Christians sometimes talk about the environment as if it is a side issue. It can sound like something for scientists, activists, politicians or people who spend their weekends composting. For others, environmental language sounds suspiciously like a substitute religion, where “saving the planet” replaces worshipping the Creator. I understand that concern. Christians do not worship creation. We worship the God who made heaven and earth.

Yet precisely because God is Creator, Christians cannot treat creation as disposable. The opening chapters of Genesis do not present the world as an accident, a machine or a pile of raw materials waiting for human exploitation. Creation is God’s good world. Human beings are placed within it, not above it as independent owners, but as image-bearers called to exercise wise, responsible care.

That means environmental concern is not an optional political add-on to Christian faith. It is part of discipleship. The question is not whether Christians should care about creation, but what faithful creation care actually looks like.

Creation Belongs to God

The Bible’s first claim about the world is that it belongs to God. “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth” is a theological claim before it is anything else. The earth is not self-owned, and neither are we.

Psalm 24:1 says, “The earth is the LORD’s and all that is in it.” That does not leave much room for the idea that creation is ours to use without restraint. We receive the world as a gift, but also as a trust.

Genesis 1 speaks of humanity being made in the image of God and given dominion over the creatures. That word “dominion” has sometimes been used to justify exploitation, but in the biblical story human rule is supposed to reflect God’s rule. God’s rule is not greedy, wasteful or destructive. It is generous, life-giving and ordered toward flourishing.

Genesis 2:15 is especially important. The man is placed in the garden “to till it and keep it.” The language carries the sense of working and guarding, cultivating and protecting. Human beings are not called to leave creation untouched, as though any human activity is a problem. We are called to cultivate creation in a way that protects its goodness.

That is stewardship. Stewardship means we are not owners in the absolute sense. We are entrusted with something that belongs to another. We may use it, develop it and benefit from it, but not as though there will never be an accounting.

Humanity as Steward, Not Owner

Christian stewardship is not simply “do not touch anything.” Human beings are creative, productive and cultural creatures. Farming, building, technology, medicine, transport, homes, cities and energy systems are not automatically bad. They can be expressions of our God-given calling to develop the potential of creation.

The question is whether our development serves life or damages it. Are we cultivating or consuming? Are we using creation gratefully or treating it as an infinite resource? Are we considering the vulnerable, the poor, future generations and non-human creatures, or only our immediate comfort?

A Christian approach should avoid two extremes. One extreme treats the environment as if it matters more than people. The other treats the environment as if it does not matter at all. The biblical picture does neither. Creation matters because God made it and loves it. People matter because they bear God’s image. Those two truths belong together.

If environmental policy harms the poor, ignores energy access or makes basic life unaffordable, Christians should care. But if cheap energy today damages the conditions of life for others tomorrow, Christians should care about that too. Love of neighbour is not limited to the neighbour I can see.

Creation Care and Love of Neighbour

Environmental stewardship is not only about trees, animals or landscapes, though those things matter. It is also about people. Pollution, extreme heat, poor water quality, food insecurity and natural disasters affect human communities. The poor are often least able to adapt, relocate, insure, rebuild or absorb rising costs.

That is why creation care can be an expression of neighbour love. Jesus commands us to love our neighbour. Scripture repeatedly calls God’s people to protect the vulnerable. If our energy choices, consumption habits or public policies contribute to harm borne by others, Christians should at least be willing to ask hard questions.

This does not require panic, ideological purity or performative guilt. It does require moral seriousness. Creation care is not the gospel, but it is one area where people shaped by the gospel should want to live faithfully.

Are Fossil Fuels Bad Because They Are Fossil Fuels?

A fair Christian discussion should acknowledge that fossil fuels have brought real benefits. Coal, oil and gas have powered transport, hospitals, homes, farms, manufacturing, communication and modern economies. Many lives have been improved because energy became more available and affordable. It would be simplistic to speak as though fossil fuels have only ever been evil.

It is also true that fossil fuels are part of God’s creation. Coal, oil and gas are not outside God’s world. In that sense, they are “provided by God” no less than wind, sunlight, water, minerals or human intelligence.

But the fact that something exists within God’s creation does not automatically mean every use of it is wise forever. Arsenic exists in creation. So does uranium. So do powerful plants that can heal or harm depending on use. Christian stewardship is not merely asking, “Did God make this?” It asks, “How should we use what God has made in ways that honour him and love our neighbour?”

Fossil fuels are not morally wrong simply because they are fossil fuels. The issue is whether continuing to rely on them at current levels remains wise when we know more about pollution, carbon emissions, climate effects and available alternatives. A gift can be used for a season and then used less as better options become available.

Climate Change and Christian Responsibility

Climate change is politically contested in some circles, but the broad scientific consensus is that human activity, especially greenhouse gas emissions, is warming the planet. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has concluded that human-caused climate change is already affecting weather and climate extremes in every region across the globe.

Christians do not need to become climate scientists to take that seriously. We should avoid alarmism that treats the future as hopeless, but we should also avoid denial that refuses to hear evidence. Wisdom listens carefully, tests claims and considers consequences.

The Christian hope of new creation does not give us permission to neglect this creation. If anything, belief in resurrection and renewal tells us that the material world matters to God. God does not plan to abandon creation as rubbish. He intends to redeem and renew it. That future hope should shape present stewardship.

Some Christians fear that climate action distracts from evangelism. It can, if creation care becomes a replacement gospel. But the same could be said of poverty relief, education, medical care or justice work. The answer is not to stop caring, but to keep our priorities rightly ordered. We proclaim Christ as Lord, and because Christ is Lord, we care for what belongs to him.

Why Moving Toward Renewables Makes Sense

I think Christians should support a responsible transition toward renewable energy. That does not mean pretending the transition is simple. Energy systems are complex. Reliability matters. Storage matters. Mining for renewable technologies has environmental and human costs. Poor households should not carry the burden of badly designed policy. Workers and communities dependent on fossil fuel industries should not be treated as disposable.

Still, moving toward renewable energy makes sense as an act of stewardship. If wind, solar, hydro and other cleaner technologies can provide energy with less long-term damage, Christians should welcome that. Renewable energy is also part of God’s provision. Sunlight, wind, water, creativity, engineering and scientific discovery are gifts too.

The question is not “fossil fuels from God versus renewables from secular environmentalism.” Both involve God’s world and human use of it. The question is which use best reflects wisdom, love of neighbour and care for future generations.

A responsible transition should be honest about costs, practical about reliability and serious about justice. It should not punish the poor or demonise workers. But neither should it delay indefinitely because change is difficult.

Practical Stewardship Without Performative Guilt

Most individual Christians cannot redesign the national energy grid. But we can practise stewardship in ordinary ways. We can reduce waste, use energy wisely, support sensible policies, care for local places, think about consumption and encourage churches to make practical changes where possible.

Churches can consider solar panels, efficient lighting, responsible maintenance, recycling, less wasteful events and thoughtful use of property. Families can make choices within their means. Not everyone has the same options. Renters, low-income households, people with disability and those in remote areas may have fewer choices. Christian stewardship should never become a way for comfortable people to shame those with less flexibility.

We should also resist symbolic righteousness. It is easy to perform concern online while remaining impatient, greedy or careless in daily life. Creation care should be humble, practical and integrated with the rest of discipleship.

Creation Care Is Not a Replacement Gospel

The church’s central message is not “save the planet.” It is that Jesus Christ is Lord, crucified and risen, and that through him God is reconciling all things. But the phrase “all things” matters. The gospel is not less than personal salvation, but it is more than a private escape plan.

Colossians 1 speaks of all things being created through Christ and for Christ, and all things being reconciled through his blood. Romans 8 pictures creation groaning as it awaits liberation. Revelation ends not with souls escaping earth, but with the new Jerusalem and renewed creation.

That biblical vision guards us from two errors. We must not worship creation. We must not despise it. We worship the Creator and therefore receive creation as gift, trust and future inheritance.

Conclusion: Stewardship as Wisdom and Love

Christian environmental care is not about adopting every slogan of secular environmentalism. Nor is it about rejecting environmental concern because some people turn it into an ideology. It begins with God: the Creator, owner and redeemer of the world.

Fossil fuels are not evil simply because they come from the ground. They have been part of human development and have brought real benefits. But gifts must be used wisely. When the costs of a pattern of use become clearer and better alternatives become available, stewardship may require change.

That is why I think moving toward renewable energy is the right direction. It should be done carefully, justly and realistically. But Christians should not be afraid of it. Renewable energy is also part of God’s provision, using the sun, wind, water and human creativity within the world God made.

The earth is the Lord’s. We are not owners who may exploit without limit. We are stewards called to cultivate, guard and love our neighbours, including those who will inherit the world after us.

Sources and Further Reading

  • Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, Climate Change 2023: Synthesis Report, especially the Summary for Policymakers.
  • International Energy Agency, Renewables 2025 and related analysis on renewable energy growth, electricity systems and the energy transition.
  • World Council of Churches, “Care for Creation and Climate Justice.”
  • Lausanne Movement, The Cape Town Commitment, especially the section on creation care and the lordship of Christ.
  • Dave Bookless, Planetwise: Dare to Care for God’s World.
  • Douglas J. Moo and Jonathan A. Moo, Creation Care: A Biblical Theology of the Natural World.
  • Steven Bouma-Prediger, For the Beauty of the Earth: A Christian Vision for Creation Care.
  • Richard Bauckham, Bible and Ecology: Rediscovering the Community of Creation.
  • Genesis 1:26-31; Genesis 2:15; Psalm 24:1; Romans 8:18-25; Colossians 1:15-20; Revelation 21-22.

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