“Uh-huh… well I guess I’m too busy over here loving my HUMAN neighbors, so…” Rudy said with a slightly annoyed frown.
“Between that and teaching humility classes, it’s amazing you had time for this meeting!” jeered Jane.
“Okay, Jane, why do you care about the environment? Maybe Rudy, you could just hear her side for a moment?” asked Dorothy.
Jane breathed deeply, “I care about this whole planet! I mean this is where we all live… the birds, the chipmunks yes… but all of us people too! I mean, do you think destroying habitats to search for oil and driving species to extinction through hunting and “development” is a happy choir song? Do you think you’re somehow separated from the conse- quences of these things?”
Rudy started “Well, I—”
“And, Francis, I appreciate you trying to pastor this argu- ment or whatever… but I mean, where is God in all this? Why doesn’t He do anything about all the Uncle Rudy’s out here trophy-hunting and—”
Rudy interrupted, “Oh yeah! You guys should see this Griz- zly my buddy just shot. She was in her den with her cubs and—”
“DISGUSTING!” yelled Jane.
“It’s so nice we can all be together like this,” added Pete sarcastically. “He’s in you,” Francis said calmly.
Page 20
Silence.
“What?” Jane had expected some sort of “mysterious ways” excuse.
“I said God is in you…” Francis continued, “and the many other people who care about His planet. You’re right Jane… we all live here. Taking care of the environment helps every- one… animals AND humans! I don’t want to live next to a toxic landfill… do you, Rudy?”
“Well, no,” he replied.
Francis went on. “Rudy, so many verses in the Bible talk about how nature brings glory to God. He spends multiple chapters in the book of Job telling of all His mighty works… He even mentions how He made some animals just to frolic, not for human use. I mean, would you put your hands over the mouth of someone singing praises to God? If not, then why destroy other beings who are singing in their own way? I guess I’m trying to say this: you guys are not enemies… Jane caring for the environment and animal welfare isn’t anti-Christian… and Jane, Christianity isn’t actually anti- nature… I promise!”
“What about evolution?” Rudy shouted out. “What about it?” asked Francis.
“Well, most nature people are all about evolution… and I won’t stand for that!”
“Who’s to say that God didn’t create through the process of evolution? I mean natural selection and adaptation are pretty cool phenomena… if I came up with that from scratch, I’d be pretty proud of it,” Francis offered.
Green Teacher 126
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