Christian Prophetic Leadership for the Environment

Abstract

This essay argues that God calls twenty-first-century Christians to provide prophetic leadership on the environment. Christians should see this prophetic leadership as part of faithful discipleship, helping to fulfill our human role as stewards of God's good creation. This is, fundamentally, a spiritual crisis. The first step which the Church must take for prophetic leadership is to confess and lament our past and present failures to be good stewards of creation. Accepting God's forgiveness, the Church must “re-calibrate” its understanding of the Trinity, re-focusing on the creative work of the first person of the Trinity and our corresponding work as stewards of creation. American Christians must also be good stewards of our American citizenship by working for laws and regulations that promote a sustainable society. Finally, the Church must cast a vision of the good and happy life that is an alternative to the prevailing, secular vision that promises happiness through the consumption of more and more goods and services. Christianity has an alternative vision of the good life, informed by spiritual growth and renewal, discipleship, community, and love.