Vision Network position paper on the Environment by Dr  Richard Storey and Dr Nicola Hoggard-Creegan.

Human activities, particularly over the last 150 years, have resulted in rapid and widespread loss of species and degradation of ecological processes. These disturbing trends have caused Christians to re-examine the Bible and re-discover the relationship God intended between humankind and the created world. Rather than allowing degradation of the creation, the Bible declares that God considers the earth as God's own and maintains an active interest in its wellbeing. Humans, therefore, have been given the solemn duty of caring for the earth and presenting it back to the Creator, fruitful and abundant. Although the creation has been scarred as a result of human sin, God's plan is to restore its full beauty and restore humans' relationship with it through the saving work of Christ. God calls on humans to join the work of restoration, and therefore we call on the churches of New Zealand to:

• Educate their members about the biblical reasons to care for all creation.
• Encourage their members to live in a way that minimises harm to the earth and its creatures.
• Support the development of a New Zealand Christian environmental organisation that can provide resources and practical opportunities for Christians to engage in creation care.

Dr. Richard Storey, biologist, National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research
Dr. Nicola Hoggard-Creegan, lecturer in theology, Bible College of New Zealand 

Introduction

The degraded state of our natural environment today is primarily a result of the greed, selfishness and ignorance that are basic to human nature. However in the western world, a poor theology regarding the value of God's creation and the place of humans within it has allowed, even encouraged, Christians to continue degrading the earth and its ecosystems without recognising the sinfulness of their actions. Here we outline some essential principles of a theology of creation care, then describe a vision and strategy for how these could be applied in New Zealand.

In Genesis 1:28, God said to humankind "Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground."[1] Christians often have understood this command as God signing away the ownership papers, giving the earth to humans to be our possession and to serve our purposes. If this interpretation is correct, then it would seem that we have been given free rein to treat creation as we like. If we spoil it, it is our loss alone. However Psalm 24 declares that "The earth is the Lord's and everything in it", and Colossians 1:16 that "all things have been created through him and for him." These verses show that God has not abdicated his rule or ownership of creation. If this is so, how should we treat the creation?

Humans as rulers and servants

Before giving the command to humankind in Genesis 1:28, God states an intention to create humans as rulers over creation (v 26). The exact wording is "Let us make human beings in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule..." God gave rulership of the creation to the one creature that bears the divine image. Therefore the way we rule should reflect the way God would rule. In the creation account God's rule is characterised by appreciation ("God saw that it was good" vv 4, 10, etc.), by blessings and by enabling creatures to "be fruitful and increase in number" (v 22).

To understand more fully the role of humans in creation, Genesis 1:28 should be interpreted in the light of the second creation story in Genesis 2: "The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it" (v15). The words "work" and "take care of" are used in the Old Testament to mean "serve" and "keep"[2]. Therefore, according to this passage, the role of humans appears to be more like that of servant than of ruler. We should not be surprised at, or see a contradiction between, the command to rule in Genesis 1 and the command to serve Genesis 2, as we have in Jesus a model of one who was both Lord and servant.

To develop a right relationship with the creation, we also need to understand the relationship between the creation and its Creator. While humans are the only creatures made in God's image, all animals share with us the same "breath of life" (nephesh hayah; Gen 2:7), and all creatures share with us a capacity to worship their Creator (Ps 148:7-10). Therefore we should grant them proper respect as beings alive to God.

We should also be aware that the Creator is still intimately involved with the creation. God continues to sustain, care for and enjoy all that has been made (Ps 104:13, 16, 27-30; Luke 12:24, 28; Col 1:17; Gen 3:8; Job 39:1-2). Psalm 104 declares "May the Lord rejoice in his works."

Because God has this living relationship with the creation, we should treat the creation more like the way good kings or priests would treat their people than the way good stewards would treat their masters' lifeless property.

The creation is integral to our relationship with God

There is yet another reason why we must strive to safeguard the integrity of creation - the universe and its creatures reveal God to us. "The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands" (Ps 19:1) is echoed in the New Testament: "For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities - his eternal power and divine nature - have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made" (Rom 1:20). The beauty of creation, its diversity (Ps 104:24) and the hand of God in sustaining it (Ps 147:9) inspire praise throughout scripture and in the lives of many, if not most, Christians today. Any Christian would be appalled at the thought of destroying the last copy of Luke's gospel or Paul's letter to the Ephesians. Yet species that reveal to us the character of God are disappearing from earth at the rate of 3-4 per day.

A short history of human rule

Human rule over creation was intended to bring praise to the Creator (Ps 8), and yet we live in a world that is increasingly characterised by loss of habitats and species and degradation of ecological processes. According to the Bible, ecological degradation is associated with human sin. The first sin, recorded in Genesis 3, brought not only punishment for Adam and Eve but also a curse on the land (Gen 3:17). Throughout the Old Testament, the fruitfulness of the land and the wellbeing of all animals, wild and domesticated, are linked to the faithfulness of God's people (Jer 9:10, 21:6; Ps 65:9-13; esp. Hos 4:2 and Eze 12:19). We must learn to see ecological degradation not as an unfortunate by-product of human progress, but as a sign of sin.

Is there hope?

Many Christians believe that when Jesus returns, the earth will be destroyed and Christian believers will be taken to heaven - which gives little incentive to care for the earth. Such a view seems to be supported by 2 Peter 3:10 "The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire and the earth and everything done in it will be laid bare" [some translations say burned up]. However, the Greek verb translated "burn up" in fact means "to find." The true sense of this passage is that God will examine and judge all things, not that everything will be destroyed.

Other passages in the Old and New Testaments describe a future of blessing for the earth. Romans 8:21 declares that "...the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God." According to this passage and others like it (Col 1:19, Eph 1:10), the creation will be renewed, liberated and brought under the lordship of Christ, not destroyed.

Romans 8:19 and other passages (Isaiah 11:6-9; Isaiah 55:12-13) also describe the restoration of right relationships between humans and the natural world. This restoration is made possible by the death and resurrection of Christ. Just as the sin of the first Adam affected all of creation, so the saving act of the second Adam (Jesus) extends to the whole universe. This is the scope of salvation described by John 3:16 in its original Greek: "For God so loved the cosmos that he gave his one and only Son...."

How then shall we live?

Since the future of the earth is one of renewal, not destruction, we should expect that we will be called to be partners in reconciling all things to God. And in fact we are - in Corinthians 5:18-19 Paul says that God has given Christians "the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the cosmos (translated world in English) to himself." How shall we work out this ministry? The answers are as many and varied as the ecological and social situations we live in, and the skills we have to offer. But besides living well as individuals, we should consider the greater influence we may have by working together. Below we describe a vision and strategy for a co-ordinated Christian response to the environmental crisis.

This vision may seem insignificant compared to the enormous scale of ecological destruction. Nevertheless we are called to reflect the character of the One who created and lovingly sustains all things, and to live as signs of God's kingdom that we know will be characterised by harmony between all creatures.

Current activities overseas and in New Zealand

In all parts of the world, Christians are now actively engaged in environmental issues, running practical conservation projects and training institutions, speaking into local political debates and even participating in large international meetings. Christian environmental networks are particularly numerous and well-organised in Britain (e.g. Christian Ecology Link, John Ray Initiative), Europe (e.g. European Christian Environmental Network), and U.S.A. (e.g. Evangelical Environmental Network, the Eden Project, Au Sable Institute). Broadly speaking, the agenda of these organisations is to educate Christians about environmental matters, provide resources for churches and small groups, and advocate for environmental protection. One of these organisations provides a particularly useful example.

A Rocha is a family of Christian conservation projects that now operates in 15 countries, across five continents. Starting with the first project in Portugal in 1983, A Rocha projects aim to demonstrate God's love for all creation by studying and protecting local habitats. Staff, volunteers and visitors live and work side-by-side in field studies centres adjacent to the habitat being conserved, and through a common concern for the environment, the gospel is shared with all who visit the projects. A Rocha projects have provided crucial data and advocacy for the protection of threatened ecosystems in countries such as Lebanon, Kenya and India where resources for conservation are extremely limited.

Given the number of established Christian environmental groups in other countries, one may expect that New Zealand would have a strong Christian environmental movement. A few people, such as musicians Mark and Brenda Laurent, have formed local discussion groups and taken the environmental message to churches. Two theologians (Neil Darragh and Neil Vaney) and two scientists (Carolyn King and John Morton) have written books on the subject. However no New Zealand-wide Christian environmental group has yet been formed.

Nevertheless, efforts are underway to form such a group. In February 2005 Auckland's Science and Faith Forum organised a conference at Auckland University. Bringing together 100 scientists, theologians, conservationists and lay people from across the country, it formed a network that hopefully will become a national Christian environmental organisation. A website has been created (see "Resources") to provide a forum for developing the organisation, and to serve as an information centre for all Christian environmental initiatives around the country.

Since the conference, discussion groups have formed in Hamilton and Palmerston North, and the Science and Faith Forum in Auckland continues its interest in environmental matters. A very active email discussion group for Anglicans has been formed by Ted Abraham and Jim Hunt. One of the outcomes of this group is a motion to be presented at the Anglican General Synod (2006) that would commit the Anglican Church of Aotearoa to environmental audits of all its parishes and to promoting environmental education at its theological college.

Creation care is also becoming part of the agenda at Christian conferences in New Zealand. In the past year environmental stewardship workshops have been offered at Vision Network Congress and Kingdom Builders. Speakers at these conferences have been Nicola Hoggard-Creegan and Richard Storey (see below).

A vision for future growth

The need most often expressed by New Zealand Christians who care about the environment is the need to educate the church about the importance of caring for God's creation. Many Christians who do care feel isolated and often discouraged. Many are also looking for ways to respond to God the Creator in practical ways. Outside the church there is a need to demonstrate to wider New Zealand society that the gospel has relevance to the pressing issues of our time.

Forming a national Christian environmental group is an important first step towards meeting these needs. It is envisioned that such a group would

• provide resources for those wanting to learn more about the biblical reasons for creation care, to educate their local church or to lead a Bible study.
• provide resources to help churches and individuals live sustainably.
• connect people to discuss local and global issues in the light of Christian faith.
• develop a Christian response to issues such as climate change, water quality, etc. to influence decisions in local and central government.
• inform people of what is happening in local conservation projects around the country, and facilitate sharing of experience and skills between these projects.
• provide people with practical opportunities to get involved in a faith-based conservation project.

Strategy

A regularly-updated website with interactive message boards would achieve several of the goals identified above. Regional discussion groups could provide further opportunities for interaction between members.

Some of the above goals might best be achieved by a practical, habitat-based conservation project. Such a project could provide a focus for the nationwide organisation, for the sharing of skills and knowledge. It could give opportunities for Christians to put their faith into action through practical conservation work, and opportunities for non-Christians to work and live alongside Christians in a field of mutual concern. A residential field centre would provide a place for working out the "restored relationships" between people, God and creation through community living. If this project were part of the A Rocha network, there would be the additional advantage of exchanges with A Rocha projects overseas. These would give New Zealanders a global perspective on environmental issues, promote sharing of skills and knowledge with people of other cultures, and encourage New Zealanders to experience creation care as a form of mission.

A final aspect of the strategy is to promote teaching on creation care at theological and Bible colleges, mission training schools, and Christian conferences.

Resources

www.creationcare.org.nz
www.wn.anglican.org.nz/c&e/index.html
www.arocha.org

Van Dyke, Fred, David C. Mahan, Joseph K. Sheldon and Raymond H. Brand, Redeeming Creation: The Biblical Basis for Environmental Stewardship, (Downers Grove, IL: Inter-Varsity Press, 1996)

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