Pentecost 7

Dr. John Tamilio III, Pastor

 © 2020, Dr. Tamilio

Of all the social and political controversies that surround us in twenty-first century America, the one that staggers me the most is the environmental crisis.  Every environmental scientist agrees that there is a problem, although they may disagree about the extent of the problem and the speed at which it is growing.  Footnote: the controversy as to whether or not there is an ecological problem lies in the popular press, not in scholarly, peer-review journals.  There is a difference between what scientists publish and what politicians and business tycoons have to say.  That said, my point is not to preach on a controversial political issue.  It is, however, to speak about a core, Christian doctrine: the doctrine of creation.

The Bible tells us that God created everything out of nothing: ex nihilo.  Everything that lives and breathes was created by God — as is everything that is still and inert.  Human beings, animals, the fish in the sea, the birds in the air, the flowers in the field, majestic trees, plants, insects, mollusks, single cell amoeba — everything that you can see, smell, taste, touch, and hear: all of it was fashioned by God.  If you stop and think about it, it is truly mind blowing!

In the opening of Genesis, we are told that God claims that all he created is “good,” with human beings being “very good.”  In ancient Hebrew, this is a blessing.  Everything that we see is blessed.  Furthermore, God gave human beings the earth to supply all of our needs.  It is also made clear both before and after the Fall, that human beings are to care for the earth.  The Hebrew word often cited here is “dominion,” as in to “hold dominion over the earth.”  I cannot think of a word more mistranslated in all of the Bible, other than maybe the word “fear.”  We’ve spoken before about how the word “fear” as used in the Bible (particularly in the phrase “the fear of God”) is about reverence and awe, not fright.  The word “dominion” means to care for that which is under one’s charge.  It does not mean to exploit or dominate.

For centuries, though, Christians have been some of the worst abusers of God’s good Creation.  They’ve seen being given dominion over the earth as a license to do as they wish with the earth, the seas, and the sky.  Some of this was fueled by an eschatological theology that saw the earth as a passing, temporary abode.  Our real home is in heaven.  There is not a single verse in The Bible that supports such absurd thinking.  How can we possibly think that God would create the world, bequeath it to us, and then say, “Feel free to do what you want with it, kids.”  And yet, many Christians operated as if this was the case.

The more accurate translation of “dominion” is “stewardship.”  We usually think of money and the pledges we make to the church when we hear this word.  We look at money as something that God has given us.  Therefore, we are to be responsible with how we spend it; it’s not just about what we give to the church.  But God wants us to be good stewards of everything that we have and all that he has given us — including creation.

Last Sunday I mentioned one of my seminary professors: Dr. Earl Thompson.  This week I want to talk about a different professor.  Dr. William Johnson Everett taught Christian ethics.  In one of his books, Everett says that all biblical covenants include three parties: God, people, and the land.  The land is seen as a living entity, as are the other two parties to the covenant.  The people are given the land as a trust as long as they follow the commands of the covenant.  If not, the Lord will take the land away from them, and, if you read the Old Testament, you see this happen as part of the narrative.

Historically, human beings did revere the land.  We saw it as a living partner.  We cared for it and cultivated it for it yielded the food that we (and our cattle) needed.  Ancient people offered prayers and sacrifices for the land to appease the gods so that they would have a good harvest.  But then something changed.  When the Industrial Revolution appeared in the West, that would change.  The first steam engine was invented in 1712 by Thomas Newcomen.  All of a sudden one machine could do the work of 500 horses in extracting water from coal mines making work far more efficient and, therefore, profitable.  This was followed by the invention of the Cotton Gin in 1793 by Eli Whitney, which was patented the following year by the inventor/investor.  Reliance on such mechanisms, and those that would soon follow, made human beings see the earth less as a covenantal partner and more as an economic resource that could be used as we see fit.  The environment, like everything else, became a commodity.

Yes, I know that the climate undergoes natural changes, but such shifts occur over thousands and thousands of years.  The changes we have seen over the past two-and-a-half centuries have been exacerbated by human activity.

Of course, nonindustrial changes have occurred in the past few centuries that have had a tremendous impact on the environment.  Population growth is one of them.  The earth hit the 1 billion population mark in 1800.  One hundred years later, that number doubled.  In another 100 years (the year 2000) that number was 6.115 billion.  Today it is 7.8 billion.  World population is growing exponentially.  How do we feed these people?  How do we provide enough water for them?  What do we do with the waste these numbers create?  All of our ecological systems are finite.

And there are consequences.  The words of Paul seem prophetic.  He told the Romans, “We know that the whole creation has been groaning in labor pains until now; and not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly while we wait for adoption, the redemption of our bodies.”  All of creation is groaning in pain for redemption.  Quite telling.  Quite true.

And then we have the readings from the Book of Revelation.  At the end of The Bible, after the climactic battle between good and evil, Eden is restored.  In this final chapter we are told that the water in the river of life will be “as clear as crystal.”  The tree of life will yield fruit and its leaves will be “for the healing of the nations.”  Signs of life.  Signs of fertility.  Signs of restoration.

Any Christian theology that claims we can use and abuse creation, because it was given to us to do as we please, is an irresponsible and idiotic theology.  It isn’t biblical.  The fact that we are the most advanced and intelligent of all life (and maybe that’s debatable) simply means that we have more responsibility.  God made us stewards of his good earth.  Forget politics.  This is about Scripture.  The Word of God is clear.

I leave you with this prayer from Common Worship: Seasons and Festivals of the Agricultural Year.

 

God said, “Let the waters be gathered together,

and let dry land appear.”

We thank you for the beauty of the earth,

for the diversity of land and sea,

for the resources of the earth.

Give us the will to cherish this planet

and to use its riches for the good and welfare of all.

God of life: hear our prayer.

 

Amen.