The Theology of Gardening

This is the first post on the subject of Creation Care, one of the five spheres of a Christian ethic of eating.

Let’s start at the beginning, or in the beginning, if you prefer.

So God created man in his own image,
in the image of God he created him;
male and female he created them. (Genesis 1:27)

The LORD God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and there he put the man whom he had formed. And out of the ground the LORD God made to spring up every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. (Genesis 2:8-9)

God made us in his image and planted a garden. These two events are not independent of one another. If we are made in the image of God, we are by nature gardeners.

And if we are by nature gardeners, then how we treat the earth is a really big deal.

Gardeners do not pollute the soil, because gardeners do not want polluted food.

Gardeners care for the soil, because gardeners want nutritious food.

Gardeners care about the streams, rivers, rain and waters around them, because gardeners need to cultivate their gardens with care.

Gardeners care about the surrounding land and ecosystem, because gardeners understand that what happens nearby can affect them.

Gardeners care about food, because gardeners invest a lot of time, effort, and worry into their gardens.

So how does this translate into a theology of gardening? It means that we are all called to have a gardener’s perspective on creation. How you treat creation is just as big of responsibility as it is the gardeners or farmers because we all share the same image, the same call. And it should come as no surprise that the way we treat the earth is just as tarnished as his image is in our lives.

Moving further, into a deeper theology of gardening, if we tarnish the earth because of our tarnished images, part of our sanctification is that we learn to take better care of the earth as our image is restored.

Whoever you are, whatever you do: you are called to be like God the gardener. You are called to take better care of the earth.

Discussion Questions:

Have you ever considered that caring for creation is part of God’s nature?

Do you think caring for the earth is a sign of growing in faith (sanctification)?

How can you have a gardener’s perspective in your food buying habits? In your recycling or waste habits?