Abstract
This volume claims to establish a biblical basis for Christians to care for creation in the current environmental crisis. Creation care is understood to include two interrelated dimensions: care ‘for’ creation in order to sustain its health and care ‘about’ creation as a way of discerning the grounds for caring for creation. This interpretive perspective is related not only to creation itself, but also to questions about God and especially connection with the Christian gospel.
Various strategies about interpreting creation and creation care are explored. The approach of ecological hermeneutics readers who seek to identify with domains of creation (as in The Earth Bible Series) has been largely ignored. Instead the authors seek to establish a bridge between a close reading of the text and systematic theology, a bridge that enables the reader to move from the text to the world of the contemporary church. Historical theology, contemporary culture and science are viewed as roads that lead to this bridge. The Gospel, however, remains a critical factor in evaluating the contribution of these roads.
The beauty of creation is duly recognised and the role of Christians as rulers of creation. Rather striking in this context is not the recognition of humans as members who are responsible for creation care, but that the purpose of God making humans in his image is so that they have ‘dominion’ over other creatures and ‘subdue’ the Earth by bringing Earth under the rule of those who bear God’s image. Human rule over creation is to reflect the rule of the caring Sovereign Lord. From my perspective, however, this reading of the text does not adequately take into account the text of Gen. 2:15 which speaks of ‘serving’ (abad) the earth rather than ‘ruling’ the earth.
The authors acknowledge that creation has been subjected to frustration, in that the Earth mourns according to the prophets, that God weeps and that creation itself groans. This is evidence, according to these authors, that creation is ‘fallen’ and in need of redemption. Jesus provides a model for us, not only for relating to creation as created humans, but also for how to ‘rule’ over creation as loving stewards. Ultimately, Jesus leads our faith to anticipate a new creation in which its current fallen state disappears. In Christ ‘we see the breaking of God’s kingdom on Earth,’ a kingdom of peace between God, humanity, Earth and all creation, a place where righteousness dwells.
After reflecting on the Gospel and creation, Wisdom and creation and creation in crisis, the writers provide something of a charter for earth care involving putting creation back into new creation, putting ourselves back into creation and practicing what we preach to enable a transformed world. Care for creation is ultimately linked to ‘our love of God’, a love that sustains us a carers of creation.