While many organizations such as the Mennonite Men are planting trees, old growth trees continue to be cut down in locations such as British Columbia. Despite calls from biblical prophets, environmentalists, activists, Indigenous people, and faith leaders, governments and businesses are committed to old-growth logging.
Ched Myers’ article: “The Cedar Has Fallen: The Prophetic Word vs Clear Cutting” gives us a history of the Lebanon cedars and an image of the Biblical imperative to imagine a world without clearcutting.
Here are some highlights
- The cedars of Lebanon have been mentioned numerous times in the Bible: in the book of Isaiah, Jeremiah, Psalms, Songs of Songs, Hosea, Ezekiel and many more. It would not be possible to read any prophetic book of the Bible without hearing about the significance of the Lebanon cedars.
- The cedars were used as metaphors for the people of Israel, summarizing God’s creation and even the empire.
- From the Mesopotamians to the Egyptians, to the Ottoman Turks, almost all empires have engaged in significant logging of these cedar forests. Today, there are hardly any cedar trees left in Lebanon. In fact, the cedars were designated as a UNESCO site in 1998 in order to protect these forests.
- Isaiah 14:3-8 shows that God believes that the end of oppression extends to all, including the cedar trees. This means that Christians can not be bystanders when it comes to clearcutting.
- Meyer concludes that while many Christians may not be committed to the protection of old-growth forests, it is truly a Biblical call. We must join with those putting their lives on the line protecting their forests and God’s home from destruction.
Read the full article here:
The Cedar Has Fallen: The Prophetic Word vs Clear Cutting