Program / Course 22: Christian Ethics / Lesson 5.4
What you will learn
- Explain the biblical themes of creation, dominion and care for the earth.
- Describe the idea of stewardship and the parables that support it.
- Compare Catholic, Orthodox and Protestant teaching on care for creation.
- Identify the main debates about environmental ethics among Christians and between Christians and secular thinkers.
The big idea
Scripture teaches that the world belongs to God, that human beings are placed in it to till and keep it, and that creation is good in itself and not only useful. Christians call the resulting duty stewardship. They agree that care for creation is a moral duty and that the poor suffer most from its harm. They differ on how much weight to give to human needs and to the natural world, on how to read dominion, and on the role of governments and markets in environmental policy.
Key terms
- Stewardship
- The responsible care of what belongs to another. Applied to creation and possessions, it means managing them as God’s.
- Dominion
- The rule over creation given to human beings in Genesis 1:26-28. Interpreters debate whether it means care, use or both.
- Creation care
- A phrase common in evangelical and ecumenical use for the Christian duty to protect and sustain the natural world.
- Sabbath for the land
- The law that land should rest every seventh year (Leviticus 25:1-7).
- Anthropocentrism
- The view that human beings are the center of moral concern. Critics say it can license exploitation of nature.
- Integral ecology
- A term in Pope Francis’s Laudato Si’ for an approach linking care for nature with justice for the poor and human development.
- Cosmic liturgy
- An Orthodox theme that creation is meant to be offered back to God in praise, with the human being as priest of creation.
Background
Genesis opens with a good creation. God sees each part as good and the whole as very good (Genesis 1:31). Humans are made in God’s image and told to have dominion over fish, birds and every living thing (1:26-28). In the second account they are placed in the garden to dress it and keep it (2:15), words that can be rendered serve and guard. The Psalms say that the earth is the Lord’s (24:1) and praise God for creation (Psalm 104). The Sabbath law gave rest to animals and land as well as to people, and the book of Job celebrates creatures that have value to God apart from human use (Job 38 to 41).
In the New Testament, Jesus speaks of the birds and lilies cared for by the Father (Matthew 6:26-30). Paul writes that creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the children of God and will be set free from bondage to decay (Romans 8:19-22). Colossians says that all things were created through Christ and are reconciled to him (1:15-20). These texts shape the Christian understanding of creation as God’s, as good and as destined for renewal.
Step-by-step explanation
Step 1: Dominion, stewardship and criticism
In 1967 the historian Lynn White Jr. published an essay arguing that Christianity bears much responsibility for the ecological crisis because it taught that humans are set apart from nature and told to subdue it. The essay was widely discussed. Many Christians replied that the biblical idea of dominion is that of a king who cares for his realm, that the word subdue in Genesis 1:28 must be read alongside the command to keep the garden, and that the Bible does not license abuse. Historians also noted that environmental damage occurs in cultures of many beliefs.
Stewardship became a common word for the Christian view. A steward manages the property of another, as in the parables of the talents (Matthew 25:14-30) and the faithful and wise servant (Luke 12:42-48), and will give an account. Some critics, including some Christian writers, say that the word suggests that humans are managers standing outside creation, and prefer terms such as kinship, priesthood or care. Others defend stewardship as an accurate biblical idea.
Step 2: Catholic and Orthodox teaching
The Catholic Church teaches that creation is a gift for all and that human dominion must respect the goodness and order of creatures. Pope John Paul II spoke of an ecological conversion, and Benedict XVI of human ecology. Pope Francis’s encyclical Laudato Si’ (2015) treats care for the common home of humanity as a moral and religious duty, argues that the poor suffer most from environmental harm, criticizes a throwaway culture and consumerism, and calls for action on climate change. Its claims about science were based on scientific assessments, and its moral and policy claims have been discussed, with some Catholics supporting the encyclical strongly and others questioning some of its economic and political proposals.
Orthodox theology has strong themes in this area. The Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, sometimes called the Green Patriarch, has led in advocating for the environment and has called the abuse of creation a sin. Orthodox writers speak of creation as sacramental and of the human being as priest of creation who offers it back in thanksgiving. Maximus the Confessor and the liturgy of the church, with its use of water, oil, bread and wine, express this cosmic vision. Alexander Schmemann’s For the Life of the World draws on it.
Step 3: Protestant approaches
Protestant views are diverse. Calvin wrote that humans are like tenants of the earth who must use it carefully, and that the Lord intended it to be tended. The Reformed tradition has stressed the doctrine of creation and the cultural mandate. In the twentieth century, many evangelicals and mainline Protestants developed creation care movements. The Evangelical Declaration on the Care of Creation (1994) and the Lausanne Movement’s later statements called for environmental concern. Some conservative Protestants, however, are skeptical of environmental movements or of the climate policies proposed, stressing human needs, economic development and doubts about the evidence or about policy responses. Others hold that care for creation is a clear biblical duty and that the evidence of human-caused climate change is strong.
These differences reflect not only theology but also differing views of science, economics and politics, and they cross denominational lines. A fair student distinguishes the theological question of whether creation care is a duty, on which nearly all agree, from factual and policy questions on which Christians differ, such as the extent of climate change and which policies are wise.
Step 4: Stewarding possessions and daily life
Stewardship also applies to ordinary possessions. The traditions teach that goods are held in trust, are to be used with gratitude and without waste, and are to be shared. The parable of the talents suggests that using wisely what one is given is a duty. Monastic rules such as that of Benedict instruct the monks to treat tools and goods of the monastery as sacred vessels of the altar. Practices such as fasting, simplicity, almsgiving, and the Sabbath rest express a habit of receiving things as gifts.
In modern life, this raises questions about consumption, waste, energy, food and travel, and about responsibility to future generations and to creatures. Christians debate how much emphasis to put on personal habits and how much on public policy. Almost all agree that attitudes of greed, wastefulness and indifference are contrary to the faith, and that the lives of the poor and the health of the earth are connected.
- How does this view read dominion in Genesis 1, and how does it read keeping the garden in Genesis 2?
- Does it value nature only for human use, for its own sake or as God’s creation?
- Which claims in the argument are about theology, which about science and which about policy?
- How does the view connect care for creation with care for the poor?
- What does it ask of a person in daily life?
- What does it ask of governments, churches and businesses?
Examples
A church garden
A congregation turns an unused lot into a community garden, grows vegetables for a food pantry and teaches children to compost. A member says that this is stewardship in a small way. Another says the church should also advocate for policy change. Both find support in the tradition, which values personal action and public responsibility.
Lynn White’s challenge
A student reads White’s essay and asks whether Christianity is to blame for ecological harm. A teacher shows her that Genesis 1 and 2 can be read as calling for care, that Benedictine and Franciscan traditions modeled gentle use of nature, and that the record of harm is complex. The student concludes that the question is open to argument. (A constructed example.)
Hard tradeoffs
A farming community in a poor region depends on clearing forest for crops. A Christian environmental group urges protection of the forest. Local pastors say that families must eat. The case shows the tension between environmental and human needs, which the tradition addresses with the idea of integral ecology, in which the poor are not to be sacrificed to nature or nature to the poor. (A constructed example.)
Different perspectives
Catholic
Catholic teaching holds that creation is a gift with its own goodness, that human dominion is stewardship and that the poor suffer most from environmental harm. Laudato Si’ calls for ecological conversion and for action on climate. Catholics debate the application, but the duty of care is firmly taught, and the church honors St. Francis of Assisi as patron of ecology.
Orthodox
Orthodox theology treats creation as sacramental and the human being as priest of creation. Patriarch Bartholomew has repeatedly called abuse of the environment a sin. The church’s worship and ascetic practice, such as fasting, form habits of restraint and gratitude. Some Orthodox voices warn against turning environmental concern into a political program.
Protestant
Protestants stress that the earth is the Lord’s and that humans are called to serve and keep it. Evangelical creation care movements and mainline Protestant statements urge environmental responsibility, while other Protestants are cautious about environmental policy or movements. All traditions affirm the goodness of creation, and differ in policy and scientific judgments.
Jewish
Jewish tradition has the prohibition of needless destruction, bal tashchit, drawn from Deuteronomy 20:19-20, which forbids cutting down fruit trees in war. Jewish teachers also stress the Sabbath rest of the land and the idea of humans as guardians of the garden.
Secular and scholarly
Environmental ethics includes views that value nature for human benefit, views that give animals and ecosystems value in themselves, and views that stress rights of future generations. Scientific bodies have documented human influence on climate and biodiversity, while economists and political thinkers differ over policy. Religious teaching adds motives of gratitude and reverence for creation.
Why it matters
Care for the natural world is a question every generation faces, and the Christian traditions have rich resources for it that are often forgotten. A student who understands the biblical themes and the different traditions’ emphases can join public debate with more clarity: able to distinguish the question of duty from the question of policy, and the voice of faith from the voice of ideology.
Common misunderstandings
Misunderstanding: Genesis gives humans permission to exploit nature without limit.
Correction: Genesis also places humans in the garden to keep it, and the law gives rest to land and animals. Most interpreters read dominion as responsible rule under God, not abuse.
Misunderstanding: Christians think the earth does not matter because heaven is the goal.
Correction: The Bible speaks of a new heaven and a new earth (Revelation 21:1) and of the redemption of creation (Romans 8). The mainstream traditions teach that creation is good and destined for renewal.
Misunderstanding: All Christians agree on environmental policy.
Correction: They agree on the duty of care but differ on science, economics and policy. These disagreements often follow political lines more than theological ones.
Misunderstanding: Stewardship is a purely modern invention.
Correction: The concept is rooted in the parables and in earlier writers, such as Basil, Ambrose and Benedict, though the modern environmental application is new.
Knowledge check
What are the two Genesis texts that shape the idea of stewardship?
Genesis 1:26-28 gives humans dominion over creatures, and Genesis 2:15 places the man in the garden to dress and keep it. Read together, they present rule as responsible care under God. Interpreters stress the second text to counter the charge that dominion permits exploitation.
What was Lynn White’s claim and how have Christians responded?
In 1967 White argued that Christianity bears heavy responsibility for the ecological crisis by teaching that humans may subdue nature. Christians have replied that dominion means care, that texts like Genesis 2:15 and the Sabbath laws limit use, and that harm to the environment occurs in many cultures.
How does Orthodox teaching describe the human role in creation?
It describes the human being as priest of creation, who offers the world back to God in thanksgiving, and treats creation as sacramental. The Ecumenical Patriarch has called abuse of the environment a sin, and the church’s worship uses material things to show their holy purpose.
What is the difference between a theological claim and a policy claim in environmental ethics?
A theological claim is that creation is God’s and humans must care for it. A policy claim concerns which laws, taxes or technologies are best. Christians nearly all agree on the first and differ on the second, because policy also depends on science and economics.
Think it through
- Which is closer to your own view, stewardship, kinship with creatures or something else? Why?
- How would you separate your duty from what governments should do?
- What small habit of use or waste in your life could be examined as a matter of stewardship?
- How should care for the poor and care for creation be weighed when they conflict?
Independent assignment
A stewardship audit
In your notebook, write 400 to 600 words. List ten things you own or use regularly, such as a car, food, clothing, a phone and a home. For each, write one line on how you obtained it and how you use it. Choose three and ask how a Catholic, an Orthodox and a Protestant source might judge your use, citing at least one text from Scripture. End with one change you might make. Do not send this to anyone or post it anywhere.
Further study
- Alexander Schmemann, For the Life of the World Read for the Orthodox view of the world as sacrament.
- Benedict of Nursia, The Rule of St. Benedict Read chapter 31 on the cellarer and chapter 32 on the care of tools and goods.
- John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion Read the passages on the use of earthly goods in Book 3.
- Catholic Church, Catechism of the Catholic Church Read the paragraphs on the seventh commandment and respect for the integrity of creation.
- Genesis 2:15 To dress it and to keep it.
- Psalm 24:1 The earth is the Lord’s.
- Psalm 104:24 O Lord, how manifold are thy works.
- Romans 8:21 Creation delivered from bondage.
- Matthew 25:21 Faithful over a few things.