Ecology and the Bible
Ecological ethics concerns the principles and problems relating to care of the environment. Christian ecological ethics, more specifically, tries to address these issues from a biblical and theological perspective. Here already lies one of the unique problems facing the Christian ethicist, for the biblical data has been variously interpreted.
In this post, I will briefly address two biblical texts relating to the environment that have often been misunderstood.
"Conquer the earth" (Genesis 1:28)
Genesis 1:28 contains a command from God for humans to “conquer the earth.” This verse has been used to justify the wholesale exploitation of the earth’s resources in whatever way humans see fit. However, the Old Testament scholar Ellen Davis notes that there is a link between the phrase "conquer the earth" in this verse, and the conquest of the land in the book of Joshua.¹ In particular, “The Hebrew noun [eretz] can designate what we would call the planet earth, but more often it refers to a specific territory, usually the land of Israel.”² Thus, “With the phrase ‘conquer the land,’ the Priestly writer [of Genesis 1:28] is deliberately recalling that sad history of Israel in the land.”³ Rather than justifying unlimited exploitation of the earth, Genesis 1:28 is therefore meant to both recall and foreshadow the failure of Israel to “make God's benevolent dominion visible in the world.”⁴ The way this verse has been isolated and misused highlights the importance of reading texts in their literary context. As Davis notes, “we must read the Bible backwards and forwards to get an accurate perspective.”⁵
"The earth shall be burned up" (2 Peter 3:10)
Our second text is from the New Testament. A classic translation of 2 Peter 3:10 states that on the day of the Lord, “the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up” (KJV). At first glance, this translation might appear to suggest that the earth and everything in it will be “burned up.” So, why bother planting trees? Thus, this text has often been used to justify apathy about care for the environment. However, as the New Testament scholar N. T. Wright notes, “The translation ‘will be burned up’ depends on the variant readings of a few manuscripts. Most of the best witnesses have heurethesetai, ‘will be found.’”⁶ Thus, rather than insinuating that the earth will be completely burned up and destroyed, this text actually stresses “a continuity in which the new world, and the new people who are to inhabit it, emerge tested, tried, and purified from the crucible of suffering.”⁷ In short, this verse more plausibly portrays the Creator’s desire to “discover” the goodness of creation “beneath the overlayering of corruption and wickedness”⁸ — not to simply abolish it.
A Caring God
There are many biblical texts which support care for the environment. For example, Deuteronomy 20:19-20 warns against wastefully cutting down trees during a siege: “Are the trees people, that you should besiege them?” Likewise, Deuteronomy 22:6 takes special care to issue a protection for birds, commanding Israelites not to harm a mother bird and its young if a nest is found. Even Revelation 11:18 mentions a specific judgment for those who “destroy the earth.”
God cares about the earth. Therefore, so should we.
Notes
[1] Ellen F. Davis, “Losing a Friend: The Loss of the Old Testament to the Church,” Pro Ecclesia: A Journal of Catholic and Evangelical Theology 9, no. 1 (2000): 79.
[2] Davis, “Losing a Friend,” 79.
[3] Davis, “Losing a Friend,” 80.
[4] Davis, “Losing a Friend,” 80.
[5] Davis, “Losing a Friend,” 80.
[6] N. T. Wright, “Jesus is Coming – Plant a Tree!” in Surprised by Scripture: Engaging Contemporary Issues (New York: HarperCollins, 2014), 103.
[7] Wright, ”Jesus is Coming,” 104.
[8] Wright, ”Jesus is Coming,” 104.