Listening to Creation Groaning: Reflection and Notes on Creation Theology

Joint World Alliance of Reformed Churches and World Council Of Churches Consultation, Listening to Creation Groaning: Reflection and Notes on Creation Theology, Geneva: John Knox International Reformed Centre, 2004 in Melisande Lorke and Dietrich Werner (eds.), Ecumenical Visions for the 21st Century: A Reader for Theological Education, Geneva: WCC Publication, 2013, 251-259

Creation in the Old and New Testament

Bible describes God as continuously creating (creation continua). God calls creation into life and renew it day by day. So creation is ongoing process. Old Testament does not offer a theory on the origin of the world but invited Israel to respond in faith to the creating power of God. Human beings are unique among other God’s creations. They have mandate to fulfill in creation but in the same time should be recognized as part of the whole creations. Human beings were created in the image and likeness of God. It makes human being as representative of divinity on earth. They became God’s vicarii and should exercise it responsibly. It is interesting to know that human beings were created in the same day with animals, so both share same living space and form a community. Human beings are the responsible stewards or locum tenentess of God on earth. In Genesis 1 there is an ideal picture. Human beings are vegetarians, but after flood story a new order is established. Human beings are allowed to eat meat though God at the same time established covenant with the whole earth. So we can understand that the mandate given to human beings must be exercised under this covenant.

Land is the place where the people are called to give praise to God and to obey God with an undivided heart. Land is a gift from God only because human’s obedience to God. Through disobedience it can and will be lost. When people of Israel pursued God’s pattern, the land would flourish. According the Isaiah there is a direct causal relationship between human environmental exclusion and ecological degradation. Sabbath had implication for the relationship of human being to the rest of creation. Celebrating Sabbath is part of cosmic order. Sabbath and Jubilee both have a deep concern for the restoration of justice among the people and also of the maintenance of the fertility of the soil.

Faith in God the Creator is affirmed in the New Testament. Liberation begins with God’s identification with the world. The offer of salvation is not exclusively addressed to the human beings soul but to the entire being, with soul and body. Through Jesus’ incarnation and resurrection, God overcomes death and people are restored to the true image of God which appeared in Jesus. All creation will be liberated. But now it groans in travail expecting eagerly God’s ultimate intervention. Through Jesus, God gives promise that there will be a new creation. Communion with Christ makes us become new creation as well. This makes us live in hope of final creation of all things. This hope makes us try hard in ecological restoration and struggle against injustice.

Issues and Perspective in Systematics and Christian Ethics

We have to believe that God has  power to create everything. God called the world into existence and God does constant renewal of all creation. Nature is God’s creation and our hope is based on God’s creating power. Science has capability of enlightening faith but in the same time should recognize that there are limits to its competence to determine the course of its research. Human beings are created as imago Dei and given freedom to act. Human beings are called to love and praise God. This freedom can be used wrongly. The use or misuse of freedom leads progressively to incalculable consequences like manipulation of genetic code etc. Today we faced with the result of this freedom that used to pursue humans own ways instead of in communion with God. So we need new reflection on the use of human ability to “change” the world in the name of their freedom.

What is human beings’ place in the whole creations? First the sense of anthropocentrism must be rejected. The idea that human beings as the crown of all creation can dispose of all things, animals, plants, and other material resources, for their own purposes, is foreign the the Bible witness and cannot be defended. Antropocentrism is one of the importand roots of today’s ecological crisis. According to Bible, human beings came into existence last, but it does not imply pre-eminence over all other creations. It reminds us the fact that the rest of creations precede human life which emerges within the communion of creatures. Antropocentrism should refer to the fact the human beings are called to fulfill a special and specific role in the world. Human beings should realize their role to contribute to the reconciliation of all things. Human beings are called to offer what is “good” to the creator. In order to listen to the groaning of creations, the central role of human beings needs to be radically called into question. The relationship between human responsibility and respect for all living beings remains an issue for futher debate. Human beings are part of creation. Being created itself is a gift. Human beings are created and placed by God. Every creatures have their own intrinsic values that comes from the fact that they are subject of their existence. This intrinsic values have been willed into existence only by God. Human beings must respect the intrinsic values of all creatures as a pre-condition for living in communion with creation. As Christian we have to account of the common good emerge from an understanding of God as Creator and as a basic of good order of creation. The resurrection re-affirms not only a theme of the first article of the creed but is something that has been redeemed. Christian ethics proceed from the divine intention to heal not only human life but the entire earth, and alwyas include advocay for suffering creations. Ecological crisis directs our ethical consciousness to the needs of future generations. We have to extend our responsibility to future generarions so they can enjoy the same conditions we have now for constructing their life as the present one. Natural resources are limited. Future generations are entitled to a sufficient amount of natural resources. They also need to deciede for themselves how to conduct their lives, so they can preserve a future for their next generations.

Creation is a gift from God that exist only in communion with God. Worship is fundamental for the Christian approach to creation. Through liturgy we praise God and in return receive God’s gift anew. Eucharist is privileged moment to Christian worship. It point our dependence to the Creator. In Eucharist we share God’s gift of life with one another. Eucharist is essential for witnessing in face the ecological crisis. In Eucharist we celebrate God’s gift of Creation.  There is still possibility of extinction because human beings destroy their habitat by misuse their freedom. But in the other hend we have hopes. There is God’s promise to be faithful to God’s creation. God will not abandon God’s creation. There is hope about new heaven and new earth (or we can say “renew heaven and renew earth instead). We are called to witness of love in the world. By doing this we are nourished by God’s vision of God’s reign and new creation. It provides us a focus to our life styles. We have in the assurance that every act of love is taken up into God and that nothing is ultimate lost.

Witnessing in Today’s Ecological Crisis

The important question now is how do we respond to today’s situation and prospects? Firstly as Christian we must have the courage openly to face the threats and invite society to adopt realistic measures.  Secondly as Christian we must have the responsibilty constantly to remind the world of the demands of justice and solidarity. Beside that as Christian we have responsibility of engaging in a critical analysis of the present system, include involving a critique of the utilitarian considerations govermening environmental debates – as if the crisis could eventually be overcome on the basis of cost-benefit decisions.

The churches have main task to promote and keep alive the faith the Creator as the sources of a resistance movement on behalf of the planet. We are called out to act in priority to liberate and strengthen the weaknest, the most defenseles, the poorest, and the bruised. This option has been developed in the principle of solidarity and in several other principles which have been expressed in international instruments, in particular: subsidiarity and precautinary principle.

As Christian we are called to bear a personal witness. We have to shape our personal life, and also our life style as Christian communities. Through simplicity of life, Christian communities can offers models which anticipate the society of the future. Christian spirituality emphasizes the value of communion.  The struggle of individual persons and communities has little chance of changing the course of events. The future is in God’s hands and our confidence rests in God’s creating power. Our life styles and actions which are required have the potential to make visible God’s true intentions with his creation.