Let’s talk eschatology! (End Times)
One of the things I come across a lot when I have spoken to Christians on the fence about climate change, is that solving the planet’s crisis is not necessary, because Jesus will return and solve everything in the end. If their eschatology results in the entirety of creation burning up in a fireball, then why save it? Why protect it? It is already lost in eternity.
The biggest issue with ignoring climate change is that it is harming people now. Christians are called to care for all of our neighbors, whatever the cost. Especially the poor, the widow and the orphan. Those three groups are disproportionately affected by climate change. And yet they have done the least to cause it. These are the very groups Jesus spent the most time with. Do we deny this call simply because he will redeem it in the end? No. If any of us is able to reduce human suffering even just a little bit, we must. Or we will be found guilty.
The Good Samaritan is a Bible story most Christians are familiar with. But recently, my eyes were opened to a new application. See, at the core, the story is about how we treat our neighbors and who our neighbors are. What does this look like when we consider climate change?
The man, beaten, attacked and robbed, is like those living in poverty in the midst of climate change disaster. Who are we in the scenario? Will we be the religious who turn a blind eye, and walk on by? Will we choose ignorance? Will we selfishness? Or will we be the Samaritan? Will we do what we can to solve the problems of those being harmed? Will we willingly be inconvenienced in order to heal, support financially, and shelter those most affected by climate change?
I’m afraid that most Christians are willing to turn away. We see solving climate change as too big a sacrifice. It requires us to focus on the marginalized, the outcast, the refugee. It gets our hands dirty and it points out our sin. Most Christians in the United States, and Europe are considerably wealthy compared to the rest of the world. The sacrifice of our luxuries, our independence, our time goes against our culture and makes solving climate change so much more difficult.
What would it look like to orient our thinking to a Jesus mindset around climate change? To challenge the Western worldview of greed and capitalism for the sake of our neighbors around the world?
I’ve come to terms with the fact that I no longer believe in a rapture that will take me away to another planet. I do believe that Jesus will return, but the redemption to a second earth is actually the redeeming of all things on our planet (Colossians 1:19-20). Jesus will come and make his home in his new Jerusalem, and this planet will be redeemed. All things, not just humans, but all things.
This is beautiful, because there are some problems that we have created on this planet that we could never fix on our own. I’m talking about invasive species. No amount of human effort will remove zebra mussels from the lakes in the US where they don’t belong. Or remove all the kudzu in the southeast US. But Jesus can redeem that. Cancerous toxins released into communities from creating plastic? Jesus can redeem that. Spilled oil remaining in the ecosystem for a century? Jesus can redeem that.
Does that mean that we don’t try all? By all means no, we are to be his hands and feet until he returns, doing his work, redeeming all things. Certainly, that means not making things worse. We have work to do together. Whatever you believe will happen in the end. We can agree that there are people who need us to act now. So join me. Share your stories. Tell me what you are doing. Tell your friends and neighbors. Let’s show the world the goodness of our God.
Creation Care Mom 
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