While I acknowledge there are far clearer verses that compel us to take our stewardship of this earth seriously, I have often wondered if the order and beauty of Genesis 1 implies or prescribes that we keep it that way?

God made creation orderly, with stars out in space (and we aren’t likely to change that), but what about the sheer number of us over-fishing the oceans and overworking the land? Imagine a world bereft of ocean life, and whose every forest and scrap of biodiversity had been cut down to grow corn flakes and corn syrup for coke.

Surely that’s changing the world God made beyond the vision of Genesis 1?

I remember Ray Galea preaching at KYC circa 1997ish that creation groans for salvation as do we, and that the created world is in an inevitable descent into chaos - I can’t remember the texts he relied upon, but there would have been some.  I recall that the thrust of his comments on greenies was that we will never reverse the damage that is caused to the earth, and we are merely called to be good stewards of what we have not campaigners to reverse the damage which has already been done.  So I don’t think it’s so much as we should view what is happening to the world as a departure from the good and ordered creation of genesis 1, but that we should see the world as in inevitable decline into chaos away from the order of Gen 1 and that that is part of God’s ordained plan for the old creation which will one day pass away and be replaced by the new heavens and the new earth. 

Anyway, that’s just my two cents worth (GST excl).  I suspect this will morph into a YECS or a peak oil thread, so I shall now bow out of the discussion before it gets taken a hold of by the science and oil protagonists!

inevitable descent into chaos

There’s that elements melting language, but I thought God did that… not us?

God made creation orderly, with stars out in space (and we aren’t likely to change that),

Why not?
Let’s take the approach of the denizens of Krikkit.... “It’ll all have to go!.” (Life the Universe and Everything; D Adams)

I often refer to a statement made by Queen Elizabeth’s Estate Manager pertaining to what and how we are to do for the Husbandry of the estate - it does reflect the ethical nurturing attitude required of us. It goes:

...for the animals, hedges, trees, buildings and other things of the estate hath each a natural allotment of days; just as we too have an allotment of days.
Good management of the estate in accordance with this order of things rests, therefore, in thy possessing a knowledge of the parts so that each may be upheld for the duration of its allotted time and then left to pass.
For the wholeness of an estate is not ours alone but also of they who follow and we shall be thanked, not for wonton and untimely outlaying, but for the exercise of good husbandry.
Sir Hugh Platt, 1594

While the above may be good management practices that we should follow as an endowment for future generations… How much moreso do we need to responsibly manage this world for our Lord & Creator.

Hi Dave
It’s a good question, in fact one of our assistants is going preach on the topic of Christian’s and the environment in the next month.

It seems to me that from Genesis 1 and 2 the reason we are to rule the world is so that we may fill it with humans.  It makes good sense that if we are to fill the earth with humans then it would be good to have the food to feed them so we will need to employ some very careful management programs.

There is the issue that the Creation Mandate was given pre fall of Man-kind, so, does it still stand since this world is destined for destruction?

It is interesting that in the account of Noah’s flood, that God ensured that all animal kinds were given a chance to continue existing.  It seems that they do matter to God.  Therefore I’d suggest that even though this world is under a curse and groaning while it waits for Christ to return, as God’s appointed rulers it would be wise for us to conserve what we have.

Psalm 8 reminds us that creation is still our responsibility, yet Christ is the fulfilment of that passage because we have fallen short of our responsibility.  It does not mean that we are relieved of our responsibility, just that this side of judgment we won’t rule the way we were intended to.

Hi Craig,
whether or not we have ‘Genesis 1 reasons’ for looking after biodiversity and preserving intact ecosystems, we have humanitarian and economic reasons for doing so as well. The environmental movement is increasingly seeing economists throwing around phrases like ‘ecosystem services’. Ecosystem services give us something “for free” that we would otherwise have to pay for.

EG: Is water becoming the “new oil”?

So there are sound economic reasons (see wiki) for looking after our environment as well as ethical and good stewardship considerations.

As for whether or not the earth is ‘full’, at today’s growth rate of 1.3% per annum, in 780 years there will be 1 person for every square meter of dry-land on the planet, and in 2000 years the mass of humanity would equal the earth. Just some stats people often don’t know.

Cheers.

Craig Thacker - 10 June 2008 09:36 PM

Therefore I’d suggest that even though this world is under a curse and groaning while it waits for Christ to return, as God’s appointed rulers it would be wise for us to conserve what we have.

A funny thing happened. I saw this topic and said, “Dave Lankshear”!

I’m sure we’ve been here before so I won’t repeat all that stuff about not just guarding but working with God’s creation (Gen 2:15) to develop and beautify it and to offer it back to God with praise that He should so privilege us by giving us this extraordinary and profoundly God like creative capacity, or quote from Rev 21/22, like Rev 21:24, or...................

Now just where was that previous thread?

But David P, where are all those comments to the effect that “working the garden” doesn’t have to mean sea to shining sea suburbia? There’s a difference between working the garden and bulldozing it into a Westfield shopping centre.

Note: The Malthusian implications of peak oil are sadly starting to hit Ethiopia.

Hello? David? I at least thought that last line would provoke a comeback… maybe people are just beginning to recognise it as a boring fact of life that peak oil = higher food prices = dieoff in Ethiopia?

Sorry Dave,

My post was a touch flippant and I’m up to my armpits in other matters.

Cheers

David