Reflections

The creation stewardship challenge


05 March 2010

Brad Watson
Lecturer in development studies and geography
Faculty of Arts
Avondale College

The Seventh-day Adventist Church is struggling with the idea of, and commitment to, creation stewardship. In a 2008 survey of 278 Adventist ministers in Australia, my fellow researchers and I asked participants to rank the church's performance on environmental stewardship. On a scale of A to E, with A the highest score and E the lowest, 76 per cent gave Adventism a C or lower.

The Biblical mandate
The Judeo-Christian belief system is criticised for placing humans above nature, in the role of rulers or conquerors. In Genesis 1:26* we read, "Then God said, 'Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule . . . ." In Strong's Concordance, radah (rule), means "to tread down, ie. subjugate . . . ."

Critics pounce on such powerful language. Fairly or not, Lynn White's influential 1967 essay argued that much of the then ecological crisis was due to an imbalanced Christian perception of the dominant, conquering role of humans in nature and the subsequent plundering of the earth's resources.

Of course, "rulership" in the Judeo-Christian tradition also requires justice, wisdom, compassion and benevolence appropriate to the idea of "servant kingship" (as seen in Psalm 72:1-3). Further, the creation account portrays God as a benevolent creator, a model that humans might aspire. Humans are created by a loving God in His image, to "work" and "take care of" His garden (Genesis 2:15). This is far from the Cartesian world view of scientific materialism, in which the cosmos is viewed coldly as a machine composed of independent, externally related pieces.

Interestingly, the first task given to humans in the creation story is to care for creation. Stewardship of creation is part of God's plan for humans.

Australian Adventist ministers surveyed
Adventist ministers in Australia are concerned about the environment. Almost 90 per cent of the 278 ministers we surveyed agreed one of the most important tasks given to Adam and Eve was to tend to God's creation.

Although almost 95 per cent agreed the Bible forecasts widespread environmental destruction at the end of time, 92 per cent agreed or strongly agreed the Bible requires humankind to protect what God created. Ninety per cent thought Jesus would be interested in modern environmental problems and 85 per cent agree or agreed strongly that the western way of life is harmful.

Unfortunately, more than 75 per cent indicated their local church had not taken steps to reduce the impact it makes on the environment.

Lack of creation stewardship as structural sin
Structural sin, as conceptualised by liberation theologians in Latin America, is useful in moving our prioritisation of individual wrongdoing to a more holistic idea of societal, political and systematic wrongdoing. This challenges individuals and institutions to "work for systemic changes in our laws, institutions and practices that will help bring about a more just and sustainable planet" (McFague, 2008, p 38).

At an institutional level, the Adventist Church can make proactive choices to engage with this issue. Micah 6:8 urges believers "to act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God." It is argued here that caretaking creation (of which humans are a part) with justice and mercy is important to God.

Albert Einstein beautifully expresses the need for a holistic view of our thinking. "We experience ourselves, our thoughts and feelings, as something separate from the rest," he says, "a kind of optical delusion of our consciousness. This delusion is a prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires, and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of understanding and compassion, to embrace all living creatures in the whole of nature and its beauty" (in Maxwell, undated).

The official Adventist discourse
The official website of the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists contains several key documents regarding environment.

A December 1995 Statement to Governments of Industrialised Countries (GC, 1995, online) warned the "climate would change, resulting in more storms, more floods, and more droughts." It urged for reductions in CO2 emissions and noted the injustice of small island states and low-lying coastal countries becoming the first victims of climate change. Bravely, church leaders called on world governments to fulfil the 1992 Convention on Climate Change, establish real reductions in greenhouse gas emissions after 2000, and stimulate public debate. In historical context, this statement can be viewed as a landmark, immersing the church in advocacy for God's creation at a time when the science was heavily contested.

The current official Statement on Stewardship of the Environment is dated 1996 (GC, 1996, online). Humans are identified as stewards, nature as a gift. It incorrectly identifies destruction of ozone as the "so-called greenhouse effect" and asserts "the ecological crisis is rooted in humankind's greed and refusal to practice good and faithful stewardship." Adventism is praised because it calls for a "simple, wholesome lifestyle, where people do not step on the treadmill of unbridled over-consumption, accumulation of goods, and production of waste."

While the statements are useful, they are built on overconfidence in vegetarianism and the thriftiness of rich world Adventists. They are missing a personal call to action for Adventists. They are missing a repentant spirit, lacking a personal call to church congregations, avoid a practical commitment of the corporate body, and do not reveal a thorough understanding of climate change and the ecological crisis.

What can we learn from others?
Before his death, Pope John Paul II called for an ecological conversion. He called on the Catholic Church to change the way its members saw themselves within creation. Worldwide, there is growing interest within religious groups in the environment.

The Micah network is a movement of more than 500 Christian humanitarian organisations, churches and individuals, and is inspired by Micah 6:8. In July 2009, Micah network delegates met and developed a statement on creation stewardship. Foremost, they state God delights in His creation and calls men and women to care for it as an act of obedience and respect. In a spirit of repentance, the statement admits Christians have been unfaithful stewards and must seek forgiveness for their tendency to separate the spiritual and material, ignoring the earthly. Objectively, the statement names multiple ways humans have made an impact on creation, wisely avoiding a singular focus on greenhouse gasses. Like Adventist statements, the Micah statement warns of grave danger to biodiversity and unjust affects on the world's poorest people. Among other things, the Micah statement calls for action, beginning with Christians in their own lives and moving to advocacy at the highest of levels.

The Adventist Church can, and should, develop a statement on creation stewardship. As a corporate body, the General Conference should explore ways of engaging members in acts of creation stewardship that deepen their relationship with the creator. As individuals, we can witness God's love to others through our commitment to creation. We can all grow as stewards.

Conclusion
While global warming remains controversial, there is little doubt humans are now harming creation in disturbing ways. If we say we believe in the Creator, yet ignore His call to be good stewards of His creation, and absent ourselves from the debate, are we acting justly and loving mercy, or are we unwittingly engaging in structural sin?

References
General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, (1992) Caring for Creation: A Statement on the Environment, Retrieved June 24, 2008, from http://www.adventist.org/beliefs/statements/main_stat5.html

General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, (1995) A Statement on the Environment, Retrieved June 24, 2008, from http://www.adventist.org/beliefs/statements/main_stat9.html

General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, (1995) The Dangers of Climate Change: A Statement to Governments of Industrialised Countries, Retrieved June 26, 2008, from http://www.adventist.org/beliefs/statements/main_stat8.html

General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, (1996) Statement on Stewardship of the Environment, Retrieved June 24, 2008 from http://www.adventist.org/beliefs/statements/main_stat10.html accessed 24.6.2008
McFague, S. (2008) A New Climate for Theology, Minneapolis: Fortress Press

Micah Network (2009) Declaration on Creation Stewardship and Climate Change, Retrieved August 1, 2009, from http://www.melbourne.anglican.com.au/main.php?pg=download&id=21987&m=1248409430

Paul, Pope John II. (2001) The Ecological Conversion, Retrieved January 17, 2009, from http://conservation.catholic.org/john_paul_ii.htm

Strong, J. (1996) A Concise Dictionary of the Words in the Hebrew Bible; With Their Renderings in the Authorised English Version, New York: Thomas Nelson

White, L. (1967) The Historical Roots of our Ecological Crisis, Science, Vol 155, 1967

* All Bible quotations from the New International Version

Credit: Shutterstock


Back to Reflections