1. Creation:
The doctrine of creation is fundamental for everything that
follows in Christian Theology. It is the basic assertion about the relation of
God to the world, and about humanity and the world, namely, that they are
creatures.
The testimony of the Bible is that humanity is called to be
God’s gardener and obedient agent in caring for the creation to promote the
well-being of the creation and of humanity under God (Gen.2:15;Lev.25:1-5;Deut.
22:6,25:4) “Dominion” in Gene.1:26,28 means this rather than greedy
exploitation and despoiling of creation. The rest of the creation fulfills the
divine purpose of manifesting and praising God and mutual service (plants for
animals, Gen.1:30) as well as the service of humanity. Then, the biblical
approach to the ecological issue is to ask this basic question : is humanity,
particularly the Christian, responsibly and productively managing the natural
environment? These are reasons for concern about the ecology.
2. Concern for Environment:
The reasons for the modern concern about the ecology or
ecological balance may be highlighted in the following ways :
a) Population Growth:
It has been known for centuries
that world population is growing. However, only since World War II has the
accelerating growth rate been clearly perceived and the disastrous aftermath of
the unchecked population-explosion been predicted. In short, since in 1980s,
with 4000 million people, one-fifth of them (800 million) were destitute, it is
being asked how more than 6000 million people can possibly be fed twenty years
later?
b) Resource Depletion:
World’s attention was drawn to the finite nature of the earth’s
resources. For example, fossil fuels are not made by men; they cannot be
recycled. Once they are gone they are gone forever. Further, living nature (the
plankton of the oceans, the green surface of the earth, clean air,etc.), much
of which was being destroyed by pollution. If we squander our fossil fuels, we
threatened civilization; but if we squander living nature around us, we
threaten life itself. The greatest threat to mankind may prove in the end to be
not nuclear war but the spoliation of earth’s natural resources by human folly.
All life on earth is dependent on the biosphere, the narrow layer of water,
soil and air in which we live. Yet our record in conserving it, especially in
our country, is not good.
i)
Misuse
of Land:
Vast acres of soil in Asia, America and Africa, which were once fertile
agricultural land, are now irrevocable deserts because of misuse of land.
Worldwide deserts have increased by 150 per cent during the past hundred years,
so that almost 50 per cent of the earth’s land surface is now desert or
semi-desert.
ii)
Resources
of Coal:
The resources of coala might last
another 2000 years, but natural gas and oil will not last long into 21st
century due to the sspoliation of earth’s natural resources.
c) Runaway Technology:
The modern technological
revolution may well have arrived in time to rescue us from human predicament.
But modern technology is extremely greedy for fuel and created energy crisis.
It also sometimes seems like a monster which, if it gets out of control, will
destroy its creator.
i)
Water
Pollution:
The disposal of nuclear waste is causing grave public disquiet. Lakes and
rivers including oceans became polluted by industrial and domestic poisons that
every living creature in them died.
ii)
Forest
Being Destroyed:
As for the squandering of wood pulp for paper manufacture, a single
Sunday edition of new York Times consumes 150 acres of forest land. Indeed, the
record says that 14 acres of forest are being destroyed in the world every
minute and if every human being bought a daily newspaper, all earth’s forest
would be destroyed within 30 years. Some of this destruction of environment
happens as a result of human ignorance.
We
have seen that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of
childbirth to the present time. Have Christians a distinctive contribution to
make the ecological anxiety? Yes, we believe that God created the earth,
entrusting its care to man, and he will one day recreate it. The whole creation
is groaning due to its ‘bondage to decay’ and its consequent frustration. For
the despoiling the earth some Christians have accepted the responsibility;
while some have used the Genesis story to excuse their irresponsibility.
However, what about those Genesis text? Are we sure that we have interpreted
them correctly. This leads us to the biblical approach to the ecological
crisis:
3.Biblical Approach
to Ecology:
The biblical approach to the environment issue is to ask
this basic question: to whom does the earth belong?
1) Partial Answer:
a)
Ps. 24:1 says, “The earth is the Lord’s and
everything in it.”
b)
God is the creator of the earth, and so by right
of creation, God is also the owner of the earth. This is only a partial answer
to the above question.
2) Balance Biblical Answer:
a)
Ps.115:16 says, “The highest heavens belong to
the Lord; but the earth he has given to men.”
b)
So, then, the balanced biblical answer to the
above question is that –
i)
The earth belongs to God and men;
ii)
the earth
belongs to God because God has made it;
iii)
the earth
belongs to us because God has given it to us;
iv)
Not, of course, that God has handed it over to
us completely so as to retain neither rights not control over it;
v)
therefore, our possession of the earth is
leasehold, and not freehold;
vi)
we are only tenants; God himself remains the
landlord, the Lord of all the land.
3) Affirmation from Biblical Passages:
We may legitimately make three affirmations from biblical materials (such
as Ge.1:10-12,24,26,28:
a)
God Gave
Man Domain Over the Earth:
We note two divine resolves of Gen.1:26: ‘Let us make man I our image’
and ‘let them have dominion over the earth.’ We note also two divine actions in
Gen. 1:27-28 where his resolves were expressed ‘So God created man in his image
‘ and God said to them, “Fill the earth and subdue it.” Thus, from the
beginning human beings have been endowed with double uniqueness: we bear the
image of God and we wield dominion over the earth and its creatures. God has
provided in the earth all the resources of food, water, clothing, shelter, energy
and warmth we need, and he has given us domain over the earth in which these
resources have been stored.
b)
Our
Dominion is Co-operative Dominion:
In exercising our God-given dominion, we are not creating the processes
of nature, but co-operating with them. It is clear from Genesis 1 that the
earth was made fruitful before man was told to fill and subdue it. It is true
that man can make the earth more fruitful. He can clear, plough, irrigate and
enrich the soil. He can produce hybrid grains with a fantastic yield. He can
mechanize his reaping and threshing by using huge combine harvesters. But in
all these activities he is merely co-operating with the laws of fruitfulness
which God has already established.
c) Our Domain is a Delegated, and therefore, a
Responsible Domain:
That is, the dominion we exercise over the earth does not belong to us by
right, but only by favour. The earth belongs to us not because we made or own
it, but because its maker has entrusted its care to us. This has important
consequences. If we think of the earth as a kingdom, then we are not kings
ruling our own territory, but viceroys ruling it on the king’s behalf, since
the king has not abdicated his throne. Or if we think of the earth as a country
estate, then, we are not the landowners, but the bailiffs who manage and farm
it on the owner’s behalf. God makes us, in the most literal sense, ‘caretakers’
of his property.
Conclusion:
In relation to ecology, the
testimony of the Bible is that humanity is called to be God’s gardener and
obedient agent in caring for the creation to promote the well-being of the
creation and of humanity under God (Gen.2:15;Levi.25:1-5; Deut. 22:6;25:4). If,
therefore, our dominion over the earth has been delegated to us by God, with a
view to our co-operating with him and sharing its produce with others, then, we
are accountable to him for our stewardship. We have no liberty to do what we
like with our natural environment; it is not ours to treat as we please. In
consequence, we learn to think and act ecologically. We need to repent of
extravagance, pollution and wanton destruction. ‘Dominion’ is not a synonym for
‘destruction.’ We should recognize that man finds it easier to subdue the earth
than he does to subdue himself. Ronald Higgins’ book ‘The Seventh Enemy’ is
significant in this respect. For the first six ‘enemies’ are the population
explosion, the food scarcity of resources, environmental degradation, nuclear
abuse and scientific technology. The seventh enemy, however, is man himself,
his personal blindness in the fact of today’s moral religios capabilities.
Since we hold it in trust, we have to manage it responsibly and productively
for the sake of both our own and subsequent generation.
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