Lecture Overview

I. What Is the Anthropocene?

1. The Concept of the Anthropocene

1) Definition of the Anthropocene

The term “Anthropocene” refers to the idea that human beings (anthropos) have become the most powerful geological force, fundamentally transforming the natural systems of the Earth.

Traditionally, geology has divided Earth’s history according to natural changes.

The current geological epoch, which began approximately 11,700 years ago, is called the Holocene.

During this relatively stable climatic period, human civilization was able to develop and flourish.

However, since the Industrial Revolution of the eighteenth century, human activity

has reached a point where it is no longer merely a part of the natural environment

but has become capable of altering the Earth system itself.

These changes are not merely a matter of environmental pollution.

Human traces are now evident in the atmosphere, oceans, soil, ecosystems, biodiversity, the hydrological cycle, and even in geological strata.
In this sense, human beings have changed the very operating system of the planet. This new condition is what we call the Anthropocene.

2) The Emergence of the Concept

The term “Anthropocene” was first proposed in 2000 by the Nobel Prize–winning atmospheric chemist Paul J. Crutzen and the ecologist Eugene Stoermer.

Crutzen famously argued:

“Human beings are no longer merely creatures living within the natural environment; they have become a geological force capable of transforming the Earth system.”

His point was that humanity is no longer simply a passive member of nature.

Rather, human activity now changes the global environment on a scale comparable to natural forces such as volcanic activity or ice ages.

Since then, the Anthropocene has become an important topic not only in climatology, geology, ecology, economics, sociology, and philosophy, but also in theology.

In particular, as the causes of the climate crisis and ecological crisis have come to be understood not merely as technical problems but as problems of human worldview and values, the Anthropocene has become a key concept for reflecting on modern civilization.

3) Humanity as a New Agent in the Earth System

Today, human activity affects almost every dimension of the Earth system.

(1) Climate

The use of fossil fuels has sharply increased the concentration of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide (CO₂), methane (CH₄), and nitrous oxide (N₂O) in the atmosphere.

This contributes to the rise in global average temperature, abnormal weather patterns, heat waves, cold waves, and the intensification of storms and typhoons.

(2) Atmosphere

Industrialization and urbanization have changed the chemical composition of the atmosphere.

Air pollutants, fine dust, nitrogen oxides, and sulfur oxides affect not only human health but also forests, soils, and ecosystems.

(3) Oceans

Global warming is raising ocean temperatures, while the oceans absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, leading to ocean acidification.

As a result, coral reefs are experiencing bleaching, and marine ecosystems are undergoing rapid transformation.

(4) Land Systems

Large-scale agriculture, urban development, mining, and deforestation have altered the structure and function of the soil.

Fertile soil is decreasing, while desertification and soil erosion are spreading across the world.

(5) Biodiversity

Humanity is widely understood to be accelerating what some scholars call the sixth mass extinction.

Habitat destruction, climate change, and pollution are causing numerous species to disappear at an alarming rate, threatening the stability of ecosystems.

(6) The Hydrological Cycle

Dams, excessive groundwater extraction, urbanization, and deforestation are changing the natural water cycle.

The frequency and intensity of floods and droughts are also increasing.

4) The Anthropocene Is Not Merely an Environmental Problem

The Anthropocene does not simply refer to climate change or environmental pollution.

It is a problem of civilization as a whole, involving human economic activity, industrial structures, energy consumption, consumer culture, technological development, and political and economic systems.

In other words, the Anthropocene raises fundamental questions:

• What does it mean to be human?
• What kind of relationship should humanity have with nature?
• What are the proper limits of science and technology?
• Is unlimited economic growth truly possible?
• What kind of Earth will we hand down to future generations?

These questions are no longer matters for science alone. They are also questions for philosophy, ethics, and Christian theology.

5) Theological Significance

From the perspective of Christian theology, the Anthropocene is not merely an environmental crisis; it is a crisis of the created order.

Scripture declares that the world God created was “very good” (Genesis 1:31),

and it teaches that humanity was not given the right to exploit nature but was entrusted with the calling “to work it and take care of it” (Genesis 2:15).

Yet the Anthropocene reveals what happens when human beings act not as faithful stewards of God’s creation but as absolute rulers over nature.

A civilization driven by greed and unlimited growth has damaged the created world, and humanity itself must now bear the consequences.

Therefore, the Anthropocene is not merely a new epoch defined by science.

It is a call for Christian theology to reconsider creation, sin, salvation, the kingdom of God, and stewardship in light of the present crisis.

II. Why Is This a Theological Issue?

1. The Environmental Crisis Is Not Only a Scientific Issue but Also a Theological One

Today, climate change and ecological crisis are often understood as matters of science, technology, or environmental policy.
Many people assume that solving the climate crisis is the responsibility of scientists, politicians, and economists, while the church should focus on salvation and worship.

However, the Bible does not understand the world in such a dualistic way.

Christian faith is not a religion concerned only with human beings.
It is a faith that concerns the whole creation that God has made. Therefore, the crisis of creation is also a theological crisis, and it is a spiritual and ethical challenge to which the church must respond.

The environmental crisis is not merely an issue of ecology.
It is deeply connected to creation theology, theological anthropology, hamartiology, soteriology, and the kingdom of God.

In other words, the Anthropocene is not simply an environmental age. It is an age that calls for a theological transformation of civilization.

2. Creation Is God’s Work and God’s Possession

The Bible first introduces God not simply as the Savior of human beings but as the Creator.

“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”
(Genesis 1:1)

Creation is not an accidental natural phenomenon. It is the result of God’s good will and love.

Genesis 1 repeatedly declares that God saw creation and called it “good.”
Finally, after creating human beings and the entire created order, Scripture declares:

“God saw all that he had made, and it was very good.”(Genesis 1:31)

The phrase “very good” does not simply mean that creation was beautiful. It means that creation fully corresponded to God’s purpose and order.

Therefore, nature is not a resource that human beings may use however they wish.
It is the result of God’s creative work, which God loves and delights in.

Environmental destruction today is not merely the loss of forests or the pollution of the air.

It is the violation of the created order that God declared to be “very good.”

3. Creation Is God’s Temple, and Humanity Is Its Steward

The Bible never says that the earth belongs to human beings.

The psalmist clearly declares:

“The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it.”(Psalm 24:1)

Likewise, Scripture says:

“The highest heavens belong to the Lord, but the earth he has given to mankind.”(Psalm 115:16)

This does not mean that human beings have become the absolute owners of the earth.
Rather, it means that humanity has been entrusted with the responsibility of managing what belongs to God.

Genesis 2:15 makes this human calling even clearer:

“The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.”

Two Hebrew verbs in this verse are especially important.

(1) Abad (עָבַד)

This word can mean “to cultivate” or “to work,” but it also carries the meaning of “to serve” or even “to worship.”

In other words, human beings are called to care for nature in a posture of service.

(2) Shamar (שָׁמַר)

This word means “to keep,” “to guard,” “to protect,” “to preserve,” and “to watch over.”

God did not command humanity to exploit nature. Rather, God entrusted humanity with the task of protecting and preserving it.

Therefore, the biblical view of humanity is not that of a dominator, but that of a steward.

A steward does not own the property.

A steward faithfully manages what has been entrusted to him according to the will of the owner.

4. Sin Has Damaged Not Only the Relationship between God and Humanity but the Whole Created Order

Traditional Christian theology has often explained sin as the rupture of the relationship between God and human beings.

However, Scripture shows that the consequences of sin are not limited to humanity alone.

In Genesis 3, after the fall, we see that the relationships between God and humanity, between human beings, and between humanity and nature are all broken.

First, human beings hide from God.

“I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.”(Genesis 3:10)

Second, human beings begin to blame one another.

Adam blames Eve, and Eve blames the serpent.

Third, nature itself is affected by the curse.

“Cursed is the ground because of you…”(Genesis 3:17)

This verse is profoundly important.

It does not mean that God made the earth evil. Rather, it shows that because of human sin, creation itself came to suffer.

Ultimately, sin is not merely an individual moral failure. It is an event that disrupts the entire order of God’s creation.

5. The Ecological Crisis Is the Structural Result of Sin

Today, the climate crisis and ecological crisis should not be understood merely as byproducts of industrialization.

From a biblical perspective, the root of the ecological crisis lies in human sinfulness.

This sinfulness appears in many forms:

• endless greed
• unlimited consumerism
• the commodification of nature
• economic expansionism focused only on growth
• anthropocentrism
• idolatry that trusts technology and capital more than God

These structural sins go beyond individual wrongdoing.

They have become embedded in social and economic systems, resulting in climate change, biodiversity loss, deforestation, ocean pollution, and environmental injustice.

Therefore, the ecological crisis is not merely a failure of technology.

It is the result of spiritual corruption, and it calls for repentance and a transformation of life.

6. Salvation Is Directed Not Only toward Humanity but toward the Whole Creation

The New Testament teaches that God’s salvation is not limited to the human soul.

The apostle Paul declares:

“We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time.”
(Romans 8:22)

Here, “creation” refers not only to humanity but to all life and the natural world that God has made.

Paul also speaks of the cross of Christ as the means of cosmic reconciliation:

“And through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.”(Colossians 1:20)

Therefore, Christian salvation is not merely about individuals going to heaven. It is the cosmic redemption through which God restores the whole created order.

7. The Anthropocene Raises New Theological Questions for the Church

The Anthropocene poses fundamental questions to the church:

• Are we still preaching a gospel only for human beings?
• Does the kingdom of God apply only to human society, or does it include the whole creation?
• How faithfully is the church practicing its calling as a steward of creation?
• Does our faith justify a consumer-centered way of life, or does it teach a life of restraint and care?
• Are we fully proclaiming that the salvation of Jesus Christ is good news not only for human souls but for the renewal of all creation?

These questions call the church in the age of the Anthropocene to reinterpret and practice the gospel from the broader perspective of creation and the kingdom of God.

In the end, responding to the ecological crisis is not merely a matter of environmental activism.
It is a confession of faith in God the Creator and a theological practice that restores the church’s responsibility as steward of creation.