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Serve God, Save the Planet

A Christian Call to Action

by J. Matthew Sleeth, MD

Foreword by Rev. Richard Cizik

Excerpt 2

Foreword

It is an honor and an enormous pleasure to write the foreword to Serve God, Save the Planet. Matthew Sleeth is a man of science, a man of faith, and a man of action. Physician, ER director, biblical scholar, writer, solar house builder, teacher, and preacher—these are just a few of his many callings. He is one of the most widely educated men I know. As I have spent time with him, I have come to understand that his concern about the future stems from his love of God and his deep commitment to his role as a father and husband.

Serve God, Save the Planet establishes Sleeth in yet another role, that of a prophet: he has news that most people do not want to hear. The earth is on the verge of ecological collapse, and we are the cause. Sleeth rightly frames this crisis as a moral one in which there is a clear right and a clear wrong. It is right to change our behavior and to start caring for God’s creation. It is wrong to continue destroying that which belongs to God and to future generations.

Sleeth is also a man of action. When a member of the board of directors at his hospital asked why he was resigning as chief of the medical staff, Sleeth answered, “To serve God, and to save the planet.” And that is exactly what he is working to do. Note that “serve God” comes first, as that is Jesus’s first commandment—to love God with all our heart and all our soul. Sleeth makes very clear in this chronicle of his personal journey that God always comes first, and that part of loving God is honoring and caring for all of His creation. Sleeth views the second part—“save the planet”—as both a form of faith in action, and a responsibility resulting from Jesus’s second commandment: love our neighbor.

Matthew Sleeth has taken Christ’s teachings to heart and acted upon them. Leaving his comfortable position in the ER, Sleeth and his family sold their home, gave away half their possessions, and dramatically reduced their energy usage. The Sleeths quickly found that as they brought their lifestyle in line with their values, their personal joy increased. Material downscaling brought them closer together, and closer to God. By quieting their lives, they were better able to hear God and appreciate His blessings.

Sleeth is a calm voice of reason in a frenetic world. He speaks to this generation—to the men and women in the pews who know that something is drastically wrong in their lives but don’t know how to fix it. And he offers answers: turn off the TV and tune into God; give an hour of work and take a day of rest; and pray to know God’s will rather than blindly pursuing the almighty dollar. These solutions worked for him, and they can work for you.

Serve God, Save the Planet is both an inspirational call to action and a blueprint for change. In a highly readable, James Herriot-like style, Sleeth uses stories from his life in the ER, in the third world medical mission field, and at home to illustrate what is lacking in our lives and how to fill the void. And like Rick Warren, Sleeth repeatedly emphasizes that creation care is not about us; it’s about God. What Sleeth is calling for is nothing less than a change of heart.

As a man of science, Sleeth knows with certainty that we are heading down a path of ecological collapse and multi-system failure. As a man of faith, he knows with equal certainty that God loves all of His creation—every sparrow and every lily of the field. God wants us to love what He loves. With God’s help, we can avert disaster and restore a healthy relationship with His creation.

Therein lies Sleeth’s message. It is a message of personal accountability and hope. It is a message that bridges right and left, conservative and liberal, traditional and progressive. Now is the time to educate ourselves on this crucial issue; our children’s lives literally hang in the balance.

Serve God, Save the Planet is a must read for every clergyman, every church leader, and every congregant. We can no longer be complacent. And we must never lose hope. With God, all things are possible.

Rev. Richard Cizik
Vice President, National Association of Evangelicals

Rev. Richard Cizik is vice president for governmental affairs for the 30-million-strong National Association of Evangelicals (NAE), which has advanced action by evangelical Christians on human rights and religious freedom, the sanctity of life, compassion for the poor, and protection of God’s creation. Cizik, a signatory of the 2004 Sandy Cove Covenant on environmental concern, is a leading advocate for evangelical action on global warming.