For the Beauty of the Earth: A Christian Vision of Creation Care, by Steven Bouma-Prediger
progress: 164/187
With the help of Bouma-Prediger and his insightful book, we have hopefully established the following truths:
With the help of Bouma-Prediger and his insightful book, we have hopefully established the following truths:
- We are called to be good keepers of the whole of creation.
- Creation groans, because of us.
- Jesus is the ultimate reconciler of creation.
- We have a role to play in the redemption of creation.
So...what is our role?
Bouma-Prediger offers his answer in terms of the larger question of "What Kind of People Ought We to Be?" Values and virtues point the way to what sort of actions we should take (or not take). His discussion was so thorough that I found it difficult to process without putting it into my own little outline (yes, I'm that sort of person :-). The words in parentheses are the unhealthy extremes of the aforementioned virtues.
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Integrity: Creation is diverse, good, and harmonious.
Value: Creation has intrinsic value because God made it, not just because of its usefulness.
Goal 1: Act so as to preserve diverse kinds of life.
- Respect all creatures (conceit – reverence)
- Recognize our interdependence with other creatures (self-sufficiency – addiction)
Finitude: Creation is finite.
Sufficiency: We have access to everything we need (as opposed to want).
Goal 2: Act so as to live within your means.
- Practice self-restraint in order to reserve and conserve (profligacy – austerity)
- Practice frugality so that others may live and flourish (greed – stinginess)
Finitude: Humans are finite, limited in power and knowledge, space and time
Fallenness: Humans are fallen, alienated from God, humans, ourselves and the earth
Goal 3: Act cautiously. - Survey as many consequences as possible
- Be humble – recognize that we can’t know everything, because we are finite and fallen (pride – false modesty)
- Be honest – (deception – false honesty)
Fruitfulness: Creatures provide sustenance for themselves and others, and reproduce themselves
Sustainability: Creation, if cared for properly, can sustain itself
Goal 4: Act in such a way that the ability of living creatures to maintain themselves and to reproduce is preserved. - plants, animals, and humans
- Be wise in the fear of God – make sound judgments on behalf of creation (foolishness)
- Live in the hope of God’s good future for all of creation (despair – presumption)
Sabbath: God works and rests, and so should we and the creatures under our care
Rejuvination: Allow ourselves and our world to rejuvenate by resisting the world’s drive for constant production
Goal 5: Act in such a way that the creatures under your care are given their needful rest.
- Patiently commit ourselves of God’s way of doing things and his timing (impetuousness – timidity)
- Find peace amidst the chaos in the knowledge that God is at work, reconciling our world (restlessness – passivity)
Earthkeeping: God owns the earth, and we are called to be its keepers
Benevolence: God does good for the sake of others, and this is how we are called to be earthkeepers
Goal 6: Act so as to care for the earth’s creatures, especially those creatures in need.
- Commit yourself to do good on behalf of others, whether humans, animals, or ecosystems (malice)
- Learn to love the earth and its creatures, of whom we are keepers (apathy)
Righteousness: God is righteous and just, and calls us to be righteous and just, with special attention given to those most likely to be treated unjustly, whether humans or other creatures, trees or ecosystems
Equity: God exercises fairness in according to need (different from equality)
Goal 7: Act so as to treat others, human and nonhuman, fairly.
- Exercise justice in acting impartially and fairly (injustice)
- Be courageous in the face of difficulty (cowardice – rashness)
While I affirm the importance of each goal, numbers 2, 3 and 7 are the most convicting to me at this point in my life, perhaps because they feel like the ones which are more immediately applicable in my daily life. Living within our means (goal 2) does not mean that as long as we can afford it (which I usually can't anyway), it's okay to consume to our heart's content (which it never is anyway). It is hemmed in by the virtues of self-restraint and frugality - what is wanted must be challenged by what is needed, for ourselves and for others. How does my consumption affect others' abilities to have their needs met? (And I'm not just talking about people here; animals, bugs and trees have needs too.)
This decision-making process regarding needs and wants is closely related to the goal of justice (goal 7), as it necessarily involves an impartial and fair assessment of the needs and wants of others. If that Thing I Want is produced by child labour, or contributes to unjust social structures, if it pollutes rivers with byproducts or involves animals living or dying in non-humane ways, or if it generally keeps me blinded to the needs of others, and feeling like an entitled individual instead of a compassionate member of God's whole creation-community, is it really worth having?
Of course we can't always know these things, and that's where goal 3 comes in: Act Cautiously. This is a tricky one, because we can choose to avoid knowing certain details, which in turn allows us to consume with a clear(ish) conscience. For example, I have avoided watching the food industry exposé Food, Inc. because I'm not sure I can commit to the conviction just yet - but it's on my to-do list! (Just trying to keep it real here, folks.) Nonetheless, as a Christian I believe it is my responsibility to pursue truth, wherever it takes me. Acknowledging that we can't know everything about the world and the consequences of our actions, we must act humbly, cautiously, gently, aware that our actions have consequences beyond our awareness. Insofar as we are able, we must ask ourselves, "What are the potential consequences of this choice?" and endeavour to make wise judgments.
The scary part for me is that it often takes me to a place of conviction that requires me to change: perhaps to spend more money buying the organic or fair trade option, or simply to go without. I'm confronted with my own greed, my tendency to place convenience above conscience, and my general sense of apathy toward many aspects of God's world.
The scary part for me is that it often takes me to a place of conviction that requires me to change: perhaps to spend more money buying the organic or fair trade option, or simply to go without. I'm confronted with my own greed, my tendency to place convenience above conscience, and my general sense of apathy toward many aspects of God's world.
Well, those are a few of my raw thoughts on my own role in being a good steward of this good creation which God has entrusted to me and you. What about you? How do you live out your care and concern for God's creation in your attempt to be a faithful earthkeeper? Of if you're like me so much of the time, how do you fail? What is the path ahead?
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