Christian Concept of Stewardship

Question 1

According to Genesis, what did God ‘see’ after creation was completed? (QUOTE)

Answer 1

‘God saw that it was good’.

Genesis 1:10

Question 2

What is ‘dominion’?

Answer 2

The belief that humans were instated by God to rule over the Earth and use its resources for their own purpose.

Question 3

Quote supporting the view of dominion - Genesis 1:26.

Answer 3

‘God said, “Let us make mankind in our image”’ - Imagio Dei; humans are special because they have a soul in them (animals do not have this, and therefore humans are superior).

Question 4

Quote supporting the view of dominion - Genesis 1:28-29.

Answer 4

‘They will be yours for food’ - the environment is a resource for humans.

Question 5

What type of approach is dominion?

Answer 5

Anthropocentric - human centred.

Question 6

Quote supporting the view of dominion - Aristotle.

Answer 6

‘Since nature makes nothing purposeless or in vain, it is undeniably true that she has made all animals for the sake of man’.

Question 7

What is Aquinas’ view on the environment?

Answer 7

‘All animals are naturally subject to man’.
Believed that the natural world existed for the benefit of humankind and only had instrumental value, therefore its abuse and destruction cannot be sinful.

Question 8

What is ‘stewardship’?

Answer 8

The belief that humans have a duty from God to protect and preserve the Earth.

Question 9

Generally, what branch of Christianity takes a dominion approach?

Answer 9

Catholicism.

Question 10

Generally, what branch of Christianity takes a stewardship approach?

Answer 10

Quakers.

Question 11

Quote supporting the view of stewardship - Genesis 2:15.

Answer 11

‘Put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it’ - protect the environment rather than being in charge.

Question 12

Quote supporting the view of stewardship - Leviticus 25:4.

Answer 12

‘But in the seventh year the land is to have a year of Sabbath rest’ - give the land a rest to protect it.

Question 13

Quote supporting the view of stewardship - Chief Seattle.

Answer 13

‘We don’t inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children’.

Question 14

Parable supporting the view of Stewardship - Matthew 25:14-30.

Answer 14

Parable of the Talents - suggests that people will be judged according to the way they treat God’s creation.

Question 15

Quote supporting the view of Stewardship - Adolpho Masteranti.

Answer 15

‘Courteous, tolerant and humble, just and in awe of the creation that God has entrusted to their care’.

Question 16

Quote supporting the view of Stewardship - Pope John Paul II.

Answer 16

‘Man thinks that he can make arbitrary use of the earth’ - random.
‘as though the earth did not have … God-given purpose’ - because of the view of dominion, people are abusing the earth instead of using it.

Question 17

Quote supporting the view of Stewardship - Catholics Bishops Conference.

Answer 17

‘A way of life that disregards and damages God’s creation … is contrary to the vision of the Gospel’ - environmental issues occur because of mistreatment; it isn’t what Jesus teaches.

Question 18

Christian approach is theocentric. What does theocentric mean?

Answer 18

God is at the centre because God created nature - it’s his gift and is a symbol of love.
God is the underlying reason for moral behaviour.

Question 19

Christian approach is geocentric. What does geocentric mean?

Answer 19

The earth is at the centre.

Question 20

Christian approach is biocentric. What does biocentric mean?

Answer 20

Life is at the centre - including all animal and human life.

Question 21

What is the ‘Fall of Man’?

Answer 21

The Adam and Eve story - they ate the fruit from the tree of knowledge, disobeying God in the process. As a result of this, Adam and Eve were exiled from the Garden of Eden, and therefore humankind was corrupted through the creation of original sin. Therefore, God and humans became estranged.

Question 22

Quote detailing what happened as a result of the fall - Isaiah 24:4-5.

Answer 22

‘The earth dries up and withers, the world languishes and withers, the heavens languish with the earth. The earth is defiled by its people; they have disobeyed the laws violated the statutes and broken the everlasting covenant’.

Question 23

What does Christian Aid and CAFOD (Catholic Agency for Overseas Development) focus on in terms of the environment?

Answer 23

Focuses on environmental issues and how they impact the lives of the poor.

Question 24

What is the Christian attitude on climate change?

Answer 24

Considered to be significant because of the impact it has on people’s lives.

Question 25

Case study supporting Christian Aid.

Answer 25

Kerala Floods (in India).

Question 26

What do radical Christians believe?

Answer 26

They do not see the need to care for the environment as they believe that Judgement Day will occur before any greater consequence of environmental damage will - these are in the minority.

Question 27

Strength for Christian approach - Organisations.

Answer 27

Christian environmental organisations (such as Christian Aid) are able to mobilise large numbers of people and amass significant funds for their conservation efforts.

Question 28

Strength for Christian approach - Underprivileged.

Answer 28

The Christian concern for the poor and underprivileged means there is a significant focus o the developing world, where the effects of climate change are often felt most severely.

Question 29

Weakness for Christian approach - Instrumental Value.

Answer 29

By viewing conservation of the environment as an instrumental rather than intrinsic good, Christians are unable to appreciate the true worth of nature.

Question 30

Weakness for Christian approach - Peter Singer.

Answer 30

It is speciesist - any sentient being is important.

Question 31

Weakness for Christian approach - Religious Leaders.

Answer 31

Religious leaders and organisations can only hope to play a small, but nonetheless valuable role in the global effort to tackle problems.

Question 32

Weakness for Christians approach - Lynn White.

Answer 32

Argued that the historical roots of the ecological crisis are in Christianity and this is a major factor in environmental destruction.