Dominion and Dust — Creation Care in a Warming World
Is environmentalism a Christian cause? Francis Schaeffer argued in 1970 that Christians should be the foremost environmentalists — because the earth belongs to God, not us. This plan examines what 'dominion' actually means, what 'creation care' requires, and how to hold the Bible's high view of humanity with its demand to steward the earth.
In 1970, historian Lynn White Jr. published a famous essay blaming Christianity for the environmental crisis, arguing that the doctrine of "dominion" gave Western civilization permission to exploit nature without limit. Many Christians responded by retreating from environmental concerns entirely, ceding the ground to secular movements.
But Francis Schaeffer, one of the most influential evangelical thinkers of the twentieth century, had a different response. In Pollution and the Death of Man, he argued that Christians should be the foremost environmentalists in the world — not despite their theology but because of it. The earth belongs to God. Humans are stewards, not owners. And the command to "have dominion" means to care for creation as God's representatives, not to strip-mine it for profit.
What This Plan Covers
Over seven days, this plan explores what the Bible actually teaches about humanity's relationship to the natural world. We begin with the goodness of creation and the meaning of the dominion mandate. We examine the astonishing ecological wisdom of the land sabbath laws. We sit with Paul's vision of a creation groaning for liberation and the Bible's promise that God will renew — not destroy — the earth.
Drawing on the thought of Francis Schaeffer, C.S. Lewis, and Tim Keller, this plan challenges both the neglect of creation care among some Christians and the tendency to elevate nature above human dignity. The biblical vision holds both together: humans are uniquely made in God's image, and the earth is God's beloved handiwork entrusted to our care.