Biography
Zack Kahler is a third year DPhil candidate in the Faculty of Theology and Religion at the University of Oxford.
Paper Abstract
The 'dominion' language of the biblical creation accounts is infamously problematic regarding Christianity's contribution to ecological ruin. However, the language is still there—and still relevant—for those religious traditions who regard the teachings of Genesis as in some sense authoritative. Rather than running from this language, I propose resources from within the Christian tradition to reimagine its meaning in light of the New Testament. Toward this end, my paper proposal is to explore the transvaluation of the power associated with dominion language through the lens of Jesus Christ as the 'Second Adam'. Jesus upended his community's expectations of what 'authority' and 'lordship' looked like by using his power not to be served but to serve. My contention is that this has implications for reimagining the role of the human as 'gardener', as portrayed in the Genesis narrative. In place of the modern penchant to gain knowledge of creation for the sake of mastery and control—i.e., to be served by it—I argue for a paradigm where knowledge of creation is gained for the sake loving and serving it. The power to 'garden', and thus to 'serve', today rests largely with political bodies. I will explore how this transvaluation of power may help shape the social imaginary of the body politic from the local level up to the global level. In conclusion, then, I raise questions about the scope of the ecological space, the 'garden', we should imagine ourselves—even as collective political bodies—as serving. How does the question change when the political body of which I am part is 'serving' a 'localized watershed' as compared to 'the earth'? What are the advantages and disadvantages of a local vs. a global approach?