Some Thoughts on Dominion (Lisa Brenskelle, PhD)

Some Thoughts on Dominion

by Lisa Brenskelle, PhD

The Hebrew word radah that has been translated as dominion in Genesis 1:26 is perhaps better understood as “authority.” In other uses in the Old Testament, it is clear that this authority is to be used for the good of that which is under it. We can think of this as the reign of a “servant king” who sees to the wellbeing of everything in his kingdom. For Christians, this is coherent with Luke 22:25-27 where Jesus indicates that his followers are to serve as he himself also serves. This is consistent with Genesis 2:15 which indicates that humanity is to serve and preserve all of creation: “The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to till it and keep it [serve it and preserve it].”

However, while we are kings, we are not owners: “The earth is the Lord’s and all that is in it, the world, and those who live in it” (Psalm 24:1). Further, Genesis 1:26 states that humanity has been created in the image of God. At the time this text was written, an “image” of another entity served as the “representative” of that entity. This indicates that humanity is to represent God, as in carrying out God’s divine will for all creation.

And what is God’s will for all creation? First, that all life may abound: “Bring out with you every living thing that is with you of all flesh—birds and animals and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth—so that they may abound on the earth, and be fruitful and multiply on the earth” (Genesis 8:17). As such, God provides for, sustains, and renews all creation (e.g. Genesis 1:29-30; Psalm 104:20–25: Hebrews 1:1-3).

The Christ came to reconcile all things to himself: “For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him God was pleased to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, by making peace through the blood of his cross” Colossians 1:19-20. God’s ultimate intent is to save (John 3:17), redeem (Romans 8:19-23), and restore (Acts 3:19-21) all creation. When we pray the words of the Lord’s prayer—“Your Kingdom come”—this image of a renewed and restored creation is brought to mind.  If we are God’s representatives, servant kings on God’s behalf, then restoration and renewal are our tasks, too.

Our current geological event or epoch (scientists are still debating which) is the Anthropocene, recognizing that the major force impacting the planet today is humanity. Without a doubt, we are kings. But, does our kingship reflect God’s image?

Humanity is causing the climate of the entire planet to be drastically altered, resulting in a major extinction event. The last such event wiped out nearly all dinosaurs. Major extinction events result in at least half of all species going extinct, and in some cases in prehistory, up to 90 percent of all species have gone extinct in such events. Humanity has also caused the total number of animals on the planet to be reduced by 68 percent since 1970. Even where a species has not been driven to extinction, its numbers have been significantly diminished.

Humanity is polluting air, water, and land.  Pollution kills 9 million people every year globally (without considering other creatures decimated by our pollution), the biggest environmental killer by far. By our sheer numbers and technology, we are a planetary force; largely a negative force, but a planetary force nonetheless.

In Genesis 1, the description given of our relationship with the world is of a deeply interrelated, tightly integrated system, which is what science tells us our planet, and indeed, the universe, is. The stars are our ancestors, literally, because the matter of which we are made comes from the exploding of stars. In Genesis 2, all creatures, including humanity, are drawn from the same source—the soil—and Adam is given the responsibility to name all creatures, drawing humanity into relationship with everything around us. We can see, therefore, that the creation is one—a whole—and humanity cannot in any way be separated from the rest of it, but is in fact in relationship with all creation.

Science has revealed this interconnected reality, even including the nonliving elements of the earth. Therefore, our destruction of nature is ultimately our own destruction. Scripture also makes clear the link between human sin, planetary destruction, and human suffering: “The earth dries up and withers, the world languishes and withers; the heavens languish together with the earth. The earth lies polluted under its inhabitants; for they have transgressed laws, violated the statutes, broken the everlasting covenant. Therefore a curse devours the earth, and its inhabitants suffer for their guilt” (Isaiah 24:4-6a). Not only is creation one, with humanity inextricably bound up with everything else in the universe, God is present in God’s creation, which shows to us the glory of God: “And one called to another and said: 'Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory’” (Isaiah 6:3). Nature is a teacher about God: “Ever since the creation of the world his eternal power and divine nature, invisible though they are, have been understood and seen through the things he has made” Romans 1:20a. To destroy nature is to destroy this teacher, eliminating lessons about the divine; to pollute the planet is to sully the glory of God; and to drive species to extinction is to obliterate a portion of God’s presence from the earth. Planetary destruction, our current impact, is evil. It is sin on a grand scale, completely counter to the will of God that life abound on the planet. 

Science has clearly shown that nature is critical to human wellbeing, both mental and physical.  If the planet is not healthy, we cannot be either, and neither can our economy. As the 6th edition of the Global Environmental Outlook (GEO-6) states, “A healthy planet is a prerequisite for healthy people, and that is in turn the foundation of any healthy economy.” Destroying the natural world destroys ourselves with longterm impacts. The planet will take about 5 to 10 million years to recover from a mass extinction event, such as we are currently causing, to restore Earth to its former biodiversity. This is what it means to be a planetary force. 

The most important question is whether we can be a planetary force for good, instead of evil.  Our faith can guide us. First, our faith teaches that we are sinners. We are flawed and will never perfectly carry out the will of God. However, we can repent, turn from sin, and change our lives, our societies, our civilization. Repentance means literally to turn around. This is what is required of humanity: to recognize our ecological sins for what they are, and to change; to become a planetary force for restoration and renewal; to be the servant kings that God intended us to be.  Our faith also gives us hope that right relationship with creation can be restored: “Thus says the LORD: Maintain justice, and do what is right, for soon my salvation will come, and my deliverance be revealed” (Isaiah 56:1). God is in charge, and God’s Spirit empowers us to act rightly, to do good, to embody God’s divine image of love for all creation. We are not alone in this work. The earth works with us, carrying out God’s command to bring forth life (Genesis 1:12, 20, 24). In fact, science has observed that when humans begin restoration work, nature often takes over and completes it. We just need to get started. 

Science agrees with a need to turn around, to change direction. As the GEO-6 states, “We are at a decisive moment in our role as custodians of the planet…we need a significant shift in trajectory.” Science has shown that certain societies—those of indigenous peoples—have succeeded, in times ancient and modern, in balancing their needs and the needs of the nonhuman world (e.g. What Conservation Efforts Can Learn from Indigenous Communities - Scientific American). Indigenous peoples feel a deep, intimate connection to all around them, fully recognizing the oneness of the universe. Indigenous peoples treat the earth with care and have an attitude of reverence toward their environment, exemplifying that humanity is capable of acting as God’s image if we cultivate the right attitude.

Science has also studied awe and determined that nature can be a source of it. From a faith perspective, God’s glory is revealed in nature, and therefore nature inspires awe and wonder. We are to be in awe of God—“The fear [awe] of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom” (Proverbs 9:10a)—and the awe we feel for God can be translated to the awe we feel at God’s presence in the natural world or when gazing at the universe beyond our planet. This can lead to the recognition that we live in a sacred reality, that we walk on holy ground. Awe and wonder lead to reverence, and reverence leads to care.

How do we create a future that brings in the kingdom of God? Science has already determined the solutions to our planetary crises. We simply need to muster the collective will to invest in their implementation. Caring for all creation is an investment in humanity’s future, and science reveals that such investments pay a high rate of return (between $3 and $75 for each dollar invested). While the task may seem daunting, we can reframe it as a sublime opportunity to create the world God intended. This is, as the Rev. Susan Hendershot of Interfaith Power & Light says, “not just a moral responsibility, but a moral opportunity to lead,” to lead the world to a future where life flourishes for the entire Earth community. As scripture puts it, “I call heaven and earth to witness against you today that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Choose life” (Deuteronomy 30:19a).

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Lisa Brenskelle is a life-long Lutheran who serves as the Creation Care Team lead at Christ the King Evangelical Lutheran Church in Houston and as the Lutherans Restoring Creation Team lead for the Texas-Louisiana Gulf Coast Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. She is founder and leader of the Interfaith Environmental Network of Houston, and also serves as a Climate Communication Coordinator for the Texas chapter of Interfaith Power & Light. She holds a doctoral degree in chemical engineering and works as the Operational Technology Strategist for Chevron. This piece is part of our Spring 2022 collection, Dominionism.