To Love as God Loves: The Spirit of Dominion

Abstract

In relation to ecological concerns in recent decades, the seven days of creation and Adam and Eve narratives have typically been pitted against one another. Christians with ecological concerns have stressed the call to stewardship in the Adam and Eve narrative while shying from or even criticizing the seven days narrative for encouraging a human spirit of domination and even exploitation vis-à-vis the rest of creation. We argue that the problem is not with the seven days narrative itself but with predominant modern interpretation. Contrary to this predominant modern interpretation, the seven days narrative presumes and strives to inspire a humble and gracious spirituality that calls Christians to love as God loves. Thus, it calls us to a dominion that is like in kind to God's loving dominion, and calls us to subdue the earth in a way that is like in kind to God's subduing of the chaos. Affirming and actually enriching the Adam and Eve call to stewardship, the seven days narrative calls us to love all creatures, and makes it clear that it is because we are filled with love for all creatures that we will care for all creatures and act as good stewards of all creation.