Being a Good Steward of the Earth

2014 ENGL 101-D03

                                                  Being a good steward of the Earth

Mrs. Chris Crawford

             Liberty University

            Degree Program:  BS: EARLY CHLD ED INTERDIS/PSYCHOLOGY- LUO

Paper Format: APA Style

                                        Introduction

        A Christian’s responsibility to the Earth is very compelling. God requires human’s to take care of the Earth. That means the land, animals, and integral systems in it. The Bible commands a Christian to be a good steward. Psalm 65:9, “You care for the land and water it; you enrich it abundantly. The streams of God are filled with water to provide the people with grain, for so you have ordained it. Also, Zechariah 11:16 states, “For I am going to raise up a shepherd over the land who will not care for the lost, or seek the young, or heal the injured, or feed the healthy, but will eat the meat of the choice sheep, tearing off their hoofs (New International Version, 2005)”.

        Furthermore, there are repercussions for not taking care of the Earth. There are many concerns about the Earth: Climate change (Global warming, Ocean acidification), Environmental degradation (Habitat destruction, invasive species), Environmental health (air quality, Electromagnetic fields), Environmental issues with energy (impact of the coal industry, impact of hydraulic fracturing), Environmental issues with war (Agent Orange, depleted Uranium),

Genetic engineering, (pollution, modified foods).

                                       Main Point- Claim

        It is important for Christians to be acknowledge God’s creation and take steps to preserve the Earth. First, a Christian has to believe that God created the heavens and Earth. Also that He has entrusted humans to be responsible for it. “If there is really a great personal Creator God behind the origin and meaning of all things, then we urgently need to know Him… (The Young Earth, 2013)”. Genesis 2:15 says, “The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it (NIV, 2005).

                                Point-Ground

Technology has also effected the understanding of stewardship of the Earth. This understanding has advanced quickly in the last 40 years. According to Muller and Wiener, “Not until relatively recently did scientists understand the extent to which 200 years of industrialization was damaging the world we live in (To the Point, 2009)”. Professor Tarbuck agrees that, “Scientists have recognized that in order to more fully understand our planet, they must learn how its individual components (land, water, air, and life forms) are interconnected (2014)”. With this knowledge Christians need to take steps to restoring the Earth, where possible.

                                Point- Warrant

God has appointed mankind over the Earth. In Genesis 1:27 it says, “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. (New International Version, 2005)”. Since God created humans His image, we must take seriously our charge on Earth. He entrusts us to be accountable for our actions. A few examples might be; leaving the water running on when you brush your teeth, dumping oil onto the ground instead of taking it to the correct dumping station. These both have direct impacts on the Earth, but we probably don’t think much about them. Conservation is the act of conserving. When a person is conserving they are trying not to injury, waste, or destroy the Earth.

Conservation is a very important part of caring for the Earth. Water is precious and conservation should be a daily habit. The direct results of the behaviors above are: oil polluting the ground, filters into the water supply and water being wasted possibly resulting in water depletion.

Professor Tarbuck says, “It should be emphasized that our environment is highly integrated and not dominated by water, air and rock alone. Rather it is characterized by continuous interactions as air comes in contact with rock, rock with water, and water with air (Foundations of Earth Science, 2014)”. We as caretakers need to realize that everything we do has an impact on our environment. We should be aware of this, and create daily Safeguards to protect and restore our current conditions.