“So God created humankind in his image,
in the image of God he created them;
male and female he created them.
“God blessed them, and God said to them, ‘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.’”
Since this passage of scripture is
part of the larger story of creation in Genesis 1, it frequently gets caught up
in the sometimes bitter debate among Christians and nonChristians, concerning the
implications of the theory of evolution for religious faith.[i] While questions of science and faith are critically
important in their own right, these few verses make a major contribution to
Christians’ understanding of our relationship with nature—and, our relationship
with God.
As
persons of faith, it is essential that we understand what these verses say about
our relationship with nature and our relationship with God.
It is so important that we bring the
right questions to this text. Yet, even when Christians do ask this text about
our relationships with nature and God, they frequently misinterpret what these
verses say about our relationships. A
case in point is the recent book, A
Climate for Change, by Dr. Katharine Hayhoe, a climate scientist who is
also an evangelical Christian, and her husband, Andrew Farley, an evangelical
pastor. In their interpretation of
Genesis 1: 27-31, Hayhoe and Farley write:
“If we’re honest, there is really nothing here [verses 27-31] beyond be fruitful, increase, rule over the
animals, and eat anything you want. Furthermore, if we conclude that there
is an ecological mandate for today within this passage, then we must equally
conclude that our mandate is to have more and more children and to increase the
world’s population. This would, in turn,
contribute to more climate change and
environmental issues, not diminish them.”[ii]
When we faithfully interpret the
scriptures, it is important to ask about the context of those persons who first
read a particular passage. We need to
ask ourselves, what would the first persons have thought about, as they were
reading this passage of scripture—or hearing it read—for the first time. To faithfully interpret the scriptures, we
need to take seriously how the first readers would have understood the
passage. Although well-meaning, the
problem with Hayhoe and Farley’s interpretation is that they do not examine how
this passage would have been heard by the first Hebrews.
Biblical scholars remind us that the
first Hebrews to read this passage were living in a context in which they were
surrounded by the Egyptian and Mesopotamian cultures. Both cultures were ruled by a king. In these cultures, the king was described as possessing
the divine image of that culture’s god.
That is to say, the king possessed the “divine image” of their
gods. As someone possessing the image of
the divine, the king was the divine representative on Earth. For the Egyptians and Mesopotamians, the king
was supposed to care for all of the citizens, as well as the country’s
environment. Biblical scholars refer to
this understanding in Egypt and Mesopotamia as the “royal motif.”
The first Hebrews reading Genesis 1:
27-31 would have interpreted this passage within their context, surrounded by
the countries of Egypt and Mesopotamia.
They would have understood God as saying that all people are created in
God’s image—not just the king or ruler.
Further, they would have understood God as saying that everyone is
responsible for caring for one another and for nature—not just the king. To be created in God’s image is both a
privilege and a responsibility.
When we take into account how the
first Hebrews would have read and interpreted this passage, then Genesis 1:
27-31 offers profound answers to two of the most important questions concerning
life:
1.
What is the relationship between human
persons and God? God sets humans apart from the rest of
creation as being special and different.
In this special relationship, God makes humans stewards of the rest of
God’s Creation.
2.
What is the relationship between human
persons and nature? God gives humans dominion in verse 28.
However, dominion does not mean domination, as when one
wrestler dominates another. Instead,
dominion refers to the charge that someone has to care for another. Thus, the human relationship with nature is
one of stewardship, reflecting the love and care that God has for all of
Creation.
Come and celebrate Earth Day with us this weekend. We will reflect on our special relationship
with God, as well as our special calling to be good stewards of God’s beloved
Creation. At the end of each service,
you can even plant some flowers outside our buildings. Our church is located at the corner of
Main and Dawson Streets in Meriden, Kansas.
We have two worship services each weekend:
Ø Our contemporary service starts at 6 pm on
Saturday evenings.
Ø
Our
classic service starts on at 10 am on Sunday mornings.
Everyone is welcome and accepted at both services because God loves us all.
[i]
For a discussion of evolution and Christian faith, please see my previous blog,
“Can I Be a Christian and Also Accept Evolution,” posted on 17 January 2013 and
the follow up posted on 24 January 2013.
[ii]
Katharine Hayhoe and Andrew Farley, A
Climate for Change, Global Warming Facts for Faith-based Decisions (New
York: Faith Words, 2009), 126-127 in the
NOOK edition. (Italicized emphasis in
the text.) (Note that their claim that
this passages permits us to “eat anything
you want,” is also a misreading of verse 30, where God says, “I have given
every green plant for food,” which the vast majority of Biblical interpreters
agree refers to a restrictive vegetarian die.)
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