Stewards of Creation

“At your command all things came to be: the vast expanse of interstellar space, galaxies, suns, the planets in their courses, and this fragile earth, our island home; by your will they were created and have their being. From the primal elements you brought forth the human race, and blessed us with memory, reason, and skill; you made us the stewards of creation.” — The Book of Alternative Services, Eucharistic Prayer 4

Christians walk by faith in a God who created the world in which we live and entrusted it to our care. Yet, at no point in history have Christians been more negligent in that stewardship than we are right now. If we could be the Church we profess to be in our liturgies, Anglicans would be at the fore of the struggle to save our planet from the recklessness of human environmental behaviour.

In the Nicene Creed we declare our belief in “one God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all that is, seen and unseen.” In our contemporary baptismal liturgy, the gathered people of God renew our baptismal covenant, which includes a vow to “strive to safeguard the integrity of God’s creation, and respect, sustain and renew the life of the earth.” The preface to one of our eucharistic prayers proclaims that God created us, “blessed us with memory, reason and skill,” and “made us stewards of creation.” Clearly, our Church sees creation care as a defining mark of Christian life.

Anglicans, therefore, should be leaders in the environmental movement in thought, word, and deed, by what we do, and by what we do not do. The decisions we make as consumers of goods and services, and our lifestyle choices should reflect a profound sense of reverence for creation. There should be an easily discernable difference between the ecological behaviour of Anglicans and that of the broader population. Anglicans should be prominent in public activism to save our planet for future generations. Alas, if we’re honest with ourselves, we know this is not the case. We do not exercise the God-given privilege we have within the created order in a manner that benefits creation and honours our Creator.

As Anglicans we acknowledge that we fall short in the sacred trust bestowed upon us. We begin the season of Lent by confessing “our waste and pollution of [God’s] creation, and our lack of concern for those who come after us”. But it is not enough to acknowledge our shortcomings. While I have no doubt countless Anglicans care about the environment and what we hand on to future generations, we need to care enough to act. We need to care enough to change our personal behavior. We need to care enough to join in the struggle for the systemic change required to address the existential threat of the climate crisis and the destruction of our ocean ecosystems.

This fragile earth needs us to do better. The myriad species with whom we share this planet need us to do better. Our children and grandchildren need us to do better. But the clock is ticking. Time is running out for us to be the Church we profess to be and who God created us to be — stewards of creation.

(This article first appeared in the September 2019 issue of Anglican Life)