Our Biblical Call to Care for Creation

1. Our Biblical Call to Care for Creation Creation Care Summit April 21, 2012 Dr. Dan Brunner, George Fox Evangelical Seminary

2. The word of the Lord came to me: I sought for anyone among them who would repair the wall and stand in the breach before me on behalf of the land, so that I would not destroy it; but I found no one. Ezekiel 22:30

3. “The culpability of Christianity in the destruction of the natural world and uselessness of Christianity in any effort to correct that destruction are now established clichés of the conservation movement.” Wendell Berry

4. “Our predicament now, I believe, requires us to learn to read and understand the Bible in the light of the present fact of Creation.” Wendell Berry

5. Seven Reasons to Care • Stewarding (keeping) what belongs to God

8. The earth is the Lord’s and all that is in it, the world, and those who live in it; for he has founded it on the seas, and established it on the rivers. Psalm 24:1-2

9. Then the Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to tend and keep it. Genesis 2:15

10. The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face to shine upon you, and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up his countenance upon you, and give you peace. Numbers 6:24-26

11. Seven Reasons to Care • Stewarding (keeping) what belongs to God • Jesus and “dominion”

12. So God created humankind in his image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue [katakurieuo] it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living thing that moves upon the earth.” Genesis 1:27-28

13. “Both our present science and our present technology are so tinctured with orthodox Christian arrogance toward nature that no solution for our ecologic crisis can be expected from them alone.” Lynn White, Jr.

14. “You know that among the Gentiles those whom they recognize as their rulers lord it over them (katakurieuo), and their great ones are tyrants over them. But it is not so among you; but whoever wishes to become great among you must be your servant, and who-ever wishes to be first among you must be slave of all. For the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many.”Mark 10:42-45

15. Seven Reasons to Care • Stewarding (keeping) what belongs to God • Jesus and “dominion” • God included the whole creation in Sabbath

16. Remember the sabbath day, and keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work. But the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God; you shall not do any work—you, your son or your daughter, your male or female slave, your livestock, or the alien resident in your towns.

17. For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but rested the seventh day; therefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day and consecrated it. Exodus 20:8-11

18. Seven Reasons to Care • Stewarding (keeping) what belongs to God • Jesus and “dominion” • God included the whole creation in Sabbath • Honoring the Artist

19. The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows His handiwork. Psalm 19:1

20. Earth’s crammed with heaven, And every common bush afire with God; But only he who sees, takes off his shoes— The rest sit round it and pluck blackberries. Elizabeth Barrett Browning

21. Seven Reasons to Care • Stewarding (keeping) what belongs to God • Jesus and “dominion” • God included the whole creation in Sabbath • Honoring the Artist • Christ’s work on the cross for “all things”

22. He [Christ] is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation; for in him all things in heaven and on earth were created, things visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or powers—all things have been created through him and for him. He himself is before all things, and in him all things hold together….

23. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him God was pleased to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, by making peace through the blood of his cross. Colossians 1:15-20

24. Seven Reasons to Care • Stewarding (keeping) what belongs to God • Jesus and “dominion” • God included the whole creation in Sabbath • Honoring the Artist • Christ’s work on the cross for “all things” • Compassion for the poor and needy

25. I know that the Lord maintains the cause of the needy, and executes justice for the poor. Psalm 140:12

26. “As I sit here looking out my window, it’s hard for me to see the effect of environmental degradation on others. … It’s often difficult to see the connection between my choices and the welfare of others.” Michael Abbaté

29. World hunger and malnutrition were on the decline for much of the late 20th century. But after falling to 825 million in the mid-1990s the number of hungry people began to rise, reaching 915 million in 2008. In 2009 it jumped to over 1 billion.

30. We are God’s work of art [poiema], created in Christ Jesus for the good works which God has already designated to make up our way of life. Ephesians 2:9-10

31. Seven Reasons to Care • Stewarding (keeping) what belongs to God • Jesus and “dominion” • God included the whole creation in Sabbath • Honoring the Artist • Christ’s work on the cross for “all things” • Compassion for the poor and needy • Borrowing from our chil-dren and grandchildren

32. Grandchildren are the crown of the aged, and the glory of children is their parents. Proverbs 17:6

33. Percentage Growth (1980-2000)

34. “Our predicament now, I believe, requires us to learn to read and understand the Bible in the light of the present fact of Creation.” Wendell Berry