I've had a sticker on my Nalgene bottle for about a year now (because you're not cool unless you have a Nalgene bottle covered with stickers... for more of my lessons on "how to be cool," please reference another blog here.) that is a green circle with the words "God is Green" on it, and around the edges of the circle you can see the silhouettes of animals, etc. I received this sticker as a gift from someone who had visited Mars Hill Bible Church in Michigan (Rob Bell's home church), as that congregation had done a series of study under the same name. I've gotten plenty of questions and cheesy remarks about the odd claim the sticker makes, but the point is, of course, that I believe God cares about environmentalism. More appropriately, I believe God cares about that which he has created. We live in a fallen world. We live in a broken creation. We can read in the papers and see in the news the constant and seemingly unstoppable, ongoing damage human actions have taken on the planet, and it is rare to hear a Christian portray a sense of responsibility to our environment out of devotion to Kingdom living if at all. However, before humans fell away into this brokenness, God offered a look into the wholeness of what creation was intended to be. He offered a glimpse of a world that was thriving and healthy. And from this original plan it should be clear that the Father intended something more pure, something more complete, of creation.
So where might we start? In Genesis we can find a much clearer picture of what God intended the world to be than we can find on the nightly news. The creation story paints a picture of God’s intentions for wholeness in creation, and then it explains when mankind began to stray from a life of full satisfaction in the Father. It is my stance that this straying from the completeness of creation is the cause of the brokenness of our environment today, and in light of that brokenness, I also believe it is our duty and responsibility as Christians and stewards of God’s creation to defend the wholeness that God, the architect, originally foresaw in the world.
So let us start at the beginning. At the dawn of creation, the Lord formed each part of the world by simply speaking it into existence; the oceans, the land, the rivers, the mountains, the valleys, the creatures of the sea, the birds in the air, the beasts on the land, and everything else under the sun, God spoke into existence, all the while declaring his creation “good.” However, it was not until God spoke mankind into existence, and breathed into them the breath of life that the Lord declared his creation “very good.” It was in the creation of mankind that the triune God agreed that humans would bear the responsibility of, “[ruling] over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground."[1] But God did not only entrust humanity with dominion over the earth in this passage, he also made it clear that mankind was created to image our Creator, the core purpose of our existence.
This short passage[2] will serve as the backbone for my theological discourse on the Christian ethical responsibility to God’s creation. From the original mention of creating humanity in verse twenty-six God declares humanity is to be made in ‘his’ own image and will be given dominion and responsibility over the rest of creation. Then in the next verse, readers are once again reminded as God creates mankind that all of mankind, male and female, were created in the image of God. Finally, the charge for these people living in the image of God to serve as rulers over creation is repeated in verse twenty-eight in order to emphasize the responsibility which God is entrusting humanity. Therefore, it seems clear to me that because God put such great care into creation, created mankind in God’s own image, and entrusted mankind to care for creation, that environmental stewardship is very much an issue that is close to God’s heart and something that is certainly an issue of faith even today.
It is worth noting, however, that this passage is often misinterpreted or misunderstood. Many Christians in America have actually used this very same passage in order to justify humanity’s right to do whatever it may with the world.[3] This understanding draws from the idea that the “rule” over the earth God granted mankind was not a rule of stewardship and caring for creation, but, rather, a complete dominion and tyranny over creation. It seems as though much of this misunderstanding comes because many people have misunderstood the calling to image God in his love and care as Creator of all things. It is clear to me that our God-given rule over creation is not one which allows us to destroy or exploit our environment, but one that is given out of the understanding that mankind was created to image a Creator who greatly cares for the wholeness and beauty he spoke into being.
How can we be so sure that God intended our “rule” over creation to be one of stewardship and not one of tyranny? We need only to look at the history of God’s model of leadership.[4] As we are to image God, it is our goal to reflect all of the characteristics we know of God and have seen displayed throughout biblical history. The narrative of Scripture has taught us that God is Lord and Ruler of all, but God is a just and righteous God whose name is Love. This model of God’s rule is also very clearly expressed in the Lord Jesus Christ. Although Jesus is Lord and proclaimed the Kingdom of God, he did so with peace, compassion, and love. Therefore, we would be remiss to assume the rule or dominion God granted mankind over the rest of creation in Genesis was to be one of tyranny and exploitation, because we were created to be an image of our Creator here on earth.
So it is clear that Scripture is, and always will be, read with some form of previously established worldview. Those worldviews will shape and mold the text into a certain understanding in one way or another. With the specific issue of environmentalism, Christians have often been at odds with the idea of responsibility to the environment as an issue of faith because of the divide that has opened between many members of the Christian community and the scientific community primarily over the debate of evolution versus creationism. This rift has created a hurdle to many Christians as they may find it difficult to align with the scientific community on the issue of environmental conservation when, in large, the scientific community refutes certain beliefs contained within conservative theology.[5] Therefore, it may be necessary to come to an understanding that Christianity and science are not mutually exclusive entities before delving into the concept of environmental responsibility.
There are many places in Scripture where God’s care for and delight in creation are on display. Throughout Scripture, it is shown that God cares for even the lowliest of creatures, but when truly taken into consideration, God’s love for creation is quite compelling. For example, just in the immediate context of Genesis 1:26-28 one can glean a few different points of the importance of creation to God. Just before the creation of mankind, as each of the other parts of creation was spoken into existence, we can see that the Father blessed each individual facet of his creation, declaring each of them “good.”[6] Therefore, despite humanity’s special gift of dominion over the other works of creation, mankind is to acknowledge the blessing that God has issued over all of nature.
We might also consider the importance of God’s actions through Noah and the flood.[7] God did not only order Noah to gather every living creature to be spared from destruction, but God remembered all the animals onboard the ark with Noah’s family and brought an end to the flood.[8] When the flood was over, God issued a covenant that included all of creation, saying, “Never again will I curse the ground because of man, […] And never again will I destroy all living creatures, as I have done.”[9] Clearly, God holds creation in a high regard, and man should as well in being stewards of that very same creation as the Creator offers an everlasting covenant to all of creation.
Evidence of care for creation can also be found in God’s commands such as, “Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain,” because an ox should be allowed to eat as it works.[10] It is also commanded in Deuteronomy that people are not to take a mother bird along with her eggs when seeking food.[11] And even in reference to vegetation, it is commanded that even when laying siege on a city over a long period of time, soldiers are not to cut down trees that bear fruit because it would be unnecessary to punish nature in process of besieging a city.[12] In citing these same three texts, Roger Gottlieb writes, “As humans pursue legitimate purposes—threshing grain, finding food, making war—there are limits to how we can treat other living things in pursuit of our own ends.”[13] So we can see in these passages that humanity’s “dominion” or “rule” clearly does not allow for blatant exploitation of our fellow created.
Even beyond humanity’s stewardship as opposed to tyranny over creation, is the idea that all of God’s creation is to live in communion, if not partnership. Obviously, mankind was created in the image of God to rule over the created (Genesis 1:26-28) and placed only a little lower than the heavenly beings (Psalm 8:5), but is it not clear that nature and the animals it contains are not also of great value simply because they were also created by God, for a purpose?[14] The inherent value of that which is created by God calls for a sense of respect from mankind and calls humanity to enter into communion with creation. One expression of this call to communion of the created is Sabbath.
In Exodus 20:8-10 and Deuteronomy 5:12-14, God commands the Israelites to keep Sabbath, not only for themselves, but also for the animals.[15] The Sabbath law is inclusive so that mankind will respect the animals God has placed under their rule. In Exodus 23:10-11, the Sabbath law is laid out for how humans are to give even the land a Sabbath rest. Those who work the fields are to use the land for six years, but on the seventh year they are to give the land rest. This Sabbath of the land is commanded so that people will not exploit the land and rob it of its fertility. This idea is supported by the account in Leviticus 25 and 26 where God asks the Israelites to trust in the sixth year of working the fields that God will provide more than enough for the Sabbath year. Therefore, the people of God are to trust in God and follow the command to give the land rest so that the land will continue to bear fruit.[16] These are just a few of the many references to God’s Sabbath law for all of creation that can be found in Scripture.
All of these references throughout Scripture clearly point back to God’s original intention for mankind’s role in creation, that is, to be a steward and a servant to the co-created. Seeing as how the earth and everything in it belongs to God the Creator (Psalm 24:1), and because God delights in the work of his hands, declaring it all “very good” (Genesis 1:31), there must be a greater sense of urgency among Christians today to be a part of God’s restorative work in creation. Because humanity was created in the image of God, we were created to reflect the heart, the deepest longings and desires, of God as well as reflect his rule over creation.[17] Therefore, it is imperative that Christians overcome the false barrier that stands between faith and science in order to begin the healing our environment so desperately needs.
In his essay on Christian environmentalism, Dr. Ray Bohlin made a point to reference Jesus’ parable of the talents in Matthew 25:14-30.[18] In his reference Dr. Bohlin poses a challenge to those of us who may be guilty of, in essence, burying our talents by not taking action about the deterioration of our environment. He does so by saying, “When Christ returns, His earth may well be handed back to Him rusted, corroded, polluted, and ugly. To what degree will you or I be held responsible?”[19] We are called to be good stewards of what was entrusted to us, and God entrusted us with stewardship over creation! We must take this charge seriously as an issue that derives from our devotion to reflect God’s image here on earth, and we must begin to take our places as agents of the restorative movement of God.
Bibliography
-- Bohlin, Ray. Leadership U. “Christian Environmentalism.” Probe Ministries International, 1992. http://www.leaderu.com/orgs/probe/docs/ecology.html. (accessed May 22, 2009).
-- Bouma-Prediger, Steven. For the Beauty of the Earth: A Christian Vision for Creation Care. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House Company, 2001
-- Bratton, Susan P. “Teaching Environmental Ethics from a Theological Perspective.” Religious Education 85, no. 1 (Winter 1990): 25-33.
-- DeWitt, Calvin D. Leadership U. “Three Biblical Principles For Environmental Stewardship.” Copyright: Au Sable Institute of Environmental Studies. http://www.leaderu.com/theology/environment.html. (accessed May 22, 2009).
-- Gottlieb, Roger S. A Greener Faith: Religious Environmentalism and Our Planet’s Future. New York: Oxford University Press, Inc., 2006.
-- Van Dyke, Fred and others. Redeeming Creation: The Biblical Basis for Environmental Stewardship. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1996.
[1] Genesis 1:26
[2] Genesis 1:26-28
[3] Ray Bohlin. Leadership U. “Christian Environmentalism.” Probe Ministries International, 1992. http://www.leaderu.com/orgs/probe/docs/ecology.html. Accessed May 22, 2009. It should also be noted that I specify “Christians in America” here only because of my own, limited experience with Christian environmentalism outside of America.
[4] Fred Van Dyke and others, Redeeming Creation: The Biblical Basis for Environmental Stewardship (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1996), 89-93.
[5] Susan P. Bratton “Teaching Environmental Ethics from a Theological Perspective.” Religious Education 85, no. 1 (Winter 1990): 26.
[6] Genesis 1:3-25. Steven Bouma-Prediger, For the Beauty of the Earth: A Christian Vision for Creation Care (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House Company 2001), 95.
[7] Bouma-Prediger, 97-99.
[8] Genesis 8:1
[9] Genesis 8:21
[10] Deut. 25:4
[11] Deut. 22:6-7
[12] Deut. 20:19
[13] Roger S. Gottlieb, A Greener Faith: Religious Environmentalism and Our Planet’s Future (New York: Oxford University Press, Inc., 2006), 25-26.
[14] Gottlieb, 26 (idea expressed in a quote from Andrew Linzey)
[15] Calvin D. DeWitt. Leadership U. “Three Biblical Principles For Environmental Stewardship.” Au Sable Institute of Environmental Studies. http://www.leaderu.com/theology/environment.html. Accessed May 22, 2009. Gottlieb, 26. Much of this section on the Sabbath draws from DeWitt’s essay and Gottlieb’s chapter.
[16] Leviticus 26:3
[17] Van Dyke, 95-98.
