Christians' Beliefs About Their Responsibilities for the Universe

Christians' Beliefs About Their Responsibilities for the Universe

The word "stewardship" is defined as "looking after something that is
not your own; caring for it on behalf of an owner and then returning
it." Human beings are the custodians and trustees of creation. Our
role is to act as 'stewards' of the world God has created for us and
look after the planet and maintain it for future generations. The
Bible discusses Christian stewardship and the human responsibility of
the created universe clearly and explicitly in Genesis. It outlines
what God has created us for and what he expects of us as humans-
created in 'his image' as described in Genesis 1:26-30[1].

Most Christians see the principle of our stewardship in these four
verses. In essence, God has told us to take care of the world for him
and that is our great responsibility. More rules however, appear in
other books of the Bible. For example in Deuteronomy 20:19-20[2], God
reminds us of the destructive nature of war as all available wood was
used to make siege towers. The people were told to leave the fruit
trees so they could get fruit. In Exodus 23: 10-11the idea of fallow
fields, giving the field a chance to revive is introduced. Similarly
in the Tenakh, the Jews were told to take care of Creation and rest
the land once every 50 years so that it would produce more in the
future.

Throughout the Bible, there are references to the beauty of the world
God has created and to his concern for it. In chapter 12 of St. Luke's
gospel, Jesus says: "Consider the ravens: ….God feeds them… Consider
how the lilies grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not
even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these."

It is only quite recently that awareness about the current
environmental crisis has grown so that Christians realize that
admiration and gratitude for the gift of creation no longer represent
an adequate response. Together... [continues]

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