For the Beauty Chapter Three

After outlining the messy state our planet is in Dr. B-P turns his attention to Christians and asks, "Is Christianity to blame for this mess?" It's a fair question to ask, right? Or IS it? God says to Adam and Even in the garden in Genesis, "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue 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" (Gen. 1:28). See there it is! It's in the Bible that Christians are to fill the earth and subdue it and have dominion over it. Well, yes there it is, but in what sense are we to subdue and have dominion? In chapter three B-P addresses this oft asked question (as well as many others)and offers some better explanations.

"We must learn," says B-P, "to read the Bible anew precisely because our behavior is out of line with the ecological vision of Scripture" (69). B-P makes a call to read the Bible with new eyes in order to receive ecological wisdom.

So, what are the complaints against Christianity concerning creation care? Well, there are four that B-P addresses:

1. Monotheism, in general, and Christianity in particular, is the primary cause of the despoilation of the earth.

2. The Christian emphasis on dualisms of soul and body, spirit and matter, denigrates the earth and sanctions its misuse and exploitation.

3. Christian eschatology (or "last things") negates any rationale for preserving the earth.

4. And finally, because of the rise of technology and science, Christianity bears a huge burden of guilt for the present situation.

One by one, B-P tackles each of these complaints and disspells the myth that Christianity is somehow the primary cause for the current ecological state of our world. Concerning Genesis 1:28, does dominion mean domination? Is this verse a "license" to exploit anything and everything on the earth. The short answer is no, it is not. One key to defining dominion, says B-P, is to take example from an ideal king in Psalm 72, who exercises dominion correctly. The psalm says that a ruler executes justice for the oppressed, delivers the need, helps the poor, and embodies righteousness in all he does (74). To exercise dominion is to bring about shalom (or peace). To rule properly is to serve. "We are to serve and protect the garden that is creation..." (74).

To protect and serve...

It's not only the "motto" of most of our police and local law enforcement agencies, it's also the "motto" of humanity in relationship to the earth. To protect and serve.