Reflection of "Creation Care" magazine

September 25th 

I just finished reading the "Creation Care" magazine. I really like it for a number of different reasons. Firstly, it has an appeal to a large and diverse group of people. There are personal story articles, book reviews, political articles, short informative articles, and also scientific articles that non-science people are able to easily understand, at least based on my own non-science savvy experience. I was able to comprehend all of the science so that I could further my interest in scientific matters such as the environmental crisis. This is really encouraging. The section that Dr. Van Houton writes on extinction and the role that humans are playing in the causes of extinction is really good. I thought the biblical references were really well chosen and relatable. They also might serve to get non-science people interested in the article. It is nice to read an article that explains the way humans are destroying parts of the earth that isn't condescending, but, instead, it is informative. I scanned a copy of it to a few of my family members and they were able to understand it/ liked it also. Furthermore, the "Theology Matters" article by David P. Gushee entitled "The Sanctity of (Human? Created?) Life" was really good. I like the way Gushee presents the traditional Christian view of man having a specific role as a species and also the ways that Christians have typically presented their own Biblical interpretations within the realm of ecology. Whether Christians have conservatively or radically tried to use traditional Christian ideology to become good stewards, Gushee says it isn't working. He proposes a solution that seems to be feasible: he wants a "reconsideration" of biblical sources that leads us to the conclusion that "all created life bears a kind of sacredness" but yet allows humans to still hold a special/ leadership role that leads humans to use but not destroy the earth. This seems similar to the utilitarian way of thinking because it still allows humans to use the earth but calls on them to use it responsibly because of humanity's special leadership status, which is something that the utilitarian ethic fails to do at times. I think Berry might be okay with Gushee's idea because it asks for responsible use of land by humans. Gushee doesn't say how to use it responsibly, so the recommendations that Berry makes would likely be welcome. I think that articles like this in "Creation Care" are good because they get people's attention from a theological perspective but could lead them to look into the issues further (where they would likely encounter science). It is sort of like a gateway to get Christians interested in ecology and other types of science. I like the magazine and think it's really well put together. Maybe the sustainability campaign at Emory could make copies available to students more widely than just our class? I think people would really like to read it.