The witness of scriptures is that what God created is good and holy even though subject to sin and death. God has provided the means for healing and new life within the created order. Created in the image of God, humans are together stewards of God’s bounty. They are accountable to God for how they use, abuse, or neglect to use the manifold resources—including their own bodies and capacities—which God has placed at their disposal. Reflecting God’s cosmic dominion as Creator, they are called to care for the earth and "have dominion over," but not callously dominate, every living thing. (A Social Statement of ECUSA)

Until relatively recently, the human population has been small enough that the earth, our host, has been able to absorb the effects of our activities. In the last 50 years, world population has more than doubled to over 6 billion people. In the pursuit of a better life, we have trampled the earth which provides that life, confident that the earth will restore itself as it always has done. Now we are too many to continue in the way we have been going, without causing irreparable damage to God’s creation. We must learn to live well while living more in harmony with the earth and its systems. (Jubilee 2000 Curriculum of ECUSA)