“So God created human beings in his own image. In the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. Then God blessed them and said, “be fruitful and multiply. Fill the earth and govern it. Reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, and all the animals that scurry along the ground”. Then God said. “Look! I have given you every seed-beraring plant troughout the earth and all the fruit trees for your food. And I have given every green plant as food for all the wild animals, the birds in the sky, and all the small animals that scurry along the ground - everything that has life.”
Then God looked over all he had made, and saw that it was very good. (Genesis 1:27-31 NLT)
In our human infancy, all of nature, and indeed the entire universe, seemed to be made for and revolve around the human race. We are after all God’s special creation, set above the animal kingdom and just a little lower than the angels (Ps. 8:5); created in God’s image and given dominion, or rule, over the earth (Gen 1:27-28). What a wonderful gift! In our hands He placed the breathtaking diversity of life, infinite natural resources, and a perfect climate to populate the earth. And so God planned and created all of this explicitly for mankind’s benefit and rule - nothing in the created order had any purpose save to benefit the human race. And - although man’s body is made of clay, we are told - he is simply not part of nature; he is made in the image of God (White, 4).
And so what we see in the early Judeo-Christian worldview is perhaps the most anthropocentric religion the world has ever seen. Medieval historian Lynn White, Jr. In his paper The Historical Roots of our Ecological Crisis claims that “Christianity, in absolute contrast to ancient paganism and Asia’s religions (except, perhaps, Zoroastrianism), not only established a dualism of man and nature but also insisted that it is God’s will that man exploit nature for his proper ends.”. (White, 4).
But all that has changed in the modern world, because we are children of the enlightenment. The scientific pioneers of the last five hundred years have reshaped our worldview, literally turning it on its head. From Copernicus, we become conscious of our place in the solar system - not at its center, but as circling one of billions of stars in one of billions of galaxies. If nothing else, we learn from Darwin a common thread of life through all of the created order, and from the discoverers of DNA a molecular commonality with all life on earth. And modern physics and cosmology have helped us come to terms with the vast expanse and delicate intricacy of the universe and the wonders it contains.
As children of the enlightenment, we have grown uneasy with the idea that all this is for our pleasure and consumption. As early as the 12th century, St. Francis of Assisi voiced his belief in the virtue of humility - not merely for the individual, but for man as a species. Francis tried to depose man from his monarchy over creation and set up a democracy of all God's creatures. (White, 5). Today, most of us would agree that the human-centered point of view must ultimately give way to the idea of a single, interconnected and interdependent created order, with humans as the apex of that order. And to whom much is given, much is required (Luke 12:48).
I would suggest that how we view the current climate crisis, and what we do about it, stems from this God-man-nature relationship. If, in our hearts, we feel the entire cosmos revolves around our little globe, or if we feel it is our role to subjugate the created order, then no amount of conclusive scientific date or bell-ringing will convince us otherwise. If, on the other hand, we take our rightful place as steward and trustee of creation, as God clearly intended in Genesis 1:27, then the environmental crisis we see emerging around us suddenly makes sense, and our call to action becomes more urgent.
White, Lynn. 1974. "The historical roots of our ecologic crisis [with
discussion of St Francis; reprint, 1967]," Ecology and religion in history,
(New York :Harper and Row, 1974).
Posts
We are God's by right of creation and the, "earth and everything in it," are His by right of creation and declaration.
ReplyDelete(1 Corinthians 10:26). Such wisdom is included in a larger context talking about the Believers Freedoms-not what they cannot do. Everything is permissible...but not always beneficial. So we must ask ourselves, "Is what I am doing-though free to do it-constructive?...does it think of others(their good)? Verse 24 of the same passage says, "No one should seek his own good, but the good of others." The problem arises when ecological concerns are politicized. In a time when believers follow such biblical truth-speak and live publically from their deep spiritual passion-they are said to be biased, discriminatory, or empty-headed; however, absent such divine incentive, there is little motivation to be concerned for others. It is then easy to become worshippers of the earth and all her diversity...instead of her creator. There is no danger that man will destroy what we do not own-"the earth is the Lords" We must live and behave based on a realtionship not first with other people or the earth, or plants or animals, but with the Creator of all. When we are determined to do this we will take care of things reasonably well. We will not fall for false science or be roped in by those who have little faith, and somehow are eager to get us to pledge allegiance to causes while abandoning our allegiance to the only one who deserves such.
"The earth is the Lords and all the fullness thereof..." Who? may ascend the hill of the Lord? those who do not lift up their soul to an idol or swear to what is false." Psalm 24:1-5
The Lord is not wanting us to set up permanent residence here-"we have here no continuing city." There is no Utopia coming-here. He wants us to LIVE as HE leads us. When we do the rest will come along just fine.