A Theology of Travel
Just thought I'd take a moment to share my theology of travel.
I honestly believe that each stamp in my passport is a form of stewardship. In recent years, travel has become a spiritual endeavor for me. It is one way I worship God. It is one way I study God.
In a sense, I think travel done the right way is a partial fulfillment of the Genesis Commission to fill the earth and subdue it. One of our primal callings is to experience and enjoy what God has created. The command in Genesis 1:28 is an invitation. It's an invitation to explore, to discover, to map, to study, to climb, to experience, to enjoy, to taste, to see, to hear, to adventure.
Long before Adam and Eve were banished from the Garden of Eden, God told them to fill the earth. It was an invitation to explore His creation! Think about it. Everything outside Eden was terra incognita--unknown territory. Planet Earth was untamed, uninhabited, undiscovered. They could travel 24,859 miles in any direction and discover mountains and deserts and jungles and oceans. There was 196,949,970 square miles to explore. God's creation. Humankind's playground.
Not unlike Columbus who was commissioned by the King and Queen of Spain to discover a westward route to the Indies; not unlike Lewis and Clark who were commissioned by President Jefferson to explore the newly acquired Louisiana Purchase; and not unlike Sir Francis Drake who was commissioned by the Queen of England to circumnavigate the globe; Adam and Eve were commissioned by God to explore planet Earth.
Exploration is a godly instinct. It is a form of curiosity which is part of the Imago Dei. One way we glorify God is by exploring what He's made and praising Him in the process.
Just like an artist who wants others to enjoy his art; just like a composer who wants others to enjoy his music; God wants us to enjoy His creation. He wants us to explore it, to study it, to name it, to protect it, and to admire its beauty. Exploration honors God.
The astronomer who charts galaxies billions of light-years away; the geneticist who maps the human genome; the researcher who seeks a cure for Parkinson's disease; the oceanographer who explores the ocean floor; the ornithologist who studies and preserves rare bird species; the physicist who tries to catch quarks; the chemist who charts molecular structures; and the theologian who studies God have one thing in common. All of them are explorers. They are fulfilling humankind's original job description.
I don't want this to sound pejorative, but I honestly believe that every ology is a branch of theology. When I was at the University of Chicago I took classes in meteorology and immunology. In graduate school, one of my fascinations was neurology. I love psychology and biology and zoology. And every one of those ologies reveals something about the Creator. Our scientific endeavors are part of discovering the kaleidscopic personality of our Creator. Isn't that what Romans 1:20 says?
For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities--his eternal power and divine nature--have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.
I honestly think that travel will be one dimension of heaven. We will explore the earthly wonders we never got to see. I can't imagine that God would not want us to see absolutely everything He's created. That would be wasted creativity. Why not do as much of it as you can on this side of the spacetime continuum?
I honestly believe that each stamp in my passport is a form of stewardship. In recent years, travel has become a spiritual endeavor for me. It is one way I worship God. It is one way I study God.
In a sense, I think travel done the right way is a partial fulfillment of the Genesis Commission to fill the earth and subdue it. One of our primal callings is to experience and enjoy what God has created. The command in Genesis 1:28 is an invitation. It's an invitation to explore, to discover, to map, to study, to climb, to experience, to enjoy, to taste, to see, to hear, to adventure.
Long before Adam and Eve were banished from the Garden of Eden, God told them to fill the earth. It was an invitation to explore His creation! Think about it. Everything outside Eden was terra incognita--unknown territory. Planet Earth was untamed, uninhabited, undiscovered. They could travel 24,859 miles in any direction and discover mountains and deserts and jungles and oceans. There was 196,949,970 square miles to explore. God's creation. Humankind's playground.
Not unlike Columbus who was commissioned by the King and Queen of Spain to discover a westward route to the Indies; not unlike Lewis and Clark who were commissioned by President Jefferson to explore the newly acquired Louisiana Purchase; and not unlike Sir Francis Drake who was commissioned by the Queen of England to circumnavigate the globe; Adam and Eve were commissioned by God to explore planet Earth.
Exploration is a godly instinct. It is a form of curiosity which is part of the Imago Dei. One way we glorify God is by exploring what He's made and praising Him in the process.
Just like an artist who wants others to enjoy his art; just like a composer who wants others to enjoy his music; God wants us to enjoy His creation. He wants us to explore it, to study it, to name it, to protect it, and to admire its beauty. Exploration honors God.
The astronomer who charts galaxies billions of light-years away; the geneticist who maps the human genome; the researcher who seeks a cure for Parkinson's disease; the oceanographer who explores the ocean floor; the ornithologist who studies and preserves rare bird species; the physicist who tries to catch quarks; the chemist who charts molecular structures; and the theologian who studies God have one thing in common. All of them are explorers. They are fulfilling humankind's original job description.
I don't want this to sound pejorative, but I honestly believe that every ology is a branch of theology. When I was at the University of Chicago I took classes in meteorology and immunology. In graduate school, one of my fascinations was neurology. I love psychology and biology and zoology. And every one of those ologies reveals something about the Creator. Our scientific endeavors are part of discovering the kaleidscopic personality of our Creator. Isn't that what Romans 1:20 says?
For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities--his eternal power and divine nature--have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.
I honestly think that travel will be one dimension of heaven. We will explore the earthly wonders we never got to see. I can't imagine that God would not want us to see absolutely everything He's created. That would be wasted creativity. Why not do as much of it as you can on this side of the spacetime continuum?
2 Comments:
I absolutely love to travel. My husband and I have been married 5 1/4 years. This year we are going to California to celebrate our 5th a little late. But we have hit the Bahamas, New Orleans, Orlando several times, lots of long weekend southeast trips and now the West Coast (I've never been).
Our Father created this world. I can't imagine He wouldn't want me to enjoy what He made. I'm excited about the next 40 years of travel I have ahead of me!
I love your comment about every ology being a branch of theology. I am currently in full time ministry after spending 8 years studying theology in the Physics and engineering departments of Arizona State Univercity. I am often asked if my science training was a waste when it comes to ministry and my responce is very similar to your ology decription.
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