Phil 2:5-8)-- Christians join their Creator in caring for the land, continually keeping an eye on it (Deut 11:11-12). As the fruit of God's work satisfies the earth (Ps. 104:13)-- by God's provision of food, water, nesting sites and habitat for the animals, (and His planting of the cedars of Lebanon) (Ps. 104)-- so Christians satisfy Creation by the fruit of their work.

Putting Belief Into Practice

As Christians find the evangelical voice of Creation being diminished, isn't it their task and privilege to restore and open up Creation's evangelical testimony and wit ness? Is it not to reduce and remove the alienation of people from God's works and their convicting message? Is it not to proclaim the kingdom of God as a rich and full alternative to pantheism and the New Age? Is it not to give evangelical witness to a full-orbed Christian environmental stewardship?

Is it not to protect Creation where it still has God-intended integrity? Is it not to address each of Creation's degradations, working against these by reconciling all things? Is it not to see environmental concerns as vitally relevant to confessing Jesus Christ? Is it not to satisfy Creation's eager expectation of Christians becoming plainly visible -- revealed as the children of God who profess in thought, word, and deed, Jesus Christ as Creator, sustainer and reconciler of all things (Rom. 8:19)?

The Role of Christian Broadcasters

As Christian broadcasters do their work, they join with another broadcaster of God's everlasting power and divinity-- they join with Creation. In this time of Creation's degradation and impoverished ability to bring God praise, Christian broadcasters can respond by bringing to audiences a new awareness of Creation and Creation's testimony. They can encourage audiences to break down their alienation from Creation, to counter its degradation, and to restore to fullness its testimony to the Creator.

By broadcasting psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs that make rich and full reference to the Creator and Creation, by encouraging churches to be Creation awareness centers, by introducing and explicating biblical teachings on Christian environmental stewardship, Christian broadcasters can join with all Creation in singing "Praise God from whom all blessings flow, Praise Him all creatures here below."

The time has come to reaffirm in word and deed belief in God as Creator, and in Jesus Christ -- the last Adam -- the One through whom all things were created, hold together, and are reconciled. To put such reaffirmed belief into practice means that Christians will so behave on earth that heaven will not be a shock to them!

Reprinted with permission from Calvin B. DeWitt, The Christian Broadcaster and the Environment, Religious Broadcasting magazine, February 1992. Revised and abridged.

Please mail any comments to Dr. Mark Lassiter.