Stewardship is the process or actions of how we as Christians use our Time, Talent, and Treasure. Environmental Stewardship flows then into how we use God’s gifts of natural resources.

Regardless of what causes or if there are changes in environment due to use of natural resources there is a definite connection to stewardship due to the fact that we consume resources both natural and renewable and there is well founded and proven technologies that can and will be beneficial when renewable is perfected and consumed.

Originally stewardship was the job of a slave or other person to care for the household and property belonging to an owner – the household employee charged to take care of house and foreign affairs. One general view of stewardship today is to care for something one doesn’t own. We use resources, which are created and therefore owned by God.

Environmental Stewardship is the action or lack of action to plan, manage, and use natural resources. Resources belonging to God. Our property his ownership. This includes habitat and other naturally occurring things, which sustain life human, animal, and plant. This includes our gift as stewards not only to use God’s creation but also to care for that creation and refrain from abuse, over use, hoarding,

wasting, or other actions, which revile that creation, and therefore the relationship we have with out creator.

There is a specific religious connection in that humanity is created in the image of God the creator, and humanity has been given dominion, use and care of that gift. Therefore you and I being creation, being God Like is to act as God as opposed to being like God. God is the owner of his own creation or possessions and we have been awarded stewardship over those possessions therefore we are accountable for the care of and the use of those gifts.

Stewardship is the choice we make as to how we will spend or use resources of time, talent, and treasure. We as American citizens are very lucky regardless of our economic wealth because we have an abundance of natural resources, which we harvest and use. This poses a real question – The Poverty Question.

 

August 28, 2008