Earth Day—How Should Christians View It?
Bodie Hodge, M.Sc., B.Sc., PEI
Biblical Authority Ministries, April 22, 2026 (Donate)
All passages NKJV
Well, today is “Earth Day” which is recognized and celebrated
worldwide. This “holiday” is clearly not something that comes from God’s Word.
So, what is Earth Day and how should those who love and follow God’s
Word understand it. Let’s start by looking at its origins.
Origins And History Of Earth Day
Earth Day first began as an environmental movement in
the United States during the late 1960s. There had been growing concern over
pollution—especially after things like oil spills and visible air and water
contamination. U.S. Senator Gaylord Nelson of Wisconsin organized the first Earth
Day on April 22, 1970, due in part to student protests.
The first Earth Day involved about a million score[1]
Americans across colleges, schools, and communities. So, it was no small event!
The goal was simply to raise public awareness about
environmental issues such as air pollution, water contamination, and habitat
destruction. Who doesn’t want clean air and water? Nevertheless, this
widespread support helped lead to the creation of major environmental
protections, including the United States Environmental Protection Agency
and laws like the Clean Air Act and Clean Water Act.
Earth Day went global in 1990. Today, it is observed
annually in more than 190 nations, involving over a billion people. Although
it has now morphed and focuses on a broad range of environmental issues such as
climate
change, global
warming, conservation, and how we can sustain farmland, woodlands, and
natural scenery.
Religious Undertones
The worldview most commonly underlying Earth Day
advocacy is secular environmentalism, which is a sub-form of secular
humanism. Secularism
is a pagan
religion that will obviously be at odds with a biblical
worldview.
Secular environmentalism tends to elevate nature to a point
of near-worship and sacred, apart from God. The goal of religious adherents is
to protecting ecosystems as holy for their own sake. Of course, this is based
in naturalistic assumptions, meaning nature is all that exists (i.e., the region
of naturalism is a subset of the secular forms of humanism).
Secular humanists put human reason as the supreme authority pushing for environmental care because a healthy planet (by their religious standards) benefits humanity. Even though is it heavy religious, adherents try to avoid overt religious statements!
Instead, they coerce people to get in line
with their standards by using rhetoric about human consensus, secular interpretations
of science, and long-term survival. This is despite the fact that in the naturalistic
or secular humanistic views, man ultimately has no worth in the long run but
only extinction where nothing mattered (i.e., what’s the point in 700 trillion years
by their reckoning)!
Even so, Earth Day participation is broad. Many
people engage from many religious perspectives.
So while secular environmentalism is the dominant
philosophical tone in much Earth Day messaging, it includes a mix of
motivations, ranging from human centered concerns to more spiritualized views
of nature, alongside participation from various religious traditions.
A Proper Understanding Of The Earth And The Environment
Based strictly on the Bible, the earth is God’s created
possession, designed for His glory and entrusted to mankind as dominional stewards,
not owners.
Scripture begins with God as Creator: “In the beginning God
created the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1:1). The earth is therefore not
eternal, self-originating, or autonomous.
Instead, the earth belongs to God: “The earth is the LORD’s,
and all its fullness, The world and those who dwell therein” (Psalm 24:1). Man
is given a delegated role under God’s authority: “Then God blessed them, and
God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have
dominion…’” (Genesis 1:28).
This dominion is not exploitation, but responsible
stewardship and use under God’s authority. God further clarified when he said:
“Then the LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to tend and
keep it” (Genesis 2:15). Tending and keeping mean responsible stewardship.
Of course, Adam and Eve fell short of that standard when they sinned against
God.
The Fall affected creation itself. Because of sin, the
ground was cursed (Genesis 3:17–18), and creation now groans under corruption:
“For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs
together until now” (Romans 8:22). Thus, environmental problems are ultimately finding
their origin in in man’s sin against God, not merely poor management (which can
be a contributing factor—still predicated on sin though).
Of course, we can fight against the effects of the curse.
For example, we can manage the spread of thorns and thistles, use medicine, technology
to advance farming, clean our water, reduce pollutants, and protect the land. These
things are not done from an environmental worship viewpoint, but a godly outcome
of biblical principles.
The Bible also teaches that the present earth is temporary.
A new one is coming! God will judge and renew it: “But the day of the Lord will
come… the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up” (2 Peter 3:10).
Yet this is not annihilation without hope, for God promises restoration:
“Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new
earth in which righteousness dwells” (2 Peter 3:13; see also Isaiah 65:17,
66:22, and Revelation 21;1).
In contrast, the secular Earth Day perspective often
elevates the earth as having intrinsic or ultimate value apart from God,
sometimes treating nature as the ultimate itself—trying to replace God and
worship the creation in His stead (Romans 1:24-25). Secular environmentalists
typically operate within a naturalistic framework, focusing on temporary
human survival or the preservation of ecosystems as the highest good.
But that begs the question of what is “good”? Good is a
concept that comes from the idea of a good God and is predicated on the Bible
being true. The Bible, however, places our perfectly good God at the center,
with the earth serving His purposes and mankind accountable to Him.
Therefore, Christians should care for the earth as
faithful stewards, recognizing its value as God’s creation, while (1) avoiding
views that either exploit the earth irresponsibly or (2) elevate the earth to a
place that belongs only to the Creator.
For more on environmental issues and a biblical understanding
of them, I recommend the Cornwall
Alliance.
Bodie Hodge, Ken
Ham's son in law, has been an apologist defending 6-day creation and opposing
evolution since 1998. He spent 21 years working at Answers in Genesis as
a speaker, writer, and researcher as well as a founding news anchor for Answers
News. He was also head of the Oversight Council.
Bodie
launched Biblical Authority Ministries in 2015 as a personal
website and it was organized officially in 2025 as a 501(c)(3). He has spoken
on multiple continents and hosts of US states in churches, colleges, and
universities. He is married with four children.
Mr. Hodge earned a
Bachelor and Master of Science degrees from Southern Illinois University at
Carbondale (SIUC). Then he taught at SIUC for a couple of years as a
Visiting Instructor teaching all levels of undergraduate engineering and
running a materials lab and a CAD lab. He did research on advanced ceramic
materials to develop a new method of production of titanium diboride with a
grant from Lockheed Martin. He worked as a Test Engineer for Caterpillar,
Inc., prior to entering full-time ministry.
His love of science was coupled with a love of history, philosophy, and theology. For about one year of his life, Bodie was editing and updating a theological, historical, and scientific dictionary/encyclopedia for AI use and training. Mr. Hodge has over 25 years of experience in writing, speaking and researching in these fields.
