JOURNALS

ABSTRACT

This study addresses Genesis 1-2 and related texts that contain themes of God’s gift of creation and humans, particularly Africans’ invitation to care for it. Genesis 1-2 discourages abuse, exploitation, inordinate anthropocentric and instrumentalist domination of nature-biodiversity and environment (1:26-28). It exhorts humanity (‘ad?m), including all Africans to continue to harmoniously engage in planet care without inordinate dominion over other creatures (2:15). Although there are some Africans’ who make effort towards this direction of planet care, ironically, the current ecological challenges (deforestation, abuse of water resource, extinction of nature, persistent droughts, and declining productivity of agricultural and pastoral lands) orchestrated by humans in Africa and beyond proves that has not been the case that is full planet care. This paper acknowledges efforts some individual, religious groups and communities have made in Africa on the subject of ecology. It also challenges excessive Christian or religious anthropocentrism and broadly engages in a contextual and critical- theological re-evaluation of Genesis creation theology in order to inspire a rethinking in African religious communities as to their response to care for divine creation.