Book Review: Pollution and the Death of Man copyright 1970 by Francis Schaeffer

In Pollution and the Death of Man, Francis Schaeffer rebuts articles published in 1967 in two different magazines by two different university professors. The articles written by these two professors are printed in their full text as appendices in Pollution and the Death of Man.

“The Historical Roots of Our Ecological Crisis” was written by a medieval history professor, Lynn White. Professor White’s basic premise is that Christians, because God gave man dominion over his creation, tend to exploit nature. White says Christians have a low view of nature, because they believe everything in creation is for their pleasure, their well-being; therefore White thinks Christians have little respect for nature. White said he thinks that we in America have moved to a post-Christian culture, yet we hold onto Christian premises. He thinks eastern religions do a better job of stewarding the environment, because they see all of nature on par with man, and even with God. (Pantheists believe that everything is God, and God is everything.)

“Why Worry About Nature?” was written by a sociology professor, Richard L. Means. Means quoted from White’s article and agrees that Americans do not care for the environment like they should. Both professors claim that Christianity is largely at fault for the environmental problems of our world. Both suggested that if America would convert to an eastern worldview, e.g., Zen Buddhism, then America would do a better job of taking care of the environment, or ecology, as they called it in the 60’s.

Francis Schaeffer says that Aldous Huxley said in his book Island that elementary school children would be taught about ecology at a young age. These lessons would then lead to lessons in Buddhism.

Francis Schaeffer, as a Christian apologist, did not believe that the answer to our environmental problems could be found in embracing Eastern religions. He looked closely at White and Means’ articles and then wrote what a Christian response to nature should be.

In his book, Francis Schaeffer begins by setting the stage. Schaeffer says that all words have two meanings: the first is the definition of the word; the second is the connotation of the word.

For an example of this, he says that Means uses the term “God’s creation.” God’s creation means everything that God has created. However, since Means himself is a pantheist, “God’s creation,” is meaningless; to pantheists the world is not something created by God, but only an extension of God himself.

For another example, Schaeffer says that Means frequently uses the word “moral.” Schaeffer says what Means is trying to say is that it would be more practical or useful to do such and such. However, he chooses to use the word moral (rather than pragmatic) because it evokes more emotion/motivation in people.

Schaeffer notes that Means is a sociologist, not a theologian or a scientist. However, Means writes about religion and science. Schaeffer claims that Means (and possibly many others) manipulate religion and science for sociological purposes. He says when this happens religion and science die, and all you have is sociological manipulation.

White and Means claim that a more pantheistic society would better care for nature. Schaeffer disagrees, saying that since pantheists do not believe that man is created in God’s image, pantheism tends to devalue man rather than elevating other created things. Cows, grass and even cars are on an equal plane with man. Man becomes equal with other created things, lower.

Means quoted Albert Schweitzer in his article. Mr. Schweitzer, a liberal theologian and medical doctor, became a pantheist later in life, so Means relates well to him. However, Schaeffer said he knew a doctor who knew Schweitzer personally. The doctor said that he wished Schweitzer would have had less reverence for life, and more love for it and for people. (This is a play on words, because “Reverence for Life” was possibly Schweitzer’s most well-known work).

Schaeffer says that gods in many eastern religions are infinite, and yet not personal. He said that many western gods (Greek and Roman) were personal, and yet not infinite. He says Christianity’s God is both, personal and infinite. Schaeffer says that God’s creation can be broken down into four categories: man, animals, plants, machines. He says all of these created things are finite, so they differ from their creator in that he is infinite. (By finite Schaeffer must mean they have a beginning, because I believe Schaeffer would agree that man’s soul is eternal.) He says that on the personal side man is made in God’s image. Therefore, man stands above the rest of creation, because none of the other three categories are created in God’s image.

Schaeffer says we should treat animals, plants and machines with respect because all are a part of God’s creation. This differs from the man who believes things are here by chance; that man thinks that things do not hold value simply because they are.

Plato taught that a person’s body was bad or low, and that their spirit was good or high. When Christianity began some of that Platonic influence carried over. However, Christians should not hold to Platonic thought, because God created both our body and our soul. Therefore, both our body and our soul are good.

The Fall caused separation on many levels. It separated man from: God, himself, other people and nature. It also separated nature from nature. As Christians we should do what we can to cause substantial (Schaeffer uses this word, because he knows in this world we will never have perfection.) healing in the areas of separation. The man-from-God separation is in a category of its own; that relationship is restored in the salvation experience.

Schaeffer says if we have pests in our homes we are justified in killing them because we need to keep our homes clean and healthy. However, if we encounter ants outside we should step over them because they too are God’s creation. He says hunting of animals for sport, when the sportsman leaves the animal to rot, is wrong; Christians should not be destroyers.

He says when Christians think that the creation’s purpose is to prove the existence of God and nothing more, they are wrong.

Schaeffer gave the example of strip mining to show the responsibility of caring for nature. When people wish to take coal from the ground, they must remove the top soil. If they then remove the coal from the ground and fail to replace the top soil, in 100 years, the area could be an unsightly desert. If, however, those who took the coal from the ground, take the time to replace the top soil, the area may once again be beautiful and useful. The miners would endure a loss of profits, because this would expend time and money, but it is the right thing to do for the Christian who wishes to respect God’s creation.

I thought it interesting that Schaeffer compared the concept of man taking care of nature to how a man loves a woman. A man "does not do all he (wishes to) do" to a woman because of the danger of destroying their relationship. He learns what his woman’s “limits” are and honors them lest he lose the relationship entirely. Schaeffer says it is the same with men in the business world trying to make profits. Men must not do all they wish to nature in the pursuit of financial gain. Profits are not bad, nor are they unimportant. However, men must consider their responsibility toward the world that God told them to care for.

Schaeffer told a story in his book about a Christian school. Those at the school looked down on the “heathen” across the river. When Schaeffer went to visit the heathen, he found they looked down on the Christians. The Christian school was built on land that the owners failed to properly landscape. The heathen thought it an eyesore, as opposed to how their community kept a well-groomed and beautiful appearance.

Conclusion

The Christian worldview in regard to caring for our environment should be formed more by Genesis 2:15, “The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it,” than by Gen 1:28, “(S)ubdue (the earth). Rule (or have dominion) over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground.”

Pollution and the Death of Man

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