Lesson 8: Christian Ecology

By the end of this lesson, the student should:

(1) Understand why God created all things and how humanity is unique from everything else that God created.

(2) Understand that God has given humankind stewardship of the rest of creation.

(3) Know several ways that he can rightly manage God’s creation.

George Washington Carver was born into slavery in America around 1860. After slavery was abolished, he wanted an education. Education was not easily available for black children at that time, but one kind woman told him, “You must learn all you can then go back out into the world and give your knowledge back to the people.” George prayed, “Lord, show me the secrets of the universe,” and said that God responded, “You are too small to understand the secrets of the universe.” George then prayed, “Then Lord, show me the secrets of the peanut,” and said that God consented. The peanut was important because it was the main crop raised by many poor farmers. George knew that inventing more products from peanuts would increase the value of peanut crops. George discovered 300 potential products from the peanut and 100 products from the sweet potato. He taught agriculture at the Tuskegee Institute for 47 years and found ways to teach new methods to farmers, helping them improve their land and get better crops. George Washington Carver was a great blessing because of his faith in God and his confidence that God’s creation, managed properly, could bring great benefits to humanity.

Ecology is the study of the ways living things relate to each other and their environment.

► A student should read Genesis 1:1, 26-28 for the group.

Human responsibility for the earth is based on the fact that God created the earth for His praise (Psalm 148) and placed humans as managers over it. As people created in the image of God, we are made to rule as God would. The Psalmist said, “Yet you have made (man) a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor. You have given him dominion over the works of your hands; you have put all things under his feet” (Psalm 8:5-6). Humans have a special role in the world. They are not animals. God gave humans the role of dominion over the earth and the animals that live there.

God told Adam and Eve to multiply and fill the earth. He told them to subdue the earth. The process of subduing the earth would be continued by their descendants. The work of subduing the earth includes exploration, learning to inhabit new areas, discovering and using minerals, domesticating animals, and developing technology.

Everything was good when God created it. Man’s work of taking care of the Garden of Eden (Genesis 2:15) was enjoyable work in harmony with nature. After sin occurred, nature was affected by the curse, and man’s work became difficult (Genesis 3:17-19). The earth does not have its original perfection (Romans 8:18-23), but it still shows the glory of God in its amazing design.

After the flood, God said that people could eat animals (Genesis 9:3). The law given by God to Moses restricted people from eating some animals, but the New Testament tells us that we are now allowed to eat any animal that is good for food (Mark 7:19, 1 Timothy 4:4). Animals do not have rights that put them on a level comparable to humans.

Human Responsibility to Manage Resources

Though people were given authority over the earth (Genesis 1:28), they are not the supreme authority. All people are accountable to God. The earth and its produce still belong to God.

► Students should read Psalm 24:1 and Psalm 50:10-11 for the group.

God owns the earth. God designed the earth to reveal his glory (Psalm 19:1), meet the needs of humans (Genesis 1:29), and be a pleasant place for them to live. He intends for us to enjoy the earth and the things it produces. We must not worship the earth, because it is the work of God’s hands (Romans 1:25). Nor should we exploit the earth in destructive ways.

Sometimes people take benefits from the land but destroy the land at the same time. People may mine the minerals but leave the land useless and ugly. People sometimes take all of the trees from an area, letting the rain wash away all of the good soil. Sometimes people have hunted the wild animals for food until there are no more remaining in the area. People put garbage into rivers until the water is not safe for use.

God designed the earth to be productive. It is wrong for people to use land in a way that destroys it. God is dishonored by a destructive use of the land.

God designed the earth to serve many generations of people for thousands of years. We should feel responsible to manage and improve the environment for the next generation. A person who destroys the land for a quick benefit is not loving his neighbor and the next generation.

Would you like to think that 20 years from now someone will rob your children? Of course not. Yet people rob their own children by destroying the environment where their children will live. If you do not have children of your own, you should still care about the children of others who will someday inherit the land.

Many people are careful with the land that they own but they care nothing for public land. Believers should set an example of care for the environment, because we know it belongs to God and because we care about our neighbor and the next generation.

Sometimes people think, “This land is not mine, so I can leave my trash here,” or “I can cut all of the trees, even the very small ones.”

► A student should read Deuteronomy 22:6 for the group.

In the part of the world where the book of Deuteronomy was written, there were birds that could be easily captured while sitting on a nest. If people always took the mother and the eggs or babies, those birds would soon cease to exist. God told them to release the mother so that the species would not be destroyed. Our rules today in different places will not be exactly the same, but the verse tells us that we should be careful to conserve the resources of public land.

When God made plants, he did not create only vegetables and fruit, he made flowers and many beautiful things. That tells us that God does not care only about the practical use of the land; he also cares about beauty (Luke 12:27). God created the beauty of nature in order to provide a beautiful environment for people to inhabit.

Mountains, deserts, rivers, plains, and forests all have natural beauty. Sometimes the people who were born in a particular place don’t really see the beauty that is there because it is ordinary to them.

► Imagine that you are an artist. Imagine that you spend much time producing a beautiful painting then give it to a friend. Then one day when you visit him you see the painting on the floor damaged from people’s footsteps. How would you feel?

There are many communities where the people throw all of their trash on the ground. They clean their own yards but leave trash everywhere else. The streets of their neighborhood are full of trash.

► What do these people need to understand?

We should care about the areas we share with others, for their sake and for our own sake.

► What could a church do to change its neighborhood?

Animals are distinct from humans. They are not made in the image of God. Thus, they do not have immortal spirits (Ecclesiastes 3:21) and they do not have human rights.

God gave permission for people to eat animals, which implies that it is permissible to hunt wild animals for food and to raise domesticated animals for food.

For most of human history it has also been common for people to have animals for pets or for getting work done.

► Does God care how people treat animals?

► A student should read Proverbs 12:10 for the group.

This verse tells us that one characteristic of righteous people is that they take good care of their animals. Cruelty is a characteristic of a wicked person.

A person who owns an animal should make sure it has the food, water, and shelter it needs. There is something wrong with people who do not care about the needs of their animals.

Remember that all animals belong to God (Psalm 50:10-11). They are all designed and created by God. He made them with great variety. He could have made only a few to serve for food and work, but he made thousands of species of animals, besides insects and microscopic forms of life. God’s amazing creativity is demonstrated in the variety of animals.

Some animals are capable of showing loyalty and appreciation of their owners. They enjoy attention from humans and learn to respond. They are intelligent enough to learn many things. It is obvious that God designed them for interaction with people. God gave animals a special respect for people (Genesis 9:2).

God created animals with intelligence and natures that respond to people. To abuse them is to disrespect God’s purposes. In addition to that fact, there is something wrong and perverted about a person who enjoys causing an animal pain.

Scripture uses the illustration of a shepherd many times. David was a shepherd before he was king of Israel. David wrote Psalm 23 comparing God to a shepherd. David realized that God takes care of his people the way a shepherd takes care of his sheep. In the New Testament, pastors are compared to shepherds (1 Peter 5:2 and many others). This comparison would not make sense if God did not expect people to care for their animals.

David’s care for sheep was part of his training to care for people. In the same way, our care for the land and animals God has entrusted to us will prepare us to care for humans.

Green is the most common color in nature except in places that lack water or good soil. It is the color most restful to our eyes.

Many people who live in cities feel refreshed when they get out of the city into a more natural environment.

Many city environments have almost no plant life. Much of the ground is covered with concrete or blacktop. Some societies have started making the effort to provide parks and other green areas in the cities. People in every community should work together to provide places for trees and other plants to grow. They should reserve green areas for people to enjoy and especially for children to play. Families can have their own green spaces in their yards and houses by raising plants.

At the beginning of this lesson is a definition of ecology.

► Why should believers care about ecology?

Some people think we can save the earth by preventing pollution. We humans cannot save it, though we should do our part to preserve it for as long as we can. Believers know that we cannot ultimately reverse the decline of the universe. God will ultimately renew the earth (Revelation 21:1). Therefore, we know that we cannot save the earth.

Some people believe that humans are not more important than animals, and that we should respect animals because their rights are equal to ours. Believers know that God gave humans dominion over the earth. We know that humans are distinct from animals because we are uniquely created in the image of God and have eternal souls. Therefore, animals do not have rights comparable to human rights.

Believers care about the earth because

1. It belongs to God.

2. Humans have a God-given responsibility to care for the earth.

3. We care about the next generation of people.

► What common practices in your nation or community show that people do not have a consistently Christian understanding of ecology?

► Tell the students to close their eyes and describe what they always see when they leave their church yard. What does the area look like in front of the church? Is there trash on the ground? Does the area look as if someone cares for it? Who should care for that area? Describe how the people of the church could change it. Why should they consider caring for the area? What influence could their care have on others? Students could think similarly about the areas around their houses.

► What habits should you change?

► How could your church make a difference in its community by example and teaching?

► How could your community improve its environment if the people of the community cooperated?

Heavenly Father,

Thank you for creating a world with beauty and resources. Thank you for trusting us with the responsibility of caring for the world that you made.

Help us to live with appreciation of your wonderful creation. Help us work together to protect the earth’s resources and beauty.

Amen

(1) Write a paragraph describing your plan to change your habits because of the truth you learned in this lesson.

(2) Write a page describing the wrong practices of your society. Then go on to describe how you would explain to someone why the practices should be different. Base your claims on specific scriptures and a biblical worldview.