Caring for People and the Planet

The Bible calls us to care for God’s handiwork

Early in Genesis, God commissions Adam “to work and take care of” the garden that God planted (Genesis 2:15-16). God called us to cultivate the Earth and keep it, to provide for it and protect it, to be responsible for it. Other scripture passages confirm this call; see our Common Question for more. God also gave us dominion over the Earth, gave us plants for food, and called us to be fruitful and multiply (Genesis 1:28-29). It is good and right for us to grow food, build homes, and create cities. Yet, we have to be honest—humankind has not done well at balancing our building with care and responsibility.

Species today are going extinct far faster than their natural rate, at over 1000 species a year (read Christian ecologist Rick Lindroth on extinction and loss of biodiversity). Scientists reported recently on the worldwide, massive collapse of insect populations that is threatening both agriculture and natural ecosystems. We hear of fires in the Amazon, coral bleaching, vast islands of plastic in the oceans, devastating droughts causing food shortages, and polluted air and water. While not every instance of environmental degradation can be blamed on people, we are often the source of these problems. We must lament the ways we are falling short of our calling to take care of the garden.

Caring for creation is integral to loving our neighbors and bringing an authentic presentation of the gospel. Christian biologist Dorothy Boorse writes that addressing environmental problems will only strengthen our witness. “We live out the gospel by meeting the poor and vulnerable where they are, showing them the love of Christ” (for more, see the 2015 booklet “Loving the Least of These: Addressing a Changing Environment” from the National Association of Evangelicals). The Lausanne Movement on world evangelization, founded by Billy Graham and John Stott, has committed themselves to creation care as part of evangelism. See the 2010 Lausanne Capetown Commitment, section 7, “We love God’s world.”

New directions

This month at BioLogos, we are addressing the biblical and scientific questions around creation care, ecology, biodiversity, and climate change. If you have followed BioLogos for a while, you know that we often address topics of origins, evolution, and Adam. As our organization grows, we are able to address more issues. Last March, our 10th anniversary conference included plenary talks on many topics—public witness, the doctrine of creation, suffering in evolution, embryos and ethics, life beyond Earth, and creation care. We’ve been addressing bioethics and medicine online and in our podcast, including the promise and peril of gene-editing. Many science topics are urgent in our world today, and BioLogos now has the capacity to address more of them. We are excited to join other Christian voices and organizations addressing creation care.

On each topic we cover, BioLogos brings a bedrock commitment to biblical faith, rigorous science, and humble dialogue. Instead of extreme rhetoric, you will find informed discussion and thoughtful Christian engagement. We bring you quality science you can rely on, presented by believing scientists who know and follow Jesus Christ. We delve deeply into Scripture to better understand God’s Word and what it means for our modern scientific world. We are dedicated to respecting those who hold other views and to humble dialogue. We aim to speak the truth, but always in love. We don’t allow vitriol here.

So, I invite you to join the conversation this month on creation care. Consider the biblical case, consider the scientific evidence. Talk with others about what you are reading—friends, colleagues, students, and church leaders. Have conversations across generations of your family. The conversations may not be easy, but humble dialogue never is. See our advice on 4 strategies for conversations, 5 tips for online exchanges, and 5 ways pastors can shepherd congregations through issues. And spend time in prayer. It is appropriate to lament and grieve the harm done to God’s creation. Pray for the restoration of the planet, for people suffering from pollution and climate change, for scientists working in this area, for the healing of divisions, and about what you might do.

Ultimately we will all need to change our behavior. Environmental degradation and climate change are real and urgent concerns. God’s call means responding to the suffering in our own communities, the suffering half a world away, and the needs of the next generation. Let’s work to overcome these challenges with resiliency and hope grounded in our shared faith. Our Common Question points to practical steps you can take.