The word behold is used over a thousand times in the Bible including, near the beginning, “And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good.” [KJV]
David Conover’s award-winning documentary, Behold the Earth, features Christian creation care activists who remind viewers that the Christian faith tradition, contrary to some contemporary trends, has often led in environmental concern.
The documentary features, in a major way, University of Wisconsin environmental studies professor Calvin DeWitt; as well as the late Theo Colborn, who got her PhD at the University of Wisconsin; and climate scientist Katherine Heyhoe, who has spoken in Madison a number of times.
DeWitt was present at the showing of Behold the Earth on Monday evening at Upper House, and was interviewed by Richard Lindroth, University of Wisconsin professor of Ecology, about the making of the documentary, part of which was filmed at DeWitt’s home, on the edge of Waubesa Marsh in the Town of Dunn.
He noted that Conover was not a scientist, nor did he claim to be a Christian. He said he made the documentary out of concern for the world his children would grow up in.
The documentary is filled with scenes of natural beauty, as one would expect from an experienced filmmaker. The interviews with DeWitt and others are interspersed with country gospel hymns which are also beautifully presented, although the arrangements differ somewhat from the most familiar versions.
Ben Lowe, one of the founders of Young Evangelicals for Climate Action, said concern for the environment is not a distraction from the mission of the church, he called Psalm 104 one of the most beautiful Scripture passages about God’s creation. Lowe and Colborn both noted that environmentalism is a prolife issue because pollution threatens the health and well-being of unborn babies.
About 70 people viewed the documentary and afterwards participated in table discussions about how their childhood shaped their understanding of creation (another theme of the film) and how to grow in their stewardship of creation.
Lindroth closed the evening with a quote from another native Wisconsin environmentalist, John Muir:
“We seem to imagine that since Herod beheaded John the Baptist, there is no longer any voice crying in the wilderness. But no one in the wilderness can possibly make such a mistake, for every one of these flowers is such a voice. No wilderness in the world is so desolate as to be without divine ministers. God’s love covers all the earth as the sky covers it, and also fills it in every pore. And this love has voices heard by all who have ears to hear.”