Biblical Authority and the Care of Creation

As a sinner and lover of my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, guided by prayer, Scripture and the Holy Spirit I have come to the belief and assurance of the Christian moral responsibility to be lovers, advocates and stewards of God’s good Creation the earth. As a member of the United Methodist Church I am influenced by the Wesleyan Quadrilateral to guide my core beliefs and these are the authority of Scripture (the earth is the Lord’s), church tradition of the love of creation,  the application of reason and lastly the experience of believers of God’s grace working in and through all of creation. I’d like to share some thoughts on the authority of Scripture in coming to my understanding of what it means to be an advocate for all of creation.

Biblical authority is not a tool to justify the status quo and benefit the powerful but according to Walter Brueggermann the “Bible is inherently the live word of God that addresses us concerning the character and will of the gospel-giving God, empowering us to an alternative life in the world.” (Brueggermann, 2000)  In the book of Colossians Verses 1:15-20 St. Paul provides a vison of this “alternative life” in which all things are reconciled to God “[Christ] himself is before all things, and in him all things hold together … and through him God was pleased to reconcile to [God-self] all things, whether on earth or in heaven, by making peace through the blood of his cross.” When I read this scripture I am compelled by God to ask myself  “is the way I am living, are the choices that I am making and the actions that I’m taking that which does no harm and in-fact does good for all of God’s people and the creation?” Are we doing that which builds an alternative world which seeks to reconcile all things by seeking the well-being of humankind on a thriving earth? Scriptural authority of God’s reconciling love for all provides a strong foundation for the care of creation, even when it is inconvenient for my life. For God’s grace is calling forth each person to seek justice and love mercy as we grow in relationship with God, each other and all of creation.

Brueggemann, Walter. "Biblical Authority: A Personal Reflection." Covenant Network. 3 Nov. 2000. http://covnetpres.org/2000/11/biblical-authority-a-personal-reflection/. 1 Aug. 2015.