As I mentioned in a previous post, the conference offered several seminars dealing with theology, ethics, economics, market and the family, and the environment. One of the lectures was "Biblical Theology and Environmental Ethics." The seminar was taught by Ben Phillips, professor of theology at the Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, Houston, Texas.
Environmental ethics is based on the theology of creation that is found in the Old Testament. There are three aspects that influence a Christian perspective of environmental ethics. First, that since God is the creator, the whole earth belongs to God. Divine ownership of the earth is proclaimed in Psalm 24:1: "The earth is the LORD's and all that is in it, the world, and those who live in it."
Second, since the earth and all things in it belong to God, then, the earth and its riches have been given to humanity as a divine gift. As the Psalmist wrote: "The heavens belong to the LORD, but the earth he has given to mankind" (Psalm 115:16).
The theology of creation in the Old Testament affirms that God's creation is good. In the creation story in Genesis, six times God himself affirmed that what he had created was "good." Then, at the end of his work of creation, God saw all the things he had created and he said that "it was very good" (Genesis 1:31).
The whole creation, that which God said to be good, is a witness to the character of the God of the Bible. The good creation is the work of a good God. Thus, when God created the earth, he created it with a purpose. The problem humans face is understanding God's purpose for creation. The fact is that creation exists to glorify the Creator: "All you have made will praise you" (Psalm 145:10).
While the heavens belong to God and all creation praises him, God gave the earth to become the place where humans would live. Yet, although human beings live on earth, the earth does not belong to human beings.
What makes human beings different from the animals is that only humans were created in the image and likeness of the Creator (Genesis 1:26-27). The meaning of the "image of God" in human beings has been much debated among theologians. What does it mean to be created in the image of God? Whatever the meaning of this expression might be, I believe the image of God in human beings refers to the role they play in creation.
The role humans play in creation is expressed in God's words to the human beings he had created: "God blessed them, and God said to them, 'Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living thing that moves upon the earth'" (Genesis 1:28).
These words of God to the man and woman he had created mean that God entrusted the world to the ones created in the divine image. Thus, for better or for worse, the divine mandate giving humans dominion over the created order is necessary for the full development of what God had created. Human beings were made like God to rule over God's creation.
It is this view of human dominion over God's creation that concerns us today. Humans have taken the divine mandate to abuse their stewardship over God's creation. Today we face many environmental crises. The massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico is a clear example of the ecological catastrophe that is a result of mismanagement of the stewardship entrusted to us.
Other problems that have developed in recent years are the pollution of our environment, the problem of global warming, carbon emission, the destruction of arable land, deforestation, soil erosion, the extinction of several species, and other problems caused by humans that contribute to the destruction of the natural resources and of the environment in which we live.
What can people do in light of the responsibility entrusted to us and in light of the fact that God is the owner of the world in which we live? First, we must recognize that human dominion over God's creation is not a license to kill and destroy. Human dominion over God's creation describes what humans must do to control the environment so that they may live and not die.
Second, human dominion over God's creation does not mean exploitation but care of what God has entrusted to us. Humans have been crowned "with glory and honor" and given dominion over the works of God's hand (Psalm 8:5-6). This kingly authority delegated to humans means that humans reign over God's creation in a way that their authority reflects the character of the Creator. That is, humans must exercise their authority aware that they are responsible for the welfare of other human beings, and in the end, that they are accountable to the creator God.
Claude Mariottini
Professor of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary
If you enjoyed reading this post,
Reference: http://masonsofheaven.blogspot.com
