I confess that on the issue of
‘environmentalism’ I tend to flip-flop. As a resident of the Inner West of
Sydney, I’m very often in conversations (both with Christians and
non-Christians) that centre around how important it is to shop ethically, make
sure you know where your produce comes from, eat less meat, reduce your carbon
foot-print…and on and on it goes. As a Christian, the concept of ‘responsible
stewardship’ is thrown around to add weight to the argument. It feels great to
care passionately about the environment and be a bit ‘trendy’ to boot.
And then there are times when, quite
honestly, I think “What difference does this make?” This world will pass away
eventually, and I’m only ONE person in millions, and I like the convenience of
mass-produced, right-there-on-the-shelf, in the giant-supermarket-that-has
everything-I-need-in-one-shop food, and there are countless more important
things to be caring about!
That’s why reading the first chapter of
Richard Baukham’s book, Bible and Ecology,
hit me square between the eyes: ecology is more than just an issue to care about; it’s a framework for understanding how we
operate in the world that God himself has made! And this first chapter helped
me to see that the world is not the only thing He has made– we, as humans, are
a part of the created world, not demi-gods free to do whatever we like with it.
I felt confronted with my own underlying assumptions that the idea of
‘stewardship’ meant that in some sense we are more important than the other
creatures because we are ‘made in the image of God.’ I had not considered that
he had lovingly crafted this earth into being and cared for all the creatures
and life on it, or that
“…we belong to the earth more than it belongs to us,
that we are more dependent on it than it is on us, that we are of the earth,
not on the earth.”
It was actually a little bit fun to realise
afresh that we do in fact need the
creation in order to survive. This is a humbling and simultaneously exhilarating
thought.
Humbling, because if we see the creation
and all its wondrous complexity as belonging to someone else, then we know that
we are not in control of it or causing any of it to even exist. We can be less
anxious about trying to ‘save’ the world through our efforts, and revel in our
creatureliness, enjoying the good things that God has put here for his
creatures to interact with. But exhilarating, because as creatures made in God’s image and given a special task to do, we
don’t want to be slacking off on the job. And therein lies the beauty – we get
to be creative (haha) in humbly thinking of ways to tend God’s creation, using
the eyes of our Creator as we look at His world, and ask “How would He have me
look after the other creatures and life he has made?” Baukham’s argument has
challenged me not only to stop flip-flopping, but to alter my heart and eyes in
growing a heart for the whole world
that God has put me in, and not just care about the convenience of my immediate
life.
About our contributor: My name is Alison Glover, having recently
married Richard Glover :) I studied a BA at Sydney University, where I met my
husband, but more importantly, where I met Jesus on a more personal and
confronting level than I ever had before. Though growing up in a genuinely
Christian home, I had never been exposed to the Jesus that the Christian group
taught so fervently about at great depth. I felt so many things about life make
so much more sense, and I began to care more about the student ministry and
their work that was happening on campus more than my studies! After completing
my BA, I completed a two-year ministry training course with the same group, and
this year am working for a school whilst I prayerfully consider where Jesus
would have me be next.
I care passionately about my family (who
are wonderful), literature (which I studied), cheese (which is delicious) and
church (as vital to my faith).
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