The non-preachy peace blog
Angela Klassen 

I just read parts of the book Serve God, Save the Planet by J. Matthew Sleeth.  Because I work for a Christian organization, this book looked appealing to me.  I wish more Christians would get serious about things like environmentalism.  Unfortunately, within a few pages I put the book down and had to force myself to pick it back up.  The content is generally good, but the tone is preachy and paternalistic.  Right away I was taken aback by his use of masculine pronouns such as ‘he’ to describe all people.  Does he realize that ‘shes’ make up more than half of the population?  More distressing, the author paints a blissful picture of his family’s life after downsizing and becoming greener, and spends little time discussing the challenges and complexities involved.

 

Why does this make me want to put down the book?  Because I am done with easy answers to complex problems.  Just like Mr. Sleeth, I am trying to live a greener lifestyle. However, it has not been easy, and the more I try, the more complex it seems to get.  Should I never buy bananas again because of the terrible conditions of banana farmers, and the long distances bananas have to travel to reach me?  Can I justify having a wedding band made out of white gold when gold mines are responsible for such environmental devastation?  Can my organization justify the carbon used to have people from across the country meet face-to-face?  Everyday I am faced with decisions that have implications that go far beyond myself.  The Join the Peaceful Revolution campaign is about starting a movement that questions North American consumeristic culture, but also questions easy answers.  Here you will find people who are trying to live in a revolutionary and peaceful way.  We invite you to post your own dilemmas, questions, rants, and successes.  And that includes you, Mr. Sleeth.