{"id":1758,"date":"2012-05-08T07:36:47","date_gmt":"2012-05-08T11:36:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/activistfaith\/?p=1758"},"modified":"2012-05-08T07:36:47","modified_gmt":"2012-05-08T11:36:47","slug":"green-like-god-jonathan-merrit-4","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/activistfaith\/2012\/05\/green-like-god-jonathan-merrit-4.html","title":{"rendered":"Green Like God: Jonathan Merrit"},"content":{"rendered":"

[Guest post from ActivistFaith.org<\/a> co-founder Daniel Darling<\/a><\/em>. Thanks, Daniel! You may also want to check out his new book iFaith<\/a>, which just received a stellar review from Publisher’s Weekly.]
\n\"IMG_3.jpg<\/p>\n

Today I have the privilege of chatting with Jonathan Merrit. I’ve been
\nfollowing the work of Jonathan in the last couple years as God has given
\nhim a platform to speak and write on subjects relevant to a younger
\ngeneration of evangelicals. Southern Baptists will know Jonathan as the
\nson of Dr. James Merritt<\/a>, a past President of the Southern Baptist Convention and a reknowned pastor and teacher.<\/p>\n

Jonathan is a thoughtful writer, speaking on the intersection of orthodox Christian faith and culture. He is author of\u00a0Green Like God: Unlocking the Divine Plan for Our Planet <\/em>(2010)<\/a>, which\u00a0Publisher’s Weekly<\/em>
\ncalled “a must-read for churchgoers,”\u00a0offers a biblical justification
\nfor care of creation. His work has appeared in respected outlets such
\nas\u00a0USA <\/em>Today, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution<\/em>,\u00a0The Washington Post’s<\/em> “On Faith,”\u00a0BeliefNet, Christianity Today<\/em>, and\u00a0CNN.com<\/em>.\u00a0Jonathan is also the editor of Q<\/a>.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

1) You’ve written the book, Green Like God. How do you frame\u00a0the Christian case for stewardship of the environment?
\n<\/strong>
\nI root the entire discussion in the context of the scriptures. While I
\nbelieve tradition and experience are important-and I reference them in
\nthe book-I lean on scripture most heavily. The book begins with a
\nrediscovery of God’s word and then moves to reevaluating God’s world. I
\nbelieve a proper approach to creation care must go through these two
\nsteps in that order.<\/p>\n

2) Evangelicals have often been skeptical of
\nenvironmentalism, because of the excesses of the movement and what some
\nperceive as worship of the earth, but that shouldn’t mean we swing
\nwildly the other way, either, right? <\/strong><\/p>\n

So much of religion is pendulumatic. That’s not what I promote in
\nthis book. I want a balanced and reasonable approach to creation care
\nthat asserts timeless principles. In fact, I devote an entire chapter
\ntoward the beginning to the dangers of faddish pop-environmentalism.<\/p>\n

3) It seems today as if there are two trends among younger
\nevangelicals. We seem to want more robust preaching, less of the “hip”
\nchurch and yet we are also more solution-oriented, rather than the
\nknee-jerk confrontational conservatism when it comes to politics. Why is
\nthat?
\n<\/strong>
\nThe shifts going on among younger evangelicals seems to be both reactive
\nand proactive. On the one hand, it is a reaction to the failures of the
\nlast generation of American Christianity. On the other hand, it is
\nproactive in that it is rooted not in rebellion but in reflection. There
\nare new perspectives on scripture, culture, and gospel, for example,
\nthat are rising to the surface and pushing Christians into a new moment
\nfor the faith.<\/p>\n

4) There seems to be an awakening in the church to issues
\nlike human trafficking, orphan care, and other issues to broaden, but
\nnot replace the usual conservative political portfolio.
\n<\/strong>
\nThat’s correct. There is an awakening to what is often called a “broader
\nagenda” for the reasons mentioned above. And the young evangelicals are
\nembracing this broader agenda while not abandoning traditionally
\nChristian issues. This comes, of course, with one glaring exception.
\nEvery data point indicates that young Christians are shifting on the
\nissues of same sex unions.<\/p>\n

5) You have said,\u00a0“I think we need to throw the hush off of
\nthe hidden things and blow the dust off the subjects we’ve stored in the
\nattics of our minds.” Why have we not had those conversations in the
\npast?
\n<\/strong>
\nThere are always conversations that must be had that we aren’t currently
\nhaving. And those conversations will be different tomorrow than they
\nare today. As each era dawns, it brings with it unique challenges and
\nproblems requiring the attention of Christ followers. It isn’t that we
\nhaven’t been willing to have the tough conversations in the past and I
\nam the only one brave enough to tackle them. Rather, I see my personal
\ncalling as something of a cultural observer to identify and address
\ndifficult pressing issues as they arise. Creation care is just one of
\nthose issues, and I did my best to address it in a way that was faithful
\nto the Bible and honest with the facts.<\/p>\n

\n
\n

 <\/p>\n

+++<\/p>\n

\n
\n
\n
DILLON
\nBURROUGHS is an author, activist, and co-founder of Activist Faith.
\nDillon served in Haiti following the epic 2010 earthquake and has
\ninvestigated modern slavery in the US and internationally. His books
\ninclude Undefending Christianity<\/em>, Not in My Town<\/em> (with Charles J.
\nPowell), and Thirst No More<\/em> (October 2011). Discover more at
\nDillonBurroughs.org<\/a>.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

[Guest post from ActivistFaith.org co-founder Daniel Darling. Thanks, Daniel! You may also want to check out his new book iFaith, which just received a stellar review from Publisher’s Weekly.] Today I have the privilege of chatting with Jonathan Merrit. 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