Fallen and Flawed

Funny. I am actually going to write a post on why I blog tomorrow. It really has to do with subduing the internet. Good post.

“So what about you: What can you do to build a civilization that honors Christ? Who do you consider to Christian visionaries subduing the earth? Looking forward to your thoughts.”

In my opinion, the first thing we must do to build a civilization that honors Christ, is to revisit the long-lost art of face-to-face communication. Volunteering at my church’s Youth Group has brought me up against an entire generation of kids who are more fluent with texting and online chatting, than actual verbalizing. They find it easier to quantify their emotions in a series of punctuated keystrokes than in a heartfelt discussion. Of course, it’s also easier to hide emotions behind the anonymity of an LCD as well. And that leads to a diminished sense of accountability, because it’s very easy to cultivate a pseudonym and all its false trappings. Perhaps that’s what makes the Christian on the internet all that more alien. We strip away our anonymity and genuinely try to be honest as we wade through a medium fraught with layers of paranoia, passwords and avatars.

Almost anyone under the age of 40–especially in high-tech countries like America and Asia–is more comfortable behind a keyboard than in front of another person. This is not a natural state of mind, but it is one that we find easier to handle.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not preaching a technophobic message. We have been given a wonderful opportunity to communicate instantly with people all over the globe. The potential not only for community, but for one that spans thousands of miles at the speed of light? Staggering. But we have become more comfortable with talking to the missions director of a church-plant in Africa than we are with spreading the Gospel to our next-door neighbor. And this should not be so. This is like forging a shovel whose handle spans a league and stretching to garden a plot a county away, when the dirt is just as ripe for cultivation right at your feet.

Don: Did I mention I can read minds? Looking forward to your post!

Denita: I totally know where you are coming from. This is the very reason I took an extended break from the blog and social media in general–to return to that face-to-face. I love this community that we have here on the blog, but we can never lose sight of our close, flesh and blood relationships. John Maxwell I think said somewhere “be more intimate with less people.” Bottom line: Take care of those close to you. That’s a great way to start subduing the earth. Great comment Denita.

We must remember we are not entering “their secular turf.” They have entered ours. Whether building a bridge, managing a hospital’s finances, working on an oil rig, or any other decent job – the act itself is a God-ordained activity for man. It is not a pagan activity that we are trying to redeem. It is a God-given vocation that we are trying to do properly.

Our motive and manner determine whether or not we will use the God-ordained activity for God’s glory.

I think that’s pretty much what you said. I just needed to sort it out myself. Out loud. In the comments section.

…which I don’t mind at all, Daniel, because you’ve advanced the discussion in a very clear, vivid way.

Awesome comment, Daniel! I want to keep that in mind whenever I am in public, spreading the Gospel. What a tremendous confidence-booster!

Just wanna say, I really dig this post Demian. Keep ‘em comin!

@Daniel: man, you’re right on!

@This post: Ravi Zacharias. This guy is totally making headway in our Universities across America and beyond. I am not sure who will replace him when he’s gone.

Excellent example of how differently the Bible can be interpreted. We, as humans, have actually taken those words very literally for thousands of years and already subdued the earth. We have polluted the rivers, overfished the seas, depleted the ozone layer, driven countless species to extinction, deforested the planet, overpopulated it, degraded the environment and caused global warming. In other words, we have been cutting the branch we’re sitting on.

Either we need a very serious rethink of this commission, and need to learn how to take the words of the Bible seriously and not literally, or – and this is the only alternative – we had better stop the subduing.

Jag: I agree with you that we as human beings are very capable of destroying the earth. Now you need to do two things for me: 1. demonstrate that the biblical command “subdue the earth” is responsible for such destruction [I get a sense that you are implying such...correct me if I'm wrong] and 2. reread my post, please.

Either I didn’t make myself clear enough or you breezed through it, b/c I think you’re completely missing my point.

…Jag: By the way, I also agree with your original point that the Bible can be misinterpreted. Thus, the need to do it correctly. Enter hermeneutics. Thx for your thoughts.

Some people have interpreted “subdue” to mean “conquer and oppress” instead of “be a steward and cultivate,” which is what it was originally meant to be. When God told Adam and His wife to “subdue” the Earth, it was to make the rest of it like the Garden of Eden. You’ll notice that Genesis 2:1 says that there was no plants on the earth yet, except the Garden the Father had planted and in which He placed Adam after He had formed him from the dust.

We still have a remnant instinct to make use of the resources and flora and fauna around us, it’s just that with the Fall, that instinct has been warped and twisted. Pride and greed and a selfish desire to hog and exploit resources for personal gain is not a God-designed desire. A people who truly seek to follow Christ and do His will are committed to community and practice selflessness, and that spirit of stewardship is reflected not only in how they treat other people, but how they treat the Earth that God has made for them.

Denita, good thoughts. You have a good, gentle way of responding.

Jag, also take a look at the follow-up application of Genesis 1:28….Genesis 2:15. In Genesis 1:28 God tells Adam what his mission is. In Genesis 2:15, God puts Adam in a place to start fulfilling that.

Notice the words “tend” and “keep” – implying (in the Hebrew) working with the ground, guarding, watching over, and exercising great care over the garden that God planted.

This idea is so counter cultural in modern America, but everywhere (I can think of) in the Bible where authority and/or blessing is given (subdue the earth, primogeniture, husbands and wives, elders, wealth, title, wisdom, spiritual gifts, etc…) it is not for the building up of self but for the shepherding and care of others.

Thanks for the kind words, Daniel! And that’s precisely how I was trying to expand the concept. There are so many places in the Bible (highlighted particularly well in the Epistles) about how a Godly person is going to take care of their property, and that will naturally expand to their family…and then beyond. What you built upon from my comment, Daniel, flows so easily into what Rob said afterward. It all connects so beautifully together: Stewardship in the person as they walk in Christ leads to a strong and God-loving spouse, whose stewardship in the marriage and the home leads to a healthy godly family, a healthy family exercises stewardship in their Church, a healthy Church exercises stewardship in the community, and a healthy community is motivated to be a good steward to the Earth.

D,
A great topic and one so very close to my heart.

Without a doubt, one of the most dedicated and influential Christian visionaries I know working in the area of cultural reformation is Colin Harbinson, a close friend and colleague. One of his efforts is the formation of an organization called Stoneworks. Here’s the site URL: http://www.stoneworks-arts.org/

My own work and heart’s desire for nearly three decades or so has been for the church to regain its former position as one of the greatest patrons of the arts and culture; to reconnect with artists and for artists to reconnect with the church.

(Please note that I am using the word “artist” in its broadest definition to include all creative endeavors, which includes the sciences and business, not just art.)

It is even more pressing for me that Christian artists develop and hone their skills in the model of Bezalel (Exodus 35), so that we as creators can rightly demonstrate to the world through our excellence that we do indeed have a relationship with the Creator of the universe. That fact alone should produce art, science and other cultural leaders that deeply influence the world, and not the other way around.

I am encouraged by the fact that there has been a strong grassroots effort in this regard which seems to be gaining some momentum of late, particularly as more churches recognize the error of rejecting the arts and artists as “worldly” and see the potential power that the arts offer to reach hearts and minds for Christ. I am also encouraged to see more Christian artists recognize that their skills need to not only equal but surpass those of our surrounding culture.

When each of us fully reflects Christ and begins to take dominion of the spheres God has placed us in, the world will have no choice but to notice, listen and follow.

Demian,

My criticism was not with reference to the text of the Bible here (or even your perspective), but rather with how we translate and interpret our “sacred texts” to suit our own agenda.

Also, the biblical command to “be fruitful and multiply” appears to be past its expiry date.

I don’t recall any “expiry date” on God’s commands, Jag. Fulfillment of prophecies, yes. Promises made good, sure. Covenants completed, absolutely. But what God told Adam and Eve in the Garden still stands, whether you want to believe that or not.

Richard: I had a hunch this would strike a chord with you. thanks for sharing the link to Colin’s website. I look forward to exploring it.

Thanks Jag, Denita, Daniel, Jonathan and Josh. I appreciate your input. Did I miss anything?

Denita,

Many Third World countries continue to be fruitful and multiply. The result is overpopulation, hunger and poverty. What God would want this for her creation?

Jag, you seem to be confusing “Be fruitful and multiply” with “be irresponsible and multiply.” Once again, we must point back to a Biblical sense of stewardship.

Perhaps you are right, Denita. But the word “responsibly” does not seem to be in the biblical text. Little wonder, the author imagines the earth as much bigger than it is, and had no idea that we can ever overpopulate it.

The Author of the Bible would know how big the earth is, Jag. He made it.

Jag: I know you don’t do it intentionally, but your doing it again: snubbing your intellectual nose at those in the past.

Demian, I really am not doing that. I do appreciate that those who lived in the past and wrote the Bible were imperfect and had a limited knowledge, though usually good intentions. Contrary to Denita’s belief, the Bible did not fall down from heaven – people wrote it, and this is regardless of what we think of its inspiration.
However, by making false assumptions, we are causing harm to the Bible and ourselves.

I think the spirit of what Denita said was that God was the one who gave the command to to “Be fruitful and multiple” and is well aware of the size of the earth.

Naturally, this command was well before sin entered the picture, and we’ve since twisted it to make overpopulation a real threat. Let me ask you a question Jag: does your view of God allow for omniscience?

Demian,

I do not cling to a dogmatic view of God. I can’t define God, because God is bigger than us and bigger than the capacity of the human language. So I don’t even try. However, I view the first chapters of Genesis as our creation myth (note I do not use the word “myth” in a popular sense and do not mean “conjecture”). Therefore, it cannot be taken literally. Scientific knowledge confirms that, as well as the fact the the first 2 chapters of Genesis present two mutually contradictory creation stories, coming from 2 different tradition (Priestly and Yahwist sources).

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