It's not easy being green... and conservative (repost)

I originally posted this last year but in honor of Earth Day, I thought I'd post it again.  It's a passion of mine that Christians can care about the environment and still be... conservative. :)

Don't ya just love Kermie? In our home there was a word that was, well... not to be muttered. It's a joke especially between Stephanie and me. We call it the "M" word. She tried to tell me Kermit wasn't real. She said Kermit was a... pardon the expression... Muppet. Wash your mouth out with soap, girl! Next thing she'll be telling me is that King Friday and Queen Sarah Saturday are the "P" word. Anyway, I do digress...

If you've been reading my ponderings for any length of time, you may have heard the expression I've shared quite often, "The best friend of the far left is the far right, they just don't know it". I first realized this when being part of a health food co-op (the president for a couple of years so I dealt a lot with the people in Iowa City... the far left) and later as a homeschooler.

I was thinking of this yesterday as I watched a favorite show on the Fox Network. The host was making fun of Earth Day. While I admit there are some outrageous people and statements among environmentalists, it does Conservatives (and Christians) no good to act as if there is nothing wrong with this world's ecosystem. We can disagree on what may be causing our environmental challenges but we show a lack of wisdom when we argue there is no problem.

There are great voices out there, representing the Christian viewpoint without fearing science. I remember reading Crunchy Con by Rod Dreher and nodding my head most of the way through the book. I looked like a conservative bobblehead as I found a like minded soul (we truly do read to know we're not alone). Not that I agreed with everything in Crunchy Con but a lot of it.

As I've mentioned before, the people who had the greatest influence on my life... through their books, tapes, film, etc... were Francis and Edith Schaeffer. I want to have tea with Edith in Eternity (although she is still alive!). I would have tears of joy as I shared tea and brought her a bouquet of flowers whose colors I have yet to see in this world. Without Edith's influence, I would be a far worse wife and mother.

If you've read the collection of books by the Schaeffer's, you will know they cared deeply about environmental issues. It comes through Edith's books about homemaking in a very practical fashion. Francis wrote an entire book about the subject titled Pollution and the Death of Man, which is still in print twenty-five years later.

I can't save the planet but I can do my own part to respect God's creation. I compost (for entirely selfish reason, it creates beautiful dirt and it helps save my septic system), I recycle newspapers, cans, and plastic, I save plastic bags and drop them off once in awhile to the Mission thrift store where they reuse them, I've only recently started carrying cloth bags with me to take to the grocery store, I reuse plastic containers at least once whenever possible, I buy used a lot which helps my budget and the environment, I use Charlie's Soap as well as other natural methods of cleaning, and... well, you get the idea.

We should never have a fear of Science or learning what is Truth. God can handle it. If we have the attitude of "it's all going to burn someday, anyway" we are doing a disservice to our children and grandchildren should the return of our Lord be later than we think. This comes from a former Jesus People type person who thought the return of Christ had to be in the 1980s. :)

I'll do my part in beautifying the earth today since it is finally nice outside again. I'll take the container from underneath the sink out to the compost pile. I'll help my husband remove the top layer of black gold from our former compost pile before planting our rhubarb (it has been too wet to plant it earlier). I've already turned off lights and unplugged recharging cords... little actions of environmentalism.

I have leftovers in the frig to turn into a meal. Nothing huge... no action taken that will immediately affect pollution or feed a child in Africa... but showing respect to the planet our Father made. And... yes, I am a conservative, evangelical, Christian who is green.

*The above originally published last year.