[ACNS] The Diocese of Cape Town in the Anglican Church of Southern Africa has launched its stewardship campaign with the message that stewardship is “not just about giving money – it’s about giving everything.”

And when they say “everything” they mean “everything” – the eight-week campaign includes a focus on the stewardship of “trash.”

“In the beginning of this series, we came to understand biblical stewardship as a whole life issue,” the stewardship handbook says. “We’ve discussed being good stewards of our talents, time, testimonies, treasures, and togetherness. Finally we come to the topic that we don’t often think about – being good stewards of creation.

“What does it mean to be a caretaker of creation? How important is it for a Christian to be concerned about the environment?”

It continues: “Christians have the responsibility of caring for creation, of keeping an ecological balance. We have the privilege of using the earth, yet not exploiting it. Some ways people have abused creation would be the polluting of rivers, oceans, and air, and misusing creation for greed and profit. Some simpler more personal ways might be littering, dumping toxic materials, and refusing to recycle.

“Although Christians are not under the letter of the Old Testament law, the principle remains that we are to maintain a balance between using the earth and abusing it. We have an obligation not to overuse the earth’s resources for ourselves, and not take more than we need.”

In its introductory session, the handbook contains an explanation for its wide-ranging view of stewardship. “For many Christians, the word ‘stewardship’ is synonymous with ‘giving money.’

“If the priest or minister is preaching on stewardship, the general fund must be running in the red. But the Bible paints a much broader picture of stewardship. The biblical view of stewardship applies to every Christian and every area of life.”