Speaker: DR. J. MATTHEW SLEETH
Why Christians are the Last Great Hope for Saving God's Creation
Thursday, March 29, 2007 11:30A.M. - 1:00P.M.
Fellowship Church, 8000 Middlebrook Pike.
Mountains in poor mining communities are being torn down. Streams flow with undrinkable water. Children in inner cities suffer from asthma, respiratory illnesses, and leukemia at disproportionate rates. "The earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof," and yet we are destroying His creation at unsustainable rates, harming the least among us by our neglect of God's call.
Many world leaders believe that involvement of the American church is the last great hope for saving God's creation. Learn about the biblical call for caring for creation, and why we should demonstrate our love of the Creator and our neighbors by stewarding resources more wisely. Dr. J. Matthew Sleeth, author of the book Serve God and Save the Planet: A Christian Call to Action will share immediate, practical ways that you and your congregations can become part of the solution to one of the greatest moral crisis of our age.
Dr. J. Matthew Sleeth, author of Serve God and Save the Planet: A Christian Call to Action, will be speaking at the Compassion Coalition Luncheon on March 29, 2007 at Fellowship Church. The luncheon will begin at 11:30am.
Six years ago Sleeth and his family lived in a big house, had two luxury cars, and lots of "stuff." As chief of the medical staff at a large hospital, Sleeth was living the American dream-until he realized that something was terribly wrong. He saw patient after patient suffering from cancer, asthma and other chronic diseases, and began to understand the Earth and its inhabitants were in trouble. Turning to his faith for guidance, he discovered how the timeless lessons of personal responsibility, simplicity, and stewardship taught in the Bible could be applied to modern life.
The Sleeths have since sold their big home and given away more than half of what they once owned. In Serve God, Save the Planet, Sleeth shares the joy of adopting a less materialistic lifestyle, and reveals what was easy and what was hard about the changes his family has made.
Drawing on science and religion, Sleeth builds a bridge between environmentalists and Christians. He and his family are harbingers of the Creation Care movement, which calls on all those who love God to love our planet. Sleeth shares how material downscaling led his family to healthier lifestyles, stronger relationships, and richer spiritual lives. Serve God, Save the Planet is more than a book; it is a prescription for taking personal responsibility for global survival.
Compassion Coalition Executive Director Grant Standefer said, "I must confess that I have seldom thought of the environment from a faith perspective. After having lunch with Dr. Sleeth, however, my perspective as a believer shifted. I knew immediately others in our community should have the opportunity to hear him, too."
