Christian Worldview, Environment and Stewardship

Name:
Instructor’s Name:
Course:
Date:
Christian Worldview, Environment, and Stewardship
The last three decades have seen a rapid improvement in the living conditions of human beings. It includes improvement in factors like life expectancy, industrial, and technological revolutions and finally open boundaries for shared trade and social developments. The famine which was a common occurrence in the world and according to historical contexts Europe experienced almost ‘7’ famines in a century which each of them lasting for at least a decade (Beisner). The word of “Famine” has vanished from European countries, however, it is still occurring in the under-developed parts of the world. The average European families in the 1700 A.D lived in an inhumane environment having small huts without any real furniture, no clothing, and barely enough food to feed the entire family (Beisner). Most of this food was given to the family as a payment of their work in the fields or laborers in the city. Europe was a dark place to live in during those time owing to lack of electricity, poor or no sewage systems, and access to a reliable health care city.
The current European societies are a complete contrast to the devastating conditions being experienced by their forefathers. Today, an average European family has access to almost every civil services a society can imagine for. The houses are well-built and every house is designed to provide protection depending on the weather on any other condition. The negative aspect of this modernized Europe is the presence of negligence and feeling of superiority in European communities when they are compared with the underdeveloped or developing countries. The negligence is not only at human scale but unchecked industrial development and increased socioeconomic status of the middle class has taken its toll on the fragile ecosystem of the planet (Beisner). However, blinded by the improved infrastructure and socio-economic statuses of their communities the majority of the population blame disadvantaged classes of the society for the disturbing ecosystem of the world (Bruner 12). This false choice is the basic reason for the elevated levels of poverty, disease, early deaths in the developing countries of the world. Moreover, the same negative aspects or attitudes and increasing income gaps is the major hurdle in the way of achieving uniform and genuine environmental stewardship (Bruner 12).
This research essay is aimed at presenting the theological and ethical foundations believed to be a source of environmental stewardship. The current human development on the basis of these theological and ethical foundations will also be reviewed and some of the major and minor environmental concerns will be discussed in relations Christian perspective. Some of the recommendations will be made to facilitate environmental developments in the future. The common assumption is the fact that both religion and ecological developments should be able to coordinate with each other achieve the basic demands of humans and fragile ecosystem of the planet.
* Theological and Ethical Foundations
Bible is one of the books which is used as a reference by majority of the people on planet earth. The book contains guidance on almost every aspect of the human life. The relationship between the human life and surrounding environment is the major subject of this book (Arc). The purpose and concept of equality in the human kind is summarized in the following versus of the Holy Book.
God, the Creator of all things, rules over all and deserves our worship and adoration (Ps. 103:19—22). The earth, and, with it, all the cosmos, reveals its Creator’s wisdom and goodness (Ps. 19:1—6) and is sustained and governed by his power and lovingkindness (Ps. 102:25—27; Ps. 104; Col. 1:17; Heb. 1:3, 10—12).  Men and women were created in the image of God, given a privileged place among creatures, and commanded to exercise stewardship over the earth (Gen. 1:26—28; Ps. 8:5).
As it is clear from the above versus the relationship between humans and God is regarded as the relationship between a creator and creation. The human race was given equality and distinction by God to carry out His command and Stewardship on the planet earth. The equality of human beings in creation is often used as a reference by several ecological movements especially “deep ecology” (Arc). These activists demand equal rights and forms of life for all human and other forms of life on the planet carrying out their ultimate task of imposing God’s law on the land (Moody and Achenbaum 153). However, the sense of equality is only for the human according to such people. These people believe that as the humans are given command over all of the creatures and materials on the earth. Therefore, they have the ultimate right to use the earth and its resources according to their wishes regardless of environmental issues raised by their actions.
Therefore, the freedom of human beings and the choices made by them are limited by God himself. The human race is only eligible for the Stewardship of the God if they are able to behave in righteousness manner and do virtues. The stewardship of God is free from every sin, evilness, and crimes. The stewardship of God also means that human beings are only answerable to God himself and, therefore, the concepts of virtues, sins, and evilness are created (Moody and Achenbaum 156). The sins and evil deeds as identified by the Holy Book make a human being unworthy of the godly stewardship and only the righteous and pious people are the rightful owners of the status.
The image of God consists of knowledge and righteousness, and expresses itself in creative human stewardship and dominion over the earth (Gen. 1:26—28; 2:8—20; 9:6; Eph. 4:24; Col. 3:10). The exercise of these virtues and this calling, therefore, require that we act in an arena of considerable freedom–not unrestricted license, but freedom exercised within the boundaries of God’s moral law revealed in Scripture and in the human conscience (Exod. 20:1—17; Deut. 5:6—21; ...