Growing up, I encountered many Christians who scoffed at the environmental movement, insisting that God had given us “dominion” over the earth and we were entitled to take anything and everything we wanted from it, that it was all ours anyway. When I pressed some of these folk on the potential destruction of our world through mistreatment of the gift of creation, I was often met with responses that amounted to “God will never let that happen” or “then God will just fix it for us.” Even as a teenager, such a dismissive and entitled response to the amazing gift of creation seemed like a slap in the face to the Divine.
Dominion, in the OT context, refers to the authority and responsibility given by God to humans to govern, manage, and steward creation. It is rooted in the idea of stewardship, where humans are seen as caretakers of the earth, accountable to God for their management of God’s creation. Dominion implies a God-given authority that is both a privilege and a responsibility. It is not a license for exploitation or abuse but a call to stewardship and care. The biblical mandate for dominion is closely tied to the concept of being made in the image of God, which suggests that humans are to reflect God's character in their authority over creation. This includes exercising justice, mercy, and wisdom as they engage in that work.
Earth Day (April 22nd) was founded in 1970. The desired outcome was that we as human beings would begin to shift our thinking, and our actions, away from seeing the world only as source of “resources” to be pillaged and consumed and instead begin to recognize the earth as a provider of all we need to live and sustain ourselves. One that can only do so through a delicate balance. We, as people of faith, should always remember that we bear both the privileges and the responsibilities of being appointed the caretakers of one of God’s greatest gifts to us. Happy Earth Day!