Africa-Press – Ghana. According to the scriptures, the Creator made a divine ecological injunction. That God’s primary purpose for humanity is to act as stewards of His creation.
However, the current trajectory of environmental exploitation and degradation demonstrates the abhorrent character of humans and multiplication of their ecological sins in direct confrontation and disobedience to the Almighty God.
Perhaps the recent deadly flooding in Texas, the harsh and catastrophic heatwaves in Western Europe, and the unusual cold weather in Ghana convey a clear signal about how climate is negatively affecting the world.
According to the World Meteorological Organisation, the hottest year in history was 2024, which was caused by human-induced climate change, with severe flooding, heatwaves, wildfires, and drought reported worldwide.
Last year alone, climate-induced disaster cost was about $250 billion, according to the UNCCD (United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification) “Restoration in Action” Report.
In Ghana, the ravages of galamsey and the devastation of forest reserves are clear, with President John Dramani Mahama recently declaring a national emergency and pushing institutions to take immediate action to combat the menace.
There is little doubt that we currently live on a wounded earth, given the daily reports of devastation around the world. The Church ought to step in with pragmatism.
The Biblical Teachings
Then God, in Genesis 1:26, said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”
This verse gives a powerful account of God’s creation over the six days and how he made human beings recipients and not owners of his beautiful creation.
Genesis 1:27-28 goes on to say, “So God created mankind in his own image… male and female. He created them. God blessed them and said, ‘Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over every living creature.”
The notion of humans being made in the image of God, who is considered a shepherd, a gardener, a healer and a provider, is an illustration of the responsibilities of man.
To reflect this image of God, we can engage in activities that destroy the environment, including destruction of the forest and water bodies.
It also sends a signal to humans that we can not only worship God in heart but also with actions that care for all his creation.
These teachings about a Christian’s mandate to preserve God’s given gift are reechoed in Genesis 2:15: “The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and keep it.”
This scripture highlights two keywords, which are “work” and “keep”, which further simplifies God’s mandate for mankind to labour and serve his creation so that it is well protected.
In short, there are lots of verses in the Bible that pinpoint the need for human beings to safeguard God’s creation or face his wrath.
The Power of Clergy
The spirituality of these mis-happenings cannot certainly be downplayed, especially in an era where political leadership has fallen short of curtailing the devastation of the earth.
During his recent lecture at the Creation Care Conference in Accra, Professor Reverend Ebenezer Yaw Blasu said the global eco-crisis threatened flourishing earthly life and that its alleviation required effective human remediation.
“Effective solutions to these problems require broad support and concerned action; religion may also play a significant role because religious ecology in the past sustained individuals and culture in the face of internal and external ecological threats,” said Prof. Rev. Blasu.
According to Rev. Blasu, the failure or refusal of the Church to take proactive action towards taking a proactive stand towards caring for God’s creation constitutes ecological sin, and perhaps it may suffer judgement.
Rev. Blasu stated that the church had to start preaching the Bible with ‘green eyes’, that is, inculcating creation care in their sermons, especially to the children.
He added that Ghana was already facing serious destruction with regard to issues of environmental degradation, especially with the rise of galamsey activities.
He noted that some churches were part of the problems, as they were seen as promoters of galamsey because they often benefit from the actions of galamsey.
Prof. Blasu’s assertions are amplified by a recently publicised thesis by Dr Emmanuel Awudi and Dr Samuel Emery Yormesor titled “Galamsey Money in Church Coffex,” which investigated the relationship between theology and ecology.
The report revealed that some churches in Tarkwa-Nsuaem in Ghana’s Western Region were silent about issues of galamsey and often sought support from these galamseyers who were causing harm to the environment.
Despite these setbacks, the role of the Church is critical in addressing the issues of environmental degradation, as their actions and inactions could have an effect on unborn generations.
Dr Seth Appiah-Kubi, CEO of A Rocha Ghana, a conservation-orientated organisation, asserts that the Church is the only option left if significant strides are to be made in the area of environmental sustainability.
“The Church is the only hope left for creation, and I want the Church to realise that. As many times humanity has been at a crossroads; the Church has failed it and sometimes played a complicit role.
“I hope this time the Church doesn’t fail again and part of the faith, and it is the voice of the church that can bring and rise up to the occasion,” he said at the 2025 National Creation Care Conference.
Need for Collaboration
While some churches are complicit in issues of environmental degradation, other churches in Ghana have implemented various eco-friendly practices as part of their campaign to promote environmental sustainability.
This lack of collaboration among these churches has made no or little impact at the national level while the challenges of climate change and environmental degradation deepen.
Many churches also face logistical challenges and a lack of resources support for them to effectively contribute to changing attitudes and behaviours of the congregants, regarding issues of environmental degradation.
Rev. Benjamin Sarbah, the Faith and Development Manager at World Vision Ghana, in an interview, emphasised the need for faith organisations to work together to achieve more success in their fight against environmental degradation.
He says the newly launched Creation Care framework aims to motivate and guide the Christian community in Ghana to be proactive in addressing climate change challenges.
“You could see that many churches are doing their best to inculcate some sustainable environmental practices but often fall short due to some issues. So at World Vision, we decided to come together with our partners to create a framework that will support them in reaching their objectives,” he said.
In conclusion, there is a call to action for all Christian organisations to take stringent actions in promoting environmentally sustainable practices.
While they preach prosperity and salvation in churches, it behoves on all to also preach the divine injunction of ecological stewardship to make the earth prosperous so that we can eat the fruits of the land.
Source: Ghana News Agency
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