Organic Cotton Not Just for Liberals

You don't need to automatically think liberal when you hear the term organic cotton. The image that many people conjure up when they hear the term organic cotton is the sixties' hippie, communist, pinko, environmentalist wacko. This person is a part of the market for organic products including organic cotton, and the Christian must reject his worldview. That does not necessitate jumping into the ditch on the other side of the road.

It seems that the natural tendency of people who are rebelling against something that they have determined is evil is to throw the baby out with the bath water. This can be seen as you look at the Protestant reaction against false doctrines from Rome. The doctrines of the immaculate conception, Mary as co-redemptrix, and Mary as a mediator between man and God should be rejected, but in rejecting these false doctrines what Protestants have done is virtually ignore the personage of Mary altogether. Evil and false doctrine must be rejected, but if you ignore another truth in your rejection of a falsity you are committing evil at the other end of the spectrum. Often you will find Protestants rejecting the law of God altogether in reaction against the false doctrine of salvation by works.

Many in the environmental movement have replaced the one true living God with a concept that all is god – man, animals, plants, the planet, the universe – all is god. This kind of idolatry is repugnant, and there is no place for this kind of thinking in a Christian worldview. Others are just using environmentalism to advance a socialist political agenda. Socialism promotes legal theft by government fiat and should be rejected by the Christian as well. Aligning oneself with environmentalists whose intents are evil, based on the Biblical standards of good and evil, is not an option.

All that being said, stewardship of the earth and its resources is not only admirable, but is commanded by scripture. The very first command delineated in scripture is found in Gen. 1:28, “...bring forth fruit, and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it, and rule over...” A wise ruler will manage what has been put in his charge with care. He will not abuse that which he is managing.

With an understanding that man is not powerful enough to destroy anything that God does not want destroyed, man should seek to manage the resources of earth, bringing them under subjection to King Jesus. The resources of earth should be used to “glorify God and enjoy Him forever” (see the first question of the Westminster Shorter Catechism). Therefore if there is a way to grow cotton, or other goods, in a manner that enhances the soil and the end product, then that is just good stewardship. You do not have to embrace the false doctrines of the larger environmentalist movement in order to be a good steward of the planet that God has given you. Do not be repulsed by the term organic cotton, but by the same token you should be repulsed by the idolatry and thieving of the leftists who have co-opted a good idea for evil purposes.