Thanks for your reply Elias and for your further thoughts. I’ve not read Lyn’s article but will certainly look it up.
I think it is an important point you/he raises about Gen 1:26-28, misinterpretations and misappropriations of this verse have caused a lot of problems over the years. Though, and not wanting to pre-judge Lyn’s arguments, I am not sure that all the blame can be levelled here. However, we understand the first few chapters of Genesis from a historical perspective, I think the picture from Chapters 1 & 2 is that humanity was intended to live in dependence and interdependence with the natural world (fruit trees to eat, Adam pictured as the gardener made for the garden, etc.
The picture that quickly unfolds from Gen 3 onwards though is one of accumulation and consumption. I was reflecting on Genesis 13 this week that when Abram and Lot’s herds and households become too big for both to be sustained in the same place their decision is to separate and go their separate ways and each to find a new patch of land to settle on. However, seeking God’s wisdom is conspicuous by its absence in the passage and so neither stop to consider that if the land is not able to sustain them perhaps the problem is with them and their stuff and not the land. Dependence and interdependence are no longer on anyone’s radar.
I do agree also that our view of the bible is going to need to change as we seek to explore what a faithful, Christian, eco-theological reading might look like. I wonder though, as I alluded to above, the Bible might have been an unwilling accomplice in the justification for vandalising God’s world. And that as we seek a better more creation honouring approach we might recover more and more of a Hebrew worldview that was lost as the Church moved to the West.
Just thinking out loud here, but would love to hear your thoughts. Please correct me if I’ve misunderstood you at any point too.
I come at this from my background of lifelong bird watching and involvement in bird conservation. Also as an Anglican Franciscan, living the ethos of St Francis of Assisi who saw all the natural world as his brothers and sisters who show forth God’s glory. If we do not respond in love back to creation we are destroying something God loves.
Even if climate change is not all our fault, if there is the slightest chance we can change things for the better , we should do it.
Even if the is completion of God’s kingdom to come, we should anticipate it in our own actions.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts, @cosmicscotus. I totally agree. The evidence strongly suggests that our actions are driving the decline and extinction of swathes of the biosphere. I find the cold indifference of so many Christian’s to this reality deeply troubling.
Also, I recently came across the Earth Bible Commentary series which looks like a fascinating addition to the conversation. Six titles so far on a range of Biblical books.
This looks super interesting. I do so appreciate contemporary commentaries from life-long scholars who are theologically sound… I did do a quick read of the series editor Norm Habel and I wasn’t encouraged by what I read about his rewriting of Genesis 1:26-28.
Please do share anything you find illuminating. I think Longman would be a good source for commentary when he writes about ecotheology as I assume he has. His book on politics was so clear sighted, that I should look into what he has to write about the environment.
Lynn White’s essay can be found various places, including here:
The Historical Roots of Our Ecological Crisis
(https://www.cmu.ca/faculty/gmatties/lynnwhiterootsofcrisis.pdf)
However, note that there are no cited sources whatsoever; it is not nuanced historical scholarship, although it does identify a real problem.
I do not know why, but both young-earth and ID movements have often allied themselves with the anti-environmental movement and climate change denial. Not only does that clash with claims to care about creation, but also the rate of climate changes implied by YEC should be extremely alarming.
Two major challenges relate to determining how to properly respond to the environmental crises around us. One is determining where our individual energies can best be directed. There are many other major problems, as well as the daily tasks to attend to - what should I focus on and what should I leave to others? Second is not demanding that everyone else focus on my issue. We each have our own callings, and I need to recognize that, if you are focused on something worthwhile, you do not need to leave it and work on something else (assuming that you are not neglecting essentials).
I’m not aware of anything specific by my boy TL3, but I am sure he must have discussed environmental topics in passing at least. I’d also be interested in a book by him on the subject, if you find one, do let me know.
Sadly, there are so few evangelical and reformed voices offering anything constructive in this conversation that beggars don’t have the luxury of being choosers. I’m also a big fan of reading as widely as possible, so don’t mind digging into books by authors I know I don’t share some core foundations. Steven Chase, for example, the author of the book mentioned in the OP is a Catholic.