Chapter
8 – What Are People For?
1. In Hall’s introduction to this chapter, he
states, “There is probably no more immediately important theological and
ethical task for Christians today than that of developing a worldly theology of
human stewardship.” He follows this up
with a protracted example of Montreal’s irritating non-responses to global
warming and environmental degradation.
This is where the theology of stewardship comes in. “What is the chief end of man?” He responds alternatively, “The chief end of
the human being is to be God’s faithful steward in a profoundly threatened
creation.”
What are the practical implications of this
statement for us as individuals, as congregations, and as a nation?
2. Hall goes
on to reframe his discussion by lifting up Wendell Berry’s book, What Are
People For? That’s it, Hall
declares! That’s our primary anthropological
question for Christians today. He notes
the explosive growth of the human population, along with the destructive
footprint we have left upon our planet. “Do
we have any positive purpose at all?” he asks.
Is it all doom and gloom in the end?
Many have adopted a cynical, nihilistic attitude in this regard.
Again, Hall draws us back to the symbol of the
steward. In doing so, he juxtaposes the
biblical model with the common contemporary model of steward as “manager,”
which Hall labels as “theologically and apologetically stupid beyond belief.” The human being is not equipped to be the CEO
of creation! Take a few minutes to
reflect and elaborate on the national and global destructive footprint we face
today.
Why are we such poor “managers” of God’s creation?
3. Hall
states that biblical stewardship consists of two poles: accountability and
responsibility. Accountability implies
limits to the human steward’s activity.
The earth is not ours to do with as we please. This eliminates any perceived status, “as if
the human were separable from or superior in relation to the other creatures;
the emphasis rather is on calling – vocation.”
The steward is accountable AND responsible. “The Hebraic-Christian tradition has a high
anthropology; it expects much of the human – not only in the realm of deeds,
but also in the realm of understanding.”
Hall notes that some ecologists feel that the human species is the great
villain that ultimately threatens our planet’s existence. In a dramatic example of public confrontation,
Hall cites the question raised in a university gathering, “If Man is the
problem, wouldn’t the world be…better off…without him?” Hall responded, “So far as we know, homo
sapiens is the only creature that indulges in valuation…” “Are we only problematic creatures? Or do we, could we, make a difference –
not only for our own species, but for all?”
What do you think?
4. In
conclusion, Hall says, “I think that Christians must indeed be and become, in
this skeptical and often despairing world, the defenders of humanity.” “We must also be prepared to stand up for the
capacity of human beings qua human beings to understand, to care and to try
to effect change.” This is our
collective responsibility…one that “belongs to our Protestant heritage…to
remind our fellow humans that we are accountable to Another.”
We are capable, Hall says, of an astonishing kind
of responsibility…including thought, understanding, articulation, and
acting. Such stewardship, as keepers of
God’s garden, “is not an idle or merely idealistic vocation; it is a real
possibility.”
Where can you imagine and envision such
possibilities? What is our role in addressing
such change?
No comments:
Post a Comment