---

For years, legitimate environmental concerns have been wrongly exploited by activists — left and right, non-Christian and Christian. In fact, the majority of serious global environmental issues have been neglected because of politics. The “hippies” of the 70s adopted an all-or-nothing agenda of liberal ideas which happened to include environmental issues. Of course, the right-wing evangelicals wanted nothing to do with such a collectivelly liberal agenda; as a result, the protection of the environment has not received a unified effort from the major divisions of our population.

Until now.

Times are changing — depending on how you look at it. The codes for morality and responsibility related to humans’ caring for creation have not changed since The Beginning. During the Industrial Revolution, however, big business and a massive upswing in manufacturing and trade made these tenets inconvenient. For generations now, our Earth has suffered because taking care of it has been inconvenient politically, denominationally, socially, and economically. Only now are Christian opinion leaders taking note that we have selfishly ignored God’s intention for the planet he created for us, and that we must act now.

Chuck Colson, legendary political, Christian and activist figure, endorsed the everyday approach Nancy Sleeth brings to the ministries of Blessed Earth.

“In the end, Sleeth shows us that environmentalism doesn’t need to be about a radical political agenda,” Colson said. “It can be about our own behavior, informed by values like good stewardship, protecting family time, self-restraint, and helping others. That’s not radical. It is common sense and, most important, thoroughly Christian.”

This endorsement is not only good for validating a growing body of work the Sleeths have created, but for the creation care efforts of Christian environmental leaders. Representing the “old guard” of the evangelical church, Colson has been an ardent critic of environmental efforts and arguments for global warming. His examination of Sleeth’s presentation of creation care as an everyday Christian value, however, rings true with a growing number of evangelicals today. 

Read the rest of this exciting commentary by Colson.

---