Christianity and the Prius Plug In

Sheryl stands in front of our new Prius Plug-In
in Burien, Washington

Those of you who know me well would figure it is past time we bought a new car.  The last vehicle we bought, we didn't incur any debt (savings = more overall purchase power).  Our belief is that we shouldn't pay more for a vehicle by making payments in taking out a car loan.  In the past we've always bought used vehicles but this time we decided to buy new.

Good stewardship is important to us whether we are talking about money or God's creation.  So we decided that our next automobile would have a very high miles per gallon rate.  Sheryl (my wife) began to thoroughly research vehicles that were fuel efficient.  She decided to go with the Prius Plug In.  Unfortunately, it is not available for order by Toyota dealers in Oklahoma.  We were planning on going to Seattle to see my sister and her family anyway, so Sheryl began to shop online for our next car there.  We would fly in and get the car - she even arranged for the dealer to pick us up at the airport!  An added bonus is that we saved money by not renting a car while we were there.

We were a little nervous about making an online purchase this large but since we were going with a reputable dealer (Burien Toyota), we felt like we were doing the right thing. And so that's how we ended up making a large part of our vacation the drive home.

So how is being a good steward of the environment a part of Christian discipleship?

The environment can be a touchy subject.  There are many people who do not support Climate Change.  I tend to go with the majority of scientists on this and believe that emissions do effect the weather (it currently feels like Oklahoma is trying to move from a plains ecosystem to a desert ecosystem).  I hope and pray that I am wrong in this!  My simplest rationale for my belief in Climate Change is the traditional conservative value: hope for the best and prepare for the worst.

But let's take Climate Change out of the debate for a moment.  Tailpipe exhaust does affect human health.  Studies show that children who live in the cities with worse air pollution ratings have higher rates of asthma.  This makes sense in that people used to commit suicide by locking themselves in a closed garage with the car running.

So being a good steward of God's creation has positive impact upon God's children.  The less gas I burn in my car = cleaner air = healthier families.  It's hard to argue against caring for our kids.  As Christians we remember that when the disciples tried to brush off all the little ones when they were crowding around Jesus, they heard their rabbi say, "Let the little children come to me." I try to model this each day - I'll also do my part to make sure they can do so while breathing easily.