The Heavens Declare the Glory of God

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The Heavens Declare the Glory of God

• Exploring the Relationship between Humanity the
  Environment
• Part 1
• Theological Foundations

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Introduction Biblical Environmental Ethics?

• We are taking a fresh look at Creation
• Partly due to environmental crisis
• Global Warming
• United Nations IPCC Synthesis Report 2001
• United States EPA Climate Action Report 2002
• Current US EPA website
• Politically neutral John Kerry Newt Gingrich
• Land surface changes (deforestation,
  urbanization), population issues, extinction
  issues
• Forcing a fresh look at the text

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Introduction Biblical Environmental Ethics?

• How Right is White?
• The Historical Roots of Our Ecological Crisis,
  Science 155 (1967) 1203-1207.
• The most anthropocentric religion the world has
  ever seen Christianity
• Wrong on text right on reception history
• Perhaps sparked Christian interest (response)
• However, Rachel Carsons Silent Spring (1962)
  began environmental movement in western world

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Introduction Biblical Environmental Ethics??

• Dealing Responsibly As Interpreters
• God transcends Creation, but is Lord over
  Creation
• Adopt a sacramental worldview
• Seek for questions to revolve around God
• Search for purpose/vocation in the light of Gods
  purposes and character
• Develop a theology of nature as a byproduct of
  a healthy theology of Creation

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Developing A Theology of Creation

• Creation as foundational
• Genesis (creation) before Exodus (redemption)
• Redemption, creation, salvation intertwined
• Isaiah 40-55
• Psalm 7412-17 Creation as saving deed
• Psalm 103 (salvation) 104 (creation)
• Creation theology deeper than nature

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Creation in 3 Senses

• Gods original, 1-x act (Gen. 1-2 Ps. 33)
• Gods completed work of new creation (Isa.
  6517-25 Rev. 211-5)
• Gods present sustaining work creatio continua
  (Ps. 10430)
• OT challenge Gods work in creation
• NT challenge Gods work in new creation

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IThe Work of God in Creation
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1. Creation is Connected

• Note the interrelatedness of Creation
• Nature of humanity must be understood within
  larger environment
• Similarity in language between animal/human

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Human/Non-Human Similarities
Created on 6th day Gen. 1 Vegetarian
referred to same table for foodK. Barth Gen
129-30 Made of same raw material plants,
animals, human Gen 27-9, 19 Will return to
dust at death Gen. 319 Animated by same
God-given breath of life Gen. 130 27,
19 Living beings nepesh hayya Gen.
219 Adam / Adamah Gen 1 Both entered
exited together Noahs ark Gen. 6-9
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1. Creation is Connected

• Note the interrelatedness of Creation
• Nature of humanity must be understood within
  larger environment
• Similarity in language between animal/human
• Mutuality of service between human/non-human

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2. Natures Task of Praising God

• In OT 50-x in 25 contexts.
• Creation portrayed as dynamic
• God uses non-human creation to accomplish His
  purposes
• God portrayed as surrounded by images reflected
  in natural world
• Humans as praise protectors

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3. Gods As Preserver of the World

• God promises to be present with His Creation
• Inherently valuable
• Value God has placed upon land
• Till / serve
• Jubilee / Sabbath rest
• Rights replaced by Responsibility

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4. Humans As Guardians

• Assist in bringing order, not chaos, to Creation
• Technological advancement AND conservation
• Human activity affects Creation

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The Effects of Sin Upon the Cosmos
PASSAGE SIN EFFECT Gen 317 Eat
fruit hid Ground puts forth thorns and
thistles Gen 611-13 Cosmic/human
violence Flood (violent convulsing of
creation) Gen 1310-13 1924-28 Human
wickedness Sodom Gomorrah ecological
disaster Exodus 7-11 anti-creational
behavior Plagues as adverse ecological
effects Jer. 422-26 anti-creational
behavior Plagues as adverse ecological
effects Hos 41-3 human
sin Various cosmic effects
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4. Humans As Guardians

• Assist in bringing order, not chaos, to Creation
• Technological advancement AND conservation
• Human activity affects Creation
• Must balance dominion model and
  equality/integration model
• Both responsibility for and share in
• Jesus as the true Adam (Mark 113)

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IIThe Work of God in New Creation
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5. Hope for Shalom in New Creation

• Cosmic hope reflected in Scripture
• New Testament Case
• Rom. 817-25 liberation of creation
• 1 Cor. 15 resurrection of the body
• Col. 115-20 reconciling all things
• 2 Pet. 3 new heaven, new earth
• Rev. 21-22 God in the new Jerusalem
• Carry over same language, imagery, etc Same
  hope?
• Continuity and Discontinuity anticipated

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IIIThe Calling of an Anticipatory Community
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6. A Call To Action For The Church

• Church is called to be an anticipatory
  community
• Lack of environmental consciousness?
• What lies within the purposes of God must lie
  within the mission of the Church
• Do we value what God values?
• We are stewards, not owners of the world
• Affirm the world as a vessel of Gods glory

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Closing Comments

• Proper theology always has God as its subject
• We desire Divine in-breaking
• Our incentive is eschatological

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Important Recent Works

• Steven Bouma-Prediger, For the Beauty of the
  Earth (Grand Rapids Baker, 2001)
• Ecology, Justice, and Christian Faith, ed.
  Bakken, et. al. (London Greenwood, 1995)
• Ronald A. Simkins, Creator and Creation (Peabody,
  MA Hendrickson, 1994).
• Terrence Fretheim, God and World in the Old
  Testament (Nashville Abingdon, 2005).
• Key authors Bernard Anderson, Ian Barbour,
  Walter Brueggemann, Jürgen Moltmann, H. Paul
  Santmire.