THE MESSAGE OF ENVIRONMENTAL UNITY: One
Biosphere Earth, Many Ecosystems and Parts: An
Ecological and Theological Interpretation Based on
Corinthians 1: Chapter 12
The Creation is one complete unit, though it is made up of many
ecosystems and parts; and though all its ecosystems and parts are
many, they form one body - one planter earth. We are parts of that
body as it was with Christ and so as it is, we are also a part of the
body of Christ. We are his messengers, stewards, and earth
keepers.
God, the Creator of the cosmos, has arranged the ecosystems and
parts of the earth, every one of them, in an interrelated and
interdependent way, just as he wanted them to be; indeed, God saw
that it was very good.
Mother earth is not but one ecosystem or part. As it is, there are
many ecosystems and parts, but there is only one biosphere earth we
can inhabit, live on, depend upon, and care for.
The oceans cannot say to the land, “I don’t need you!” And oceans
cannot say to the land: “I don’t need you! ”. And the earth’s soil
cannot say to the atmosphere, I don’t need you. If that were the case
we would have no water cycle and no living waters to take care of our
needs. The earth would be dark and formless and there would only
be one earth consisting of nonliving parts as it was before the time of
the Creation.
On the contrary, those ecosystems and parts of biosphere earth,
even those that seem to be insignificant, are indispensable. For
example the prairie pothole wetlands of the midwestern U.S. support
greater than 50% of North Americas waterfowl on a seasonal basis
and hard coral reefs of the ocean supply more than 50% of human
kind’s protein needs in some way.
The endangered ecosystems and species that we think are less
honorable because of our limited mind set, are treated with special
honor and care by many groups such as the Audubon Society, Ducks
Unlimited, The Nature Conservancy, The National Wild Federation,
which today are all part of a national coalition of more than 30 groups.
In our contemporary times, God is telling us that Caring for the
Creatures of My Creation is like taking care of the least of my
breathe. Indeed, all ecosystems and parts of biosphere earth should
be treated as God tells us in Genesis “ Go and till and care for the
earth”. This early commandment in the bible has a contemporary
term that ecologist use called sustainability. In other words, to be
earth keepers, stewards, and trustees of the Creation and all of its
components and creatures, now and for the future.
God has combined the ecosystems and parts of the Creation in an
interrelated and interdependent way so that there should be no
autonomous divisions as part of biosphere earth. Thus, if each
ecosystem and part is able to maintain its balance of nature or
ecological equilibrium, biosphere earth maintains its overall balance
and equilibrium. However, if one ecosystem or part suffers, every
ecosystem or part suffers with it; if one part is honored and cared for,
every part rejoices with it. Just as you are part of biosphere earth,
today each of you is part of the body of Christ, in the deepest
spiritual sense.
THE FIRST LAW OF ECOLOGY - ENVIRONMENTAL UNITY
Every part or component of an ecosystem or ecosystems is related to
everything else, for better or for worse. This is the First Law of
Ecology, called Environmental Unity. How are human ecosystems
such as agriculture, and industry interrelated and/or interdependent
with natural ones? We know that clean air and water is vital to the
earth’s health and our health. We also know that excessive nutrients
or toxic emissions from agriculture or industry are nonvital!
There are three important corollaries to this First Law of Ecology.
Environmental Impacts: 1) effect all components, 2) are cumulative
over time, and 3) interact in a synergistic way. In other words, in an
aquatic ecosystem, a combination of low oxygen levels, low mercury
levels, and low levels of DDT can cause a fish kill, even though each
impact, by itself might not do so.
Genesis 1 and other parts of the bible provide us with qualitative
accounts of the ordering and interrelationships of the Creation
The opening Chapters of the Bible tells us the Creation story; in
Genesis 1 and 2, “God saw all that he had made, and it was very
good.... Thus, the heavens and the earth were completed in their vast
array”.
Colossians 1:16 tells us “For by him (Jesus Christ), all things were
created: things in heaven and things on earth.”
For us the most basic theological message is that the Creation
belongs to God, the Creator. The most succinct statement comes
from 1 Chronicles 29:11 “ Yours, O Lord is the greatness and the
power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor, for everything
in heaven and earth is yours. Parallel and complimentary statements
occur in the Nicene Creed.
The various Christian denominational statements on being good
stewards of the earth, directs us to Care for Creation, including all
ecosystems, the atmosphere, the living waters, all creatures, and for
humans, especially those who are in need. Our commitment to Jesus
Christ compels us to help resolve the human causes of global climate
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change and the present day environmental crisis.
A favorite biblical verse used by Eco-Christian ecologists, to search
for answers regarding the healthiness of the Creation, comes from
Job 12: 7-10 which reads as follows: “But ask the animals and they
will teach you, or the birds of the air, and they will tell you; or speak to
the earth, and it will teach you, or let the fish of the sea inform you.
The Second Law of Ecology which relates to support levels of
ecosystems, answers many of the questions raised by Job. The
picture that emerges is an ecological pyramid which has been
quantified by many research studies for all types of ecosystems since
the birth of ecology in the 1960's. It represents our contemporary
interpretation and understanding of Genesis 1.
. ____________________.
.
HUMANS (100 LBS.)
.
. _____________________________ .
.
. HERBIVORES - LIVESTOCK (1,000 LBS.) .
._______________________________________.
.
.
.
GREEN PLANTS - PRODUCERS (10,000 LBS.)
.
.____________________________________________________.
ABIOTIC BASE: Soils, landforms, water, gases, light, climate, etc.
_______________________________________________________
What do ecological pyramids tells us? They tell us that there are
decreasing levels of support from one food level to the next.
Specifically, 10,000 lbs. of biomass of green plants can only support
1,000 lbs. of biomass for livestock, and only 100 lbs. of biomass for
the meat eaters, including humans. It represents the Second or 10%
Law of Ecology. Note that if more people would become vegetarians
as part of a healthy diet, more people could be supported!
There is still another important concept related to the pyramid. If long
lived radioactive materials, pesticides (DDT), or heavy metals such as
lead or mercury enter an ecosystem, they will be passed up the
pyramid and eventually be biomagnified in humans. Thus, if .05 ppm
of mercury is absorbed by green plants, it will then be transferred to
livestock at a level of .5 ppm, and then on to humans at a level of 5
ppm, which represents a lethal dosage, causes cancer, and causes
genetic, and nervous system defects.
Finally, if the abiotic support base (or carrying capacity) is decreased
for whatever reasons, the biotic components will decrease. In other
words, in natural ecosystems, species extinction will occur. The highly
acclaimed World Watch Institute and the National Wildlife Federation
have now produced global models that indicate consumption of
natural resources, including food supply, currently exceeds the
carrying capacity of the earth! The above examples are but a few of
what the plants, the animals, and the earth are telling us.
Creatures and the Creation are telling us that acid precipitation,
including acid rain, which was localized 60 years ago is now regional
and global in scope, killing coniferous forests of the world and
sensitive creatures such as amphibians and fish.
Every future pregnant mother that carries a fetus is at risk for mental
retardation and/or neueral-muscular degenerative diseases, due to
methyl mercury contamination of the air (from emissions of coal
burning power plants), which then enters into the water cycle and food
chains, culminating with fish. Biological indicator species (like the
canary in the coal mine) such as coral reefs, alpine spruce and fir
trees, migratory tropical birds, the polar bear, and amphibians, tell us
that natural major plant and animal communities of the world are
becoming endangered and face extinction.
Are we on our way to fulfilling the biblical statement of Isaiah 24: 4-6?
It reads: “ The earth dries up and withers, the world languishes and
withers, the exulted of the earth languish. The earth is defiled by its
people; they have disobeyed the laws, violated the statutes and
broken the everlasting covenant. Therefore a curse consumes the
earth; its people must bear their guilt. Therefore earth’s inhabitants
are burned up and very few are left.”
While Isaiah’s verses were applied at the local level, we now know
today that they apply on a global or biosphere earth basis!
Or we could ask the question in another way. Do you believe air
pollution is getting worse? Are gasoline and energy prices going up?
Are glaciers melting and ocean seas rising and warming up? Are we
becoming more and more dependent upon mideast oil with negative
economic, political, and environmental consequences? If you
answered yes to any one of the above, the solutions are the same.
How do we continue to journey? Do we take the road less
traveled? Here is the road we must travel. They are called the
Caring for Creation R’s
1) REDISCOVER OUR CREATION IDENTITY.
Most of society views Creation as the world around us - as the
“environment”. It is separate and apart from us and is not
interdependent with us. It is always available to us and to be used or
abused by us - especially when we disregard the “state of the world”
messages it is giving us. Most importantly, this perception and the
lifestyle affiliated with it is a spiritual corruption of our relationship with
our God and his Creation.
We must rediscover our identity and role in the Creation. We must
recognize that humankind plays a vital role in Caring for Creation and
that such an identity is part and parcel to our own individual salvation.
Thus, as Lutheran Christians, we believe the central core of the
horizontal base of creation was not completed by God the Creator
until two thousand years ago in the Incarnation of God in Christ Jesus
-- in his birth, his life on earth, death and resurrection. The
significance is the incarnation, or embodiment of God, in Jesus Christ,
taking on of human form is that he was dependent on the earth for
food and water just as we and all creatures are. Finally, by his death
upon the cross, God provides for our salvation in spite of our sins.
2) RECONCILE OURSELVES WITH GOD AND CREATION
Colossians 1:20 declares that God is redeeming all of creation. God
heals broken relationships and God heals that which humankind has
degraded in the creation. The air, water, climate, ecosystems can all
be renewed through God. Most importantly, God calls the church to
participate in the healing within all of the creation. We cannot hope to
heal the wounded creation unless we are reconciled with our God and
Creator.
Reconciliation with God is the beginning of a new creation. God’s
purpose is to bring all parts of the creation together under one head,
Jesus Christ, who was born of human flesh through God, giving us
the ministry of reconciliation. A major part of reconciliation is
confession, whereby we admit our mistakes or transgressions.
3) REPENTANCE
The degradation of creation tells us that we are in desperate need of
repentance. This is not casual repentance, such as just attending
Church each Sunday, but a major shift in attitude about the way we
interact with the whole of creation.
We must learn to recognize, appreciate, and love the totality of the
Creation. This will govern our thinking. The way you think determines
the way you feel, and the way you feel influences how you act. The
New Testament calls this mental shift repentance, which in Greek
means to change your mind and to do things differently. Yet we need
not be intimidated by the magnitude of the task. Scripture and the
History of Civilization is replete with examples of changes made with
and without great difficulty if we wish to change the status quo, i.e.,
slavery, women’s rights, caring for the needy, and peace keeping, etc.
The point is that we must act now in some way.
4) RESTORATION
We must begin to become active in restoring the whole of creation,
step by step. Three fourths of the earth’s waters and air are so
polluted that they are causing major health problems from asthma to
dysentery, emphysema, genetic mutation, etc. In the case of air
pollution, restoration of the atmosphere can only occur when we
reduce emissions of sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, and other green
house gases such as carbon dioxide. Because over 90% of such
gases come from fossil fuel burning at electric power generating
plants and the internal combustion engine, it is obvious that the
sources have to be significantly reducedor they need to be replaced
by new technologies such as solar and wind.
5) REDUCE, 6) REUSE, 7) RECYCLE
How can we do this? We must reduce the amount of electric energy
being used in our homes and buildings and amount of gasoline be
used in motor vehicles. The first change you can make is to use
compact florescent light bulbs where ever possible. A second change
is to insulate and fill cracks or opening in any parts of your HEVAC
system. Another change is to use energy star rated appliances. With
regard to automobiles, we can insist on use of new technologies that
improve mpg consumption or purchase a hybrid auto.
The North American Conference on Christianity and Ecology in the
1990's came to the conclusion that Christianity is supremely
ecological, and that Christians would be the most ecological of all
religious believers if its basic premises were followed. In a 1994
working session, the Conference coined Seven Environmental
Beatitudes:
1. The air was filled with bad odors and you helped purify it.
2. The waters ran dirty and you helped clean them.
3. The soil was eroding and you helped keep it in place.
4. Wildlife habitat was being destroyed and you helped
protect it and rebuild it.
5. The old-growth forest and aquatic ecosystems were
threatened and you helped save them.
6. Finite natural resources were dwindling and you helped
conserve them though reducing consumption, reuse, and
recycling.
7. Disadvantaged and homeless peoples were in need and you
helped feed them and provide them with shelter and
medical care.
Today, we can add #8. Climate change, which includes global
warming and which ecomagnifies all the air, soil, and water pollution
problems we are responsible for. “The earth’s atmosphere and
oceans were warming up, and you helped restore normal conditions”.
It should be obvious that the above listed R’s need to be incorporated
into our earthly and spiritual lifestyle in order to restore the Creation.
Always remember the words of John 3 "In the beginning was the
Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was
in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him;
and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into
being in him was life, and life was the light of all people. The light
shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.... And
the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his
glory, glory as of the Father's only Son, full of grace and truth."
Finally, the bookends of the Holy Bible begin and end with the
Creation from Genesis to Revelations. The later tells us that if we
follow the Word, “ Then I will see a new heaven and a new earth.... I
saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven
from God.... See the home of God is among mortals....”
MAY THE CREATOR’S BLESSINGS AND THIS MESSAGE BE
WITH YOU AND INSPIRE YOU TO ACT! AMEN.