Jamin Bradley

There is a coming day in Christian theology when (to quote my favorite lyricist) “Heaven meets Earth like a sloppy wet kiss.” At that point, Heaven and Earth will procreate to give way to a hybrid creation. This is foreshadowed in Jesus’ resurrected body, which is made of both Earth and Heaven.

Environmentalism is important for Christians because the world is not going to blow up, it’s going to be renewed. The Bible uses different metaphors to get this point across. It talks about the world being shaken, as though that which falls over will not be in the resurrection, and that which stands strong will carry through. It talks about the world undergoing fire, as though that which is burned up will not be in the resurrection, and that which survives will be refined and carry through.

God’s plan from the get-go was to cultivate the earth and turn the whole thing into a heavenly garden. That’s what he commissioned humans to do, making farming the earliest form of worship. There is no Plan B, for the Bible ends with God’s dreams for a worldwide garden coming true in the resurrection as Eden is reintegrated into the world. The story of sin is not a change of plans—it’s just an added difficulty to bringing those plans to fruition. If we are to get that mission back on track to the best of God’s standards, then we need to follow Jesus, who always talked about bringing God’s kingdom to earth and was recognized as a Gardener after he was resurrected. He knows all the facets of what will make the world a heavenly paradise.

We are invited to cultivate the world with Christ in the here and now, just as we were in the beginning. It’s a commission not only toward environmentalism but also toward installing love and order in every place where there is hate and chaos.