Christian and Environmental Stewardship
Christians and Stewardship of Their Environment 1. Introduction Our earthly habitat is not an unexpected occurrence of little worth, but rather, it is one to be highly valued and preserved. The biblical doctrine of creation helps the Christian to understand the true significance of the world in order to deal with the environmental crisis. The Bible says, “For thus saith the Lord that created the heavens; God himself that formed the earth and made it; he hath established it, he created it not in vain, he formed it to be inhabited…” (King James Version, Isaiah 45:18). In Christian teaching, God not only created Heavens and Earth, but expressed His delight in His creation. This creation meant, everything encompassing the trees, the rivers and all kinds of elements that go into preserving the environment (Genesis 1:31). Therefore, the destruction of the environment is against God’s will. The main problem in the stewardship model is the fall of mankind into a state of sin and depravity (Genesis 3). As a result of the fall, we are in rebellion against God. We no longer act as the stewards we ought to be regarding the earth and its resources. Therefore, we tend towards exploitation and abuse. In addition, the earth has been cursed as a result of the fall (Romans 8:20; Genesis 3:17-18). Action Institute expressed it this way; “Nature now produces floods, fires, earthquakes, weeds, and crop destroying insects (“A Biblical Perspective on Environmental Stewardship”). This makes proper stewardship even more difficult; we are not only fighting our natural tendency to exploit and abuse, but also fighting against an earth that is cursed (Genesis 3:17). 2. The Earth and Everything in it Belongs to the Lord The earth is God’s creation and man is His steward over His creation. According to the Merriam Web Dictionary, the primary definition of a steward is “one who actively directs affairs: manager”) (“Merriam-Webster Dictionary”). This concept of
Cited: John C Bregston, Principle of Environmental Ethics, University of Georgia. Web. Oct. 12, 2012 Holy Bible, King James Version “Steward” The Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary, 11 ed. 2011 print OUTLINE