A Responsibility to Nature and Posterity

The Cathedral of Nature

　　Over the years, quite a number of Christians have told me that they felt closer to God in nature (e.g., camping, fishing, hiking) than in the worship service in church. I’ve always wondered whether they really sing praises to God while viewing cherry blossoms in Kyoto or were too busy taking pictures. Anyway, I guess these people should be happy last year, since churches have been closed and services were held online. Finally, we can participate in worship via a smartphone while camping on a hiking trail without guilt! More seriously, the notion that we may feel closer to God in nature than in a church building is not without biblical basis. Psalm 19:1-4a says:

The heavens declare the glory of God,
　　and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.
Day to day pours out speech,
　　and night to night reveals knowledge.
There is no speech, nor are there words,
　　whose voice is not heard.
Their voice goes out through all the earth,
　　and their words to the end of the world. ¹

Nature reveals God’s glory and power without speech or words. This is because nature itself is a witness to God’s glory and power. The next time we take a walk in nature, we would do well to take a closer look at God’s handiwork. We may find it easier to praise God when we can meet again in a church building. Moreover, nature itself is the most beautiful cathedral in which to worship God. For example, basking in the glow of a sunset, it is easy to worship God for his wondrous deeds. Nothing humans create with a building made of bricks could compare to what God has already done in the world. The bad news is that this “silent witness” and “cathedral” is in danger.

Corruption and Redemption

　　When God created this world, He declared it “good” (Gn 1:4, 10, 12, 18, 21, 25, 31). However, the Garden of Eden was lost when Adam and Eve sinned. Nature itself was corrupted by human sin and suffers sin’s mournful consequence (Gn 3:14-19). In Romans 8:18-39, Paul asserts that God sets out to save not only humanity but this world. Today, creation “groans” in labor pain (v. 22). This evokes the curse that condemns the world along with humanity; at the same time Paul sees the eschatological hope of its reversal. ² This vision of redeemed nature is not an innovation of Paul. It is already found in prophetic literature. Isaiah 11, for example, prophesies a time when predatory animals will dwell peacefully with domestic animals and humans. Moreover, “They shall not hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain; for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea” (v. 9). The Book of Revelation, which is a fully developed piece of apocalyptic literature, also talks about “a new heaven and a new earth” (Rv 21:1). These passages recognize the corruption of nature in today’s world. However, it is not the final state of the world. There will be salvation for nature just as there is salvation for humanity.

The Mandate to Rule

　　If the world was pristine at the beginning and will return to its state of purity at the end, what about now? A verse that stands at the centre of the biblical discussion of ecological crisis is Genesis 1:28. The mandate for humans to “rule” the world has been blamed as a justification for the exploitation of nature for human development. A discussion of this topic is beyond the scope of this short essay. ³ Recent Bible scholars have tried to “rescue” the verse from this harsh interpretation. John Rogerson says, “Genesis 1 read in the context of Genesis 9 is not a mandate for the human exploitation of the world; it is a critique of the actual state of human behaviour.” ⁴ Richard Bauckham explains that Genesis 1 presents a picture of a carefully ordered creation in which humans were created. The mandate of human dominion is not supposed to violate that given order. He asserts, “…Genesis 1:29-30 implies that human use of the Earth is not to compete with its use by other living creatures. They also have a right of use.” ⁵ I think that they are right. Whatever the original meaning of the passage was, it could not possibly have meant that humans are given the mandate to exploit the Earth to the point where it endangers themselves and the other creatures.

　　What all this mean for us today is that we should use the resources of the Earth in a responsible, sustainable manner. We should “rule” wisely so that our posterity as well as other creatures could continue living in this world and enjoy its abundant blessings.

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¹ All Scripture quotations are taken from the ESV.
² John Barton and John Muddiman, eds., The Oxford Bible Commentary (Oxford, 2001), 1098.
³ For a brief, useful overview, see John W. Rogerson, “The Creation Stories: Their Ecological Potential and Problems,” in Ecological Hermeneutics: Biblical, Historical and Theological Perspectives, ed. David G. Horrel (London: T&T Clark, 2010), 21-31, and the works cited.
⁴ Rogerson, “The Creation Stories,” 27.
⁵ Richard Bauckham, Bible and Ecology: Rediscovering the Community of Creation (Waco: Baylor University Press, 2010), 32.