The belief that humans are responsible for the world and should look after it for God. |  |
Image: Stokpic We only have to open a newspaper or turn on the TV to be confronted by that fact that humanity is facing a very large problem - how to deal with our environment and the effects that we have had upon the natural world. Climate Change is a phenomena that many scientists agree is being directly affected by human actions and in the past 40 years there has been a growing movement to ensure that humans act to reduce our impact upon the environment.
Christians have also been part of the green movement and there is a great deal in the Bible to support the idea that they have a special duty to care for the environment: As it says in Pslams: "The earth is the Lord's, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it." (Psalm 24:1) or in Deuteronomy: "To the Lord your God belong the heavens, even the highest heavens, the earth and everything in it." (Deuteronomy 10:14). Many Christians feel that they should care for the world because it is not really theirs but rather belongs to God.
This can be seen in the second creation story in Genesis 2 when God creates the world and then creates Adam to “till and keep” the Garden of Eden; many liberal Christians interpret this Myth to mean that they have a responsibility to maintain the world and use its resources sustainably. They will have to give it back to God one day and certainly have to pass it on to the next generation.
This can be seen in the second creation story in Genesis 2 when God creates the world and then creates Adam to “till and keep” the Garden of Eden; many liberal Christians interpret this Myth to mean that they have a responsibility to maintain the world and use its resources sustainably. They will have to give it back to God one day and certainly have to pass it on to the next generation.
Image: ClkerFreeVectorImages The wider debate is how we are to achieve this - are we to try and have the least impact upon the world by reducing, reusing and recycling straight away? Are we to turn to low-energy technology and renewable sources of energy such as wind, tide and solar? Do Governments have a duty to force us to adopt these practices? Should they be heavily subsidising the production of electric vehicles and taxing products with poor environmental credentials? Or would it be better in the long run to not try and interfere in the process of development and trust that necessity and market forces will bring about the changes needed. Indeed, there are many “Climate Change deniers” who argue that the state of the planet and man’s influence upon the climate has been over-stated.
Whatever the answer to these questions Christians still have many areas of their lives where they should consider Stewardship and the impact of everything belonging to God on their lives. Often Christians focus on Time, Treasures and Talents when considering how to act. This video from the Church of Scotland highlights the range of areas that Christians might consider in their lives:
RSS Feed
