Ask the Pastor

By Pastor Scott Denham of Harvest Fellowship, Shambaugh, IA

Clarinda Herald Journal Publication Date : 07/26/06

 

Christian Ecology 101

 

Pastor Scott,

            Could you address some ecological stuff… is it OK to burn down the rainforests… do we need to save the owls, etc... What’s the Christians responsibility to these issues?

            A Christian worldview takes the position that God created all things, and created man in his image, placing man over the earth and animal kingdom. “God blessed them and said to them, 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" (Genesis 1:28).

            From the commentary by Albert Barnes, we read, “Power is presumed to belong to man’s nature, according to the counsel of the Maker’s will… He is therefore authorized, by the word of the Creator, to exercise his power in subduing the earth and ruling over the animal kingdom. This is the appropriate outcome of his being created in the image of God… It is the part of intellectual and moral reason to employ power for the ends of general no less than personal good. The sway of man ought to be beneficent.”

            Psalm 8 speaks of man’s elevation as the crowning center of God’s creation, and in verse 6 says, “You made [man] ruler over the works of your hands; you put everything [the earth and the animal kingdom] under his feet.”

            The humanistic and evolutionary view of creation negates the sacredness of human life and puts all things on an equal footing--with tragic consequences; a baby is aborted because “it’s just tissue,” or--as seen in the news recently--someone is imprisoned for killing a puppy. One city in California decreed that its citizens could no longer refer to themselves as ‘pet owners’ but as ‘pet guardians,’ elevating animals and lower mankind in one legislative action. Such imbalances are bound to happen when we lose sight of the sanctity of human life.

            As for your specific questions, one size does not fit all. In my opinion, there will be times when what is most beneficial for all, may displace animals from their habitat, or require the use of natural resources for the greater good. These are not easy issues, and they are greatly complicated by an ecological extremism that disregards man’s uniqueness.

            Only in seeing man as created in the image of God, can there be a true and proper respect for human life--and a balanced approach to all other things. However, this high position in creation is not a license for man to misuse earth’s resources, nor to senselessly harm animals. Barnes did say, “The sway of man ought to be beneficent,” not reckless and irresponsible.

            --Pastor Scott (www.askpastorscott.com)