By The Rev. David Danner
Generally speaking I am not an up-close lover of the great outdoors. Oh yes, I enjoy the gorgeous water views, sunrises and sunsets, night skies and tropical sub-foliage available to us here in paradise.
That said, you are not likely to catch me camping out in the wild. Get the picture? Despite my respectful-distance approach to nature, I am deeply saddened (and also appalled and angered) by what is happening to our beautiful Gulf waters and beaches. I can barely stand to watch the live video of oil gushing into those pristine waters, or see helpless wildlife drenched in oil.
Daily I hear some radio or television pundit declare, “Why can’t we just accept the fact that accidents happen?” That’s true, accidents do happen, and in some sense this tragedy is an unfortunate accident insofar as it was not planned or anticipated. Still I feel some ownership, some guilt and some sense of corporate sinfulness in this matter. I am suddenly more conscious that I routinely make little or no effort to conserve water, energy or electricity. If I do so, it is because I like to save money, with no thought that it is good for the environment. I recycle because it is expected, not because I think it right. As a worship leader, I have never observed Earth Day or the church’s time-honored equivalent of Rogation Sunday.
Recently I have caught myself thinking of the petition included in the Ash Wednesday Litany of Penitence which begs God’s forgiveness, “For our waste and pollution of your creation, and our lack of concern for those who come after us.” I know questions concerning alternative energy sources, expansion of drilling and conservation policies can easily become politicized. (Indeed it seems everything is political these days!) Don’t worry. I do not plan to go down that slippery slope. I do think, however, that theology has some bearing on the matter, and with that said, I can weigh in.
The opening chapters of the Book of Genesis raise some pertinent issues for our reflection. When God has finished his creation — humankind being the last of his creatures — he gives them “dominion over the fish of the sea … and over every living thing.” Later, after Adam and Eve have been driven from the Garden, we encounter the sad and tragic quest for power and approval that ends in the death of Abel, and the still taunting question of Cain, “Am I my brother’s keeper?”
How we understand our dominion of the earth and our responsibility for our brother’s actions and welfare shape our interaction with the environment, our stewardship of natural resources, and even our competition for the world’s commodities. These are questions that each individual Christian must answer. The current crisis in the Gulf, and potentially on our own beaches, should move us to prayerfully consider these questions, perhaps with a renewed sense of urgency and importance.
Almighty God, in giving us dominion over things on earth, you made us fellow workers in your creation: Give us wisdom and reverence so to use the resources of nature, that no one may suffer from our abuse of them, and that generations yet to come may continue to praise you for your bounty; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. (Book of Common Prayer, p. 827)
— The Rev. David Danner is rector of All Angels by the Sea Episcopal Church on Longboat Key.
