Many people recognize our responsibility to care for the earth is an intimate and sacred trust. As Christians, we recognize that trust to be between God and us.
The meaning of having dominion has kept biblical scholars writing profusely for generations. The Hebrew verb radah, translated into English as dominion, does not by itself give us an idea of how this dominion is to be exercised, and a thorough exegesis would require us to look at the cultural context of radah at the time that scripture was written. We will suggest that the verb radah, taken in context with the verses that precede and follow it, conveys a sense of watching over or a securing of the beauty and bounty God gave to humanity.
Whether on Earth Day or any other day, caring for the earth is always timely. Any time we increase our commitment to caring for the earth we show gratitude for its riches to our gracious and generous God!
This message is excerpted from “Caring for the Earth as God’s people,” a 2010 resource of the Women of the ELCA, by Inez Torres Davis.
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