Earth Day

by Dave Powell

Truth of Genesis, Founder and Director

     Earth Day is just like it sounds.  It is a day dedicated to protecting planet Earth from the negative impacts of harmful environmental concerns.  Earth Day occurs each year on April 22, which signifies the anniversary of the start of the environmental movement in 1970. Gaylord Nelson, a U.S. Senator from Wisconsin, is the founder of Earth Day.  He founded the day after realizing the impacts of a massive oil spill in Santa Barbara, California. 
     The creation of Earth Day was widely accepted by both parties in the government and led to the creation of the United States Environmental Protection Agency. Several acts also were passed because of the creation of Earth Day.  The Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, and Endangered Species Act were just some of these acts passed to help further protect the environment.  Earth Day is observed in 192 countries and is growing rapidly throughout the world. 
     Earth Day was supposed to be a day to make people aware of how much pollution we create. Instead, many sincere environmentalists have had laser focus on ideological theories like global warming.  They have also used Earth Day to push for animal or environmental rights above the welfare of mankind, crossing the fine line of making the earth an “idol”; instead of calling us to be good stewards of it. They forget scriptures like Matthew 6:26, in which Jesus states, “Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?” (emphasis mine).  
     Earth Day is a great reminder of how we should protect our planet.  Recycling, reducing waste, and reusing supplies are practices we believe every Christ follower can do to help.  However, keep in mind that environmentalists have an agenda on spreading their ideology.  Making the earth an idol is a violation of the first commandment to have no other gods above the Supreme One.  God is the creator of nature, not a part of nature, and we are meant to worship Him alone.  In Romans 1:25, it states, “They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator…” Let’s do our part in helping to protect the planet and pray for those who champion environmental causes to come into a relationship with the Creator of our earth.  Protect the planet and leave it’s saving to Him.