Serve God, Save the Planet

Book review | a Christian Call to Action

The content mind is one of the greatest obstacles to a

rich spiritual life…

f you’ve ever wondered how much your faith is affected by your culture, this book is worth taking a good look at. The author is J. Matthew Sleeth, MD - a former emergency room director and chief of medical staff - who has written of his own personal experiences in the ER, and his family’s responses to local environmental issues with worldwide repercussions.

Serve God, Save the Planet is a well written, thought provoking work that will undoubtedly leave readers unsettled. It covers such varied topics as possessions, media, energy consumption, Christmas, stewardship and health care - not as insurmountable problems; but as areas in which Christian individuals and families can, and should make a difference.

The book is well organized and easy to read - every chapter has a host of real life situations and recounted stories to illustrate the point, and the author takes care to ensure his argument is clearly structured. Starting with his own story, he continues by outlining his main argument - prevention is far better than cure; before progressing with a biblical, point-by-point rebuttal of main arguments against Earth Care. Chapters 4 and 5 are more in depth reasoning for his main argument; and against hypocrisy, which is a danger in this area of faith, as in any other.

The next ten chapters are packed with details on ten different areas that are impacted by our response (or lack thereof) to stewardship of the earth’s natural environment. I mean packed - I strongly discourage reading this book straight through; while recommending it as a great resource for group reading and discussion. Either way, you will need time to digest, or you could feel like you’re drowning. Too much to do… but just when this book starts to look like Leviticus, it comes back to a transformation from the inside.

Have fun and enjoy; don’t get legalistic. The path towards responsible stewardship is analogous to having a bunch of friends who are smokers who know that you used to smoke. If you are humble about having quit, you’ll find your smoking friends asking for your advice. If you appear smug or holier than thou, you will be a positive witness to a party of none.

Ultimately, this book is designed for reading by “every clergyman, every church leader and every congregant”; and is aimed at eliciting personal accountability in each individual.

It was also noted by the author that a reliance on so-called “allegorical evidence” is discouraged, and in a couple of situations he does still lean a little too heavily on unsupported claims; mainly in linking illness and depression to a lack of connection with God’s creation, and in the area of work and rest. On the whole however, his argument is very clear, well supported and logical.

This book is a very good read - extremely comprehensive, detailed and specific (i.e. no vague assumptions or sweeping generalizations), and to add to this recommendation are some extremely relevant and useful resources at the back of the book. If your reading has inspired you to action, you’re not left to your own devices. The workbook section supplies study questions for each chapter (which further cements its value in group discussion), and the appendices include:

instructions on how to conduct your own household energy audit,
details on energy consumption for various household appliances, and
Earth Care “to-do” lists: things we can aim to do this day, week, month and year as we become more experienced in saving the planet.

There’s apparently no excuse. We’re told to do what we can, not what we can’t; and not to cop out with the “it’s too big for me” line. The last chapter ties together all his previous writing, and brings it back to the underlying theme of the book; that all our efforts originate from an inward renewal by the God who loves us, and loves the world.

I am frequently asked…”How exactly did your family make a change?” I have tried to relate some of the steps we took, but the most important change is not the automobile you drive or the house you live in. What we need most is a change of heart.

As we move to make our changes, we make more room for God to work in us - a God for whom all things are possible. Serve God? Save the Planet!

Writer: Stephanie Hung