One man’s prescription for the planet
Former trauma physician goes green
October 31, 2007
Todd Foley
Students and staff filled nearly every seat in Block Hall on Oct. 22 to hear Dr. J. Matthew Sleeth testify that “This Planet Needs Serious Medicine,” setting the stage for environmental discussion at Trinity Western University.
The event was hosted by A Rocha (Portuguese for “The Rock”), a Christian nature conservation organization which began in Peru. Sleeth is the Executive Director of A Rocha USA and a former emergency room physician. He graduated from Washington University School of Medicine with two post-doctoral fellowships.
The night began with a ceremony celebrating the start of A Rocha TWU. The new chapter was initiated by TWU Environmental Studies students and is overseen by Melissa Oakes, Field Resources Coordinator.
Before Sleeth took the podium, several speakers, including TEA president Deanna Leigh, gave mini-testimonials of their history with environmental activism.
TWU graduate Rick Faw recalled when he first realized the need for conservationism. “My world was totally rocked…I found that my faith was connected to the rest of the earth. I couldn’t understand how I grew up in Christian circles and was never told about this,” he said.
Faw then got involved with A Rocha USA. “I understand the Christian life to be part of, well, all life.”
A brief video was integrated into the evening, which stated that 60 per cent of the world’s resources are degraded or are no longer of use.
“What is the cause of [the] environmental degradation of the West? The problem is Christians who use Genesis 1:26 as a license to destroy,” said guest speaker Oscar Gonzalez, Director of A Rocha Peru.
Almost an hour into the program, Dr. Sleeth began his talk with a vivid anecdote about emergency medicine from his past experience in the ER. “When something is really wrong, your cure had better match the severity of the problem,” he said in relation to both emergency medicine and environmental conservationism. Concerning the environmental issues that are occurring around the globe, Sleeth said that “the natural response is to get depressed.”
Sleeth gave a call to action regarding environmental issues. “Part of the medicine involves sacrifice; it’s not going to be comfortable,” he said. He added that, “there’s something irresistible about sacrifice.” He made a parallel to the story of the Good Samaritan who extended his resources to help the person in need.
“In order to act out our love for God, we have to act out our love for our neighbour.”
Following Sleeth’s talk, there was a question and answer period. One audience member mentioned that he has been adjusting to an environmentally-conscious lifestyle but has feelings of resentment and judgment towards the church’s conservational complacency, as he waits for the transformation of his mindset.
Sleeth responded: “God doesn’t want you to be miserable; it’s [about] finding the balance.”
Now you go...
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