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The Seven Degradations of Creation

We live at an unusual time in Earth's history: we have just discovered that we possess enough power to degrade and destroy land, creatures, water, and air not only in our neighborhoods, but around the globe.

The once puzzling passage, "the time has come... for destroying those who destroy the Earth" (Rev 11:18) is clear now: we are capable of such destruction, and note with alarm our participation and complicity in its execution, placing Earth in crisis.

What is this crisis?

THE SEVEN DEGRADATIONS OF CREATION

(1) alteration of Earth's energy exchange with the sun that results in global warming and destruction of the Earth's protective ozone shield;

(2) land degradation that reduces available land for creatures and crops by "adding house to house and field to field" and destroys land by erosion, salinization and desertification;

(3) deforestation and habitat destruction that each year removes primary forest the size of Indiana and degrades an equal amount by over-use;

(4) species extinction that finds more than 3 species of plants and animals eliminated from Earth each day;

(5) water degradation that defiles groundwater, lakes, rivers and oceans;

(6) global toxification that results in DDT in Antarctic penguins and pesticides in a remote lake on Isle Royale in Lake Superior; and

(7) human and cultural degradation that threatens and eliminates long-standing knowledge of native and some Christian communities on living sustainably and cooperatively with Creation, together with the loss of long-standing garden varieties of food plants.

We know from the scriptures that it is neither the will of the Creator, neither should it be for us as God's people, that human beings so behave that Earth and its creatures are degraded and destroyed.

While expected to enjoy the Creation and its fruitfulness, people are not granted license to destroy Earth or its fruitfulness. While human beings are expected to be fruitful, so is the rest of Creation: "Let the water teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth and across the expanse of the sky... Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the water in the seas, and let the birds increase on the earth" God commands (Gen. 1:20-21).

As we study the Bible, pray and worship in the context of the degradations so evident around us, may we ever grow in our stewardship, giving good reason for the Creation's expectation of the coming children of God.

For the Creation waits with eager longing
for the children of God to be revealed . . . .
Romans 8:19

For additional information and resources, contact:
administration@ausable.org

Some resources may no longer be available due to the closing of the Outreach Office in March, 2005

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