Christianity Today: A Covenant with the Earth
Why the work of Christ makes all the difference in our care of creation.
… In light of the new covenant, all of our creation care is grounded in Christ. It is not grounded in our fear of ecological destruction or some romanticized view of nature—nor in political correctness. Because Christ has ushered us into this new covenant—between God and us and all of creation—our relationship to creation is inherently in Christ. The image of Adam has been reframed, restructured, and re-engineered in Christ's image. Thus, our "dominion" and "tending and keeping" of the earth is where we now work as new creation and for new creation. We are a restored kingdom of priests, and part of our mediation is between God and "every living creature," even the land itself. …
An interesting and thoughtful article. His critique of two books early in the article expresses my objection to much of what is passed as Christian environmentalism. I think he is headed in a good direction.
But I still return to God's two books of revelation: Scripture and nature. Scripture simply assumes a steady-state world where God created things pretty much as they are, there was a fall that corrupted things, and then there is a new creation that restores everything to its intended state of being.
The book of nature tells of an ever-evolving creation where many ecosystems have arisen and been wiped out. The God who relishes creation also seems okay with volcanoes, asteroids, and other natural events destroying his creation.
I don't see a reconciliation of these two revelations from Christian environmentalists. Therefore, their conclusions often come off as trite. They seem to be more an effort to bless environmental ideologies with biblical imagery rather than wrestling with the whole of God's revelation in Scripture and nature.
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