A little over a year ago, Kat (one of my dearest) read J. Matthew Sleeth's Serve God Save the Planet: A Christian Call to Action. She was so convicted by Dr. Sleeth's message that she not only implemented many of the recommended changes into her own life and shared the book with others, she actually contacted Sleeth himself and invited him to come speak in Birmingham.
And so this morning in both services at Trinity United Methodist, Sleeth shared his personal journey from chief of staff in the emergency department at a hospital in New England to crusader for what he calls creation care. Sleeth proposes that being environmentally conscious or "green" should not be a partisan issue, but rather the duty of all and most especially of Christians.
Throughout his years spent in the ER, Sleeth saw a shift in the nature of diseases. In one week, he saw three women in their thirties with breast cancer, a figure unheard of 10 years ago. Sleeth believes that many of the physical diseases and cancers we are now facing are simply manifestations of our polluted world.
He writes: "Only a short while ago, my grandfather could drink water from a stream or lake without concern, he said. The fish were not laced with mercury. The water did not harbor dioxin. The air was not yet full of haze..."
From personal observation along with time in the Word, Sleeth was convicted of his own lifestyle and decided to take personal action. His family sold their large house, fancy cars and many of their possessions to lead a less materialistic and more equitable life.
In his message today, Sleeth did not condemn anyone else's lifestyle or set expectations that everyone make the same decisions as his family. Rather, he asked that we at the very least consider our role in taking care of the world our Father has created and perhaps take one step at a time to live healthier, less materialistic, and less polluted lifestyles.
I highly recommend reading this book. In fact, how about you save the paper and your money and let me lend you my copy?
Bham Weekly also did a follow-up article on Sleeth's visit. Check out: http://www.bhamweekly.com/2009/09/03/new-age-testimony-doctor-eco-activist-gets-green-with-jesus/
1 comment:
Welcome to the blogging world! I may have to read this book too. You're recommendations never let me down:)
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