Because of man ’ s fall into sin , we often fall into materialism , covetousness , and selfish accumulation of possessions ( Luke 12:16 – 21 ; 1 Tim . 6:10 ; Col . 3:5 ). This does not , however , entail that the production of wealth is sinful . While man is accountable to God ’ s judgment in all he does with the earth , this does not justify abolishing private property ( Exod . 20:15 , 17 ), adopting collectivist economic institutions , or delegating to civil governments — whether local , national , or global — ownership or control of land , natural resources , or private property .
The fall into sin ( Gen . 3 ) led to human abuse of the earth and fellow humans . In response to man ’ s sin , God cursed the ground so that it would not yield easily even to godly dominion , let alone to ungodly , abusive domination ( Gen . 3:17 – 19 ). He subjected the whole cosmos to decay and corruption . But He is restoring it , partly in history , by obedience to the dominion mandate ( Gen . 1:28 ; Rom . 8:18 – 24 ), and fully in the New Heavens and New Earth of the eschaton ( Rev . 21:1 – 3 , 22 – 27 ; 22:1 – 5 ). All of this is secured by the redeeming death and resurrection of Christ ( Col . 1:14 – 20 ). God ’ s curse on the earth negates neither the dominion mandate ( Gen . 1:28 ) nor the robustness and self-correcting resilience of the God-sustained earth . Due to God ’ s faithfulness to His covenant , in which He proclaimed , after the Flood , that He would sustain the cycles on which terrestrial life depends ( Gen . 8:22 ), godly dominion remains possible .
Human multiplication and filling of the earth are intrinsically good ( Gen . 1:28 ). In principle , children , lots of them , are a blessing from God ( Ps . 127 ; 128 ). Earth is not overpopulated ; indeed , “ overpopulation ” is a meaningless term since it cannot be defined by demographic quantities like population density , growth rate , or age distribution . Hence , godly dominion does not require population control or “ family planning .” People are not primarily consumers and polluters but , as the image of God implies , producers and stewards .
When the Bible speaks of God ’ s judgment on human societies because they have “ polluted the land ,” the “ pollution ” in mind is consistently not chemical or biological but moral — the pollution of idolatry , adultery , murder , oppression of the weak , and other violations of the moral law of God expressed in The Ten Commandments ( Ps . 106:38 ; Jer . 3:1 – 10 ; 16:18 ). This does not , however , mean that we are free to harm our neighbors and the earth by careless disposal of what we more typically think of as pollution . The commandments against murder and theft , which by implication also prohibit our intentionally or negligently injuring our neighbors or harming their property , prohibit that .
Because of sin and the curse , risk is inherent in every human activity ( Heb . 9:27 ), so it is proper to balance risk against risk . Cost / benefit analysis ( Luke 14:28 ) is an important aspect of godly dominion ( Prov . 14:4 ). The mere existence of risk does not make an activity immoral . Proper
“. . . men and women , created in the image of God , laboring together to enhance earth ’ s safety , fruitfulness , and beauty to the glory of God and the benefit of our neighbors .”
environmental prioritization will address greater risks before lesser risks . Since resources spent to reduce one risk cannot be used to reduce another , it is wise to allocate resources where they will achieve the greatest risk reduction . Environmental policies that address relatively minor risks while harming the poor — such as opposition to the use of abundant , affordable , reliable energy sources like fossil fuels in the name of fighting global warming ; the suppression of the use of safe , affordable , and effective insecticides like DDT to reduce malaria in the name of protecting biodiversity ; and the conversion of vast amounts of corn and other agricultural products into engine fuel in the name of ecological protection — oppress the poor and are unjust .
Because a clean , safe , healthful , beautiful environment is a costly good , wealthy societies can better afford environmental protection and restoration than poor societies . Economic development is , therefore , not a threat to environmental quality but an indispensable precondition of it . Private ownership of land and other resources , because it harnesses God-given human incentives to overcome the “ tragedy of the commons ,” is the best institutional economic system for environmental protection . Collective economic systems are comparatively poor at protecting and improving natural environments . Intentional exaggeration , as practiced by many environmental advocacy organizations , or minimization , as practiced by many industries , of environmental risks or the effectiveness of various means of addressing them is sinful .
Godly dominion is a responsibility for everyone at all times , regardless of eschatological perspective . Our obligation to love our neighbors requires godly dominion , whether the earth is to remain and be transformed , or be annihilated and replaced , and whether Christ ’ s second coming and the final judgment are moments away or thousands of years ahead . ■
E . Calvin Beisner is the Founder , President , and National Spokesman of The Cornwall Alliance for the Stewardship of Creation . Former Associate Professor of Interdisciplinary Studies at Covenant College and of Historical Theology and Social Ethics at Knox Theological Seminary , Dr . Beisner is the author of fifteen books , including Where Garden Meets Wilderness : Evangelical Entry into the Environmental Debate , and What Is the Most Important Environmental Task Facing American Christians Today ?
Copyright © 2021 . Cornwall Alliance for the Stewardship of Creation . All rights reserved . Reprinted by permission . For more information , visit cornwallalliance . org .
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