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The Earth Is the Lord’s: A Review

  • Writer: Rachel Thompson
    Rachel Thompson
  • Apr 8
  • 2 min read

Updated: Apr 23

The Earth Is the Lord’s, eds. Richard D. Land and Louis A. Moore (Broadman, 1992)

Written in 1992, The Earth Is the Lord’s is a compilation of essays on Christians and the environment written by some of the leading Baptist pastors and professors at the time.


These include Richard D. Land, then executive director of the Southern Baptist Convention Christian Life Commission. This group has since been renamed the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, whose sole task is “to understand how the pressing cultural and moral issues in our society affect our churches, our families, and our world” (erlc.com).

I believe this book is out of print, but used copies are available on Amazon (see button below). I was able to find my copy on ThriftBooks.
I believe this book is out of print, but used copies are available on Amazon (see button below). I was able to find my copy on ThriftBooks.

And so, in the early ’90s, the denomination saw fit to band together thirteen of their top seminary professors, researchers, Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) leaders, and pastors to write essays on the biblical theology and ethics surrounding environmentalism.


Some favorites of mine include “Biblical Theology of Ecology” by Millard J. Erickson, a then research professor at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, and “The Environment, Ethics, and Exposition” by David S. Dockery, then dean of the School of Theology at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.


The first was really my introduction to a solid biblical defense of ecological care, beginning with God as the creator and “rightful owner” of creation and recognizing Christians as protectors and stewards as opposed to possessors (p. 39). This essay also does a great job of clarifying the “dominion” idea of Genesis 1:26—i.e., we hold dominion not for our own sake, but for the sake of the ones we rule (similar to how God rules over us; p. 48).


The essay by Dockery continues this conversation but digs even deeper: we are to exercise “redemptive dominion” (p. 121), which does not lead to destruction but to a “responsible, and productive management of the earth for future generations” (p. 122). I also appreciate that Dockery explains some of the theological doctrines that have muddied Christians’ participation in creation care. For example, Christians are not subscribing to pantheism (where all matter is God) when they practice environmentalism; but we value creation because, in it, God reveals Himself (see Psalm 19:1; Romans 1:20).

Overall, this collection has biblical depth, as you would expect after reading the “Contributors” list, and I found it helpful for understanding some of the nuances behind Christians’ fears concerning environmental ethics.

I will say that the content of the essays overlaps quite a bit, and this collection focuses more on answering why and whether Christians should get involved than how. But then again, this is thirty-plus years old. Most of the how answers would probably need revisions and updates.


I hope this helps! If you’re in search of a clear defense of ecology in Scripture, I’d definitely check this book out—or, at least, one or two of its essays. 💛


P.S. Click here to read a 2006 interview with Richard D. Land published by PBS on creation care.




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© 2025 by Rachel R. Thompson. Pilgrim of Hope.

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