What is at the root of Christianity, though? Can anti-environmental language and beliefs be found in the Bible?

The Bible seems to proclaim that nature was made as it should be and is something that should be respected and protected. In Psalms 104:25,30, it is written: “In wisdom you made them all, the earth is full of your creatures. There is the sea, vast and spacious, teeming with creatures beyond number - living things both large and small…. When you send your Spirit, they are created and you renew the earth.” The general spirit is one of positivity and love here.

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And the Pope answered, Let there be solar energy; and there was solar energy.

On Monday, the Vatican installed solar panels on its papal audience hall, channeling the light of God toward more renewable means. The photovoltaic cells will produce enough energy to provide heat, cool air and electricity for the holy hall. The building is used when bad weather days force worshipers to take their prayers inside. An AP article news blurb says that a total of 2,700 panels will provide 300,000 kilowatt hours of energy.

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As written in that EcoWorldly blog post — St. Charles Darwin Unveiled: Catholics, Anglicans Finally Agreed on Evolution — it seems that the Vatican and the Church of England have decided that there is a place in the world for both beliefs, that Charles Darwin’s Theory of Evolution and religious faith can coexist peacefully.

I’m fascinated.

I can understand, for example, the Christian view that the premise of evolution is faulty and can’t align with the belief that God created the Earth. Science says Earth dates billions of years back. The stories of the Bible say, “Oh, no it dih-n’t!”

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As a minister who is concerned that Christianity has become much too comfortable with consumerism, which is incompatible with the way of Jesus, I don’t advocate purchasing all the religious stuff that’s out there for gifts. Sadly, Bibles too are given makeovers everyday and marketed like everything else. The message from the industry is the same as the message about your toaster. “It’s outdated. You need a new one.” I have been given all kinds of Bibles over the years, dozens of them, and I’ve given them all away except a few. The only time I’ve ever bought one was for a college course. So, I found it a little ironic when I was asked to review a company’s latest attempt to push the most published book in history.

That said, I will definitely be purchasing The Green Bible, published by HarperOne, coming this October ($29.95).

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So when a book came out touting itself as “the Bible” of green living, I was a little put off. But when I read more about The Self-Sufficientish Bible, I noticed that this one was different. By adding “ish,” the authors are making the statement that self-sufficiency is not something easily accomplished with a few simple rules.

Andy and Dave, Britain’s green twins, advocate a fun and positive approach to environmentalism, and understand that the thought of adjusting every aspect of our lives is overwhelming and possibly offputting. Hence self-sufficientish. If you don’t have the space or time to be totally self-reliant, but crave creative ideas for recycling, growing organic vegetables and establishing an environmentally friendly home office, this is the book for you.

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Leaders of the 16.3 million member Southern Baptist Convention, the largest Protestant group in the United States, said Monday that the denomination has a biblical duty to stop global warming.

Leaders ask: how would Jesus vote?

Related Posts: Thou Shalt Be Green To Be Holy

In that same spirit, it also makes sense that a publisher of religious materials has now created the first "green" Bible. Thomas Nelson Inc., a Bible and religion publishing company, will release just such a Bible today.

While the need for a more environmentally-friendly Bible might seem obvious, actually creating one was a challenge. Thomas Nelson had to work extensively with its paper manufacturer, Domtar, to develop a new grade of paper that was both green and lightweight enough for Bible paper. The company did at last find a solution, and the result of its efforts — the first Bible printed on recycled and Forest Stewardship Council-certified paper — will be released today, Tuesday, Oct. 9.

Thomas Nelson is also looking for other ways to reduce its ecological footprint, said Mike Hyatt, the company’s CEO. "In addition to offering eco-friendly products, we are striving to implement ‘green’ practices in our daily activities," Hyatt said.

A growing number of book publishers are taking similar steps. The Green Press Initiative, a non-profit group, has so far engaged with more than 140 publishing companies — including Random House, Scholastic and McGraw-Hill — to institute more environmentally responsible practices in the publishing industry. In addition to Thomas Nelson, other religion publishers joining in that effort include Ave Maria Press, Baker Publishing Group and Intervarsity Press.

In a related initiative, more than 220 players in the U.S. book industry have signed onto the Book Industry Treatise on Responsible Paper. Once in effect, the standards outlined in that treatise are expected to save the equivalent of five million-plus trees and cut greenhouse gas emissions equal to those put out by 45,000 cars.

According to the Green Press Initiative, more than 40 percent of the industrial wood harvested around the world each year goes toward making paper — "a sobering fact given that forests store half of all carbon in the biosphere and deforestation accounts for 25 percent of human-caused (carbon dioxide) emissions."

"Given the Bible’s message of stewardship and the growth of the creation care movement, we hope to see other Bible and religion publishers following Thomas Nelson’s lead through steps to use paper with less impacts on forests, people and the climate," said Tyson Miller, director of the Green Press Initiative.

Image: Mike Hyatt, CEO of Thomas Nelson, Inc.

From the Old Testament to the New, this talking marvel of modern technology will run for a good 14 hours on a single charge. Skip chapters at the touch of a button, pause and reflect on your favorite passages, or move back and forth in 15-second intervals.

Purchasing a solar-powered plastic device to recite the Bible might be a little extreme; especially considering the amount of energy and labor that must go into making this product. While there are benefits to reducing power consumption on some devices (ie; ipod or cell phone), I seriously question the need for alternatives such as this. To be fair, it does service those that are seeing-impaired or illiterate — and less batteries are a good thing. I just believe that such devices are the beginning of a long list of solar-junk. (The device, not the Bible.) What do you think? Is this a step in the right direction or simply another product that the world could have done without? The road to solar salvation can be purchased for $99 here!

via Treehugger