The Pneuma Project

Serve God, Save the Planet: A Christian Call to Action
By J. Matthew Sleeth M.D.

I used to believe that I had a fairly good theology of creation care. I didn’t burn plastic or intentionally harm animals or the environment, and I even recycled when it was convenient. Dr. Sleeth turned my entire worldview around. In this outstanding book he lays out the fact that being environmentally conscious is not just a matter of good stewardship or exercising good management principals with what God has blessed us with, it’s essentially a matter of justice. My consumption habits, energy use, and environmental worldview affect people throughout the world. How I deal with this realization can either contribute to the problem of injustice and destruction of creation or work toward passing on a world for our children and grandchildren to enjoy. Sleeth challenges us all to first look at our own heart and attitudes realizing that care of God’s creation (the earth and everything in it) is first a matter of love. My love for God and for my neighbor have dramatic ramifications for my love and care of the Earth. He encourages each of us to examine our hearts, to question if each of our many possessions bring us closer to God, and to make our home a “mission” base for God’s work throughout the world. . Each of us can contribute to this work without even leaving our neighborhood. For instance I am able to “love my neighbor” who lives in the windswept dessert of sub-Saharan Africa by not purchasing beef from local fast food restaurants who get their meat supply from herds grazing in lands built on deforested South American rain forests.

Sleeth’s book is full of startling facts, mind boggling figures, and doable action ideas, all of which are artfully entwined with personal anecdotes from his experiences in the ER. It is a fairly quick read but definitely leaves the reader dealing with bigger personal issues after each chapter. I would encourage you to read it slowly to allow yourself time to process the ramifications of each concept in your life. One of my favorite things about this book is that fact that it is immensely practical without making one feel overly guilty. It simply presents a specific problem, whether it be too much stuff, working too much, inequality over power and water, or over-population and then Sleeth gives simple concrete suggestions we all could do (some are easier then others)to help solve it.

Overall I would recommend Serve God, Save the Planet to everyone, whatever their spiritual perspective or stance on environmental issues. It is obviously written from a Christian perspective to Christians, but it is not full of code language or deep theological topics. Instead it is a call to action for us all, and I believe speaks to the heart of something found in all humans, a deep seeded desire to connect with a story bigger then our selves and to see all things redeemed and made right. Sleeth closes his thoughts with these words:

“There is much work to be done if we are to hand our great-grandchildren a world as good as the one we got. It will take many changes and even sacrifices… I pray that we will keep in mind what is important, and that we will carve ‘God is love’ on the tablet of our hearts. We are commissioned to do God’s will o earth through loving acts of faith. With God, all things are possible.”

May we all love this world as God does. Buy this book! And then pass it along to someone else!