A Pastor’s Thoughts: ‘On Faith and Plastics’

[By Bruce and Carolyn Gillette, First Presbyterian Union Church in Owego] 

How does our understanding of the Bible speak to our use of plastic products today? Do the ancient words of scripture have anything to say about modern things like our use of disposable plastic water bottles and plastic bags?

Many churches in Owego share a common set of scripture readings (lectionary) for each Sunday. On May 31, one of the Bible readings in many churches was Genesis 1:1 – 2:4, which tells the biblical story of creation. Here, God called the creation good and told those early humans to “have dominion” over everything that God had made.

This command to “have dominion” has too often been misunderstood. For centuries, people have used these words as an excuse to exploit the environment—destroying natural habitats and polluting rivers—saying they had a God-given right to do so.

Yet God’s command to “have dominion” is more faithfully translated: “Be a caretaker.” A gardener who plans, plants, and tends a garden has dominion over that space, helping it to be beautiful and productive. God calls us to live on the earth as caretakers.

This understanding is evident in the wonderful Bible paraphrase by Presbyterian minister and Bible scholar Eugene Peterson. Peterson served a church in Bel Air, Md., and worked on his PhD at Johns Hopkins University.  He wrote a popular paraphrase of the Bible in modern English called The Message. 

Here is how he interprets Genesis 1:28: God blessed them and said, “Prosper! Reproduce! Fill Earth! Take charge! Be responsible for fish in the sea and birds in the air, for every living thing that moves on the face of Earth.” (Genesis 1:28, The Message)  

“Have dominion!” means to “Be responsible!”

The overture, “On Becoming Free from Plastic Pollution” was approved by the 226th General Assembly (2024) of the Presbyterian Church (USA). When Bruce was Moderator of Presbyterians for Earth Care, he had a hand in proposing this overture. 

Churches often take stands on moral and ethical issues, including how we care for God’s creation. Here is a quote from this statement: “Currently, 430 million tons of plastic is produced yearly, resulting in a production of 11 billion metric tons of plastic in the last century, surpassing the biomass of all animals on earth. Despite efforts to convince people that recycling is effective, only 9% of the plastic ever produced has been recycled, and 19% has been incinerated. Plastics are now one of the largest environmental disasters on our planet, polluting the Earth we are passing on to our children and subsequent generations.”

We all see the failure of our society to recycle much of our plastic when we go on summer vacations to mountains, rivers, and oceans. Plastic seems to show up everywhere! It hurts wildlife. And, it hurts our health, too.

A Smithsonian Magazine article by Sarah Kuta, February 2025, points out that “The Human Brain May Contain as Much as a Spoon’s Worth of Microplastics.” A Scientific American article by Max Kozlov, March 2024, reminds us: “Microplastics Linked to Heart Attack, Stroke, and Death.”

When we follow God’s command to care for the earth—in this case, to use less plastic and cause less plastic pollution—we are not only helping the earth. We are helping ourselves, and we are loving our neighbors.

One thing that many churches and individual Christians are doing is trying NOT to use single-use plastics in their kitchens or at fellowship or community events. The best practice is to use reusable plates, dishes, glasses, and dinnerware. If you have ever cleaned up after a party where everything is disposable, you know how many bags of trash (including plastic) are generated from just one event.

Likewise, as we go out and serve in the community, we can avoid the use of single-use plastic items like disposable water bottles. One simple thing to ask ourselves is: How did our grandparents manage to enjoy meals, have fun, love their neighbors, and be active in the world before all these plastic items were available? 

Once we figure that out, we can honor them, and care for God’s creation, in creative ways that make the world more sustainable and healthy for everyone, including our children and grandchildren.

Bruce and Carolyn Gillette have served as the pastors of the First Presbyterian Union Church in Owego since December 2018. They will be retiring in mid-June after officiating at the funeral for Eudora Shuler on June 16 and plan to continue to live in Owego.