Apologist Nathan Rittenhouse shares his thoughts on Psalm 8 and its ramifications 

This article uses Psalm 8 to make the case that the proper way of envisioning humanity’s  environmental fit is theocentric, rather than anthropocentric. Understanding our place in creation is the prerequisite to caring for it well. 

Last Autumn, as we were working in the garden, one of my young sons asked: “Dad, what is a heavenly bean?” I had to confess that I didn’t know what a heavenly bean was and asked where he had heard it for some context clues. He said: “You know, in the Psalms where it says, ‘You made them a little lower than the heavenly beans and crowned them with glory and honour.’” Ah, heavenly being, not heavenly bean. It turns out that clear pronunciation is critical for good theology. We both got a good laugh out of it!

It also turns out that all of us, at times, ponder how we are situated in this world. It isn’t just for little boys who wonder what it means to be made a little lower than a heavenly bean. The Psalm that he was quoting from outlines a theologically and ecologically based anthropological hierarchy. It starts with considering the heavens, the work of God’s fingers—the moon and the stars—and feeling very small in light of it all. 

You may have had that same feeling at some point staring into the vast night… (Register to read the rest of the article)