At Wheaton College the potential for truly distinctive geoeducation exists as a challenge to faculty initiative. A desire to see people get excited about the natural world began in me before employment at Wheaton. I now also realize that sanctified minds are essential in balancing attention to human needs with protection of a threatened environment. These concerns have become my motivation for teaching geology, and they have meant changing from a mostly academic-research orientation. Environmental stewardship has become a prime focus of the geology curriculum.
Practical experience shows that consideration of human needs demands care for the environment.
A powerful example is the need for water. The world s number one health problem is a lack of clean, adequate water supplies. This is a global geological problem requiring constant attention. Both testaments of scripture portray nature in physical and spiritual interdependence with man. Desert, rivers, fruit trees, domestic and wild animals, mountains, caves, earthquakes, well water, and dramatic storms all have practical and symbolic roles in the Bible.