Book Review on Redeeming Creation: A Biblical Basis for Environmental Ethics


Michael Zurek Book Review Van Dyke, Fred, Raymond Brand, David Mahan, and Joseph Sheldon. Redeeming Creation: A Biblical Basis for Environmental Ethics. InterVarsity Press, 1994. Synopsis The authors of Redeeming Creation: A Biblical Basis for Environmental Ethics are not clergy or theologians (in the academic sense) but they are teachers in a Christian community. In the preface of the book they state that their goal is “to reveal the joy and beauty of the world around us, with humanity’s rightful responsibilities for its care, through an understanding of who God is to us as Creator…” (p. 11). The first chapter of the book begins with a discussion of why creation is in crisis. It gives a background into natural ecological cycles and how they have been changed as a result of human activity. The authors do a good job to use language that is easy to understand. This book does not read like a science book, the concepts are explained so that a layperson can understand the problem. The chapter concludes by acknowledging that the environmental problems discussed cannot be “treated merely as a series of scientific or technical problems.” (p.25). They contend that the solution to the problems we face must discuss three questions: “Who is God as Creator? What is the earth as his creation? And “Who are we as God’s creatures in the creation?” (p. 25). It is these three questions that are the basis for the book. The authors make the point to not refer to the environment as “nature” but rather “creation.” They believe that by referring to the environment as simply “nature” implies “something that happens on its own, by itself, without design or interference.” They continue, “when we speak of the world as ‘nature,’ we speak of it as a self-generating, self-sustaining system, and we mentally (even if unconsciously) exclude ourselves from it…This leads us to conclude that the best we can do for nature is to remove ourselves from it.” (p. 39). The use of “creation” to discuss the environment acknowledges that we have a God who created and sustains the world around us. “To call the world creation acknowledges that it 1. Is made by God, (2) exists for the pleasure of God, (3) is sustained by God and (4) includes humans. But the environment did not appear through natural processes, God created it.” (p. 40) The second chapter talks about what it means to refer to God as Creator. It discusses the difference between the Genesis account of creation and other ancient creation stories. The major difference between the two is that the God in Genesis “is preexistent, and it is from him that all things arise. The ancient myths see human beings demeaned by the gods and driven to do their will by force…Genesis makes human beings creatures created in the image of God, and their service to him an expression of both their freedom and their humanity.” (p. 30). The key to the Genesis story is that God calls his creation “good.” It is not just humans that are called good but all of creation. The authors offer a compelling argument that the when God instructs us to rule over the earth and all creatures it does not mean exploit all of creation but rather to sustain it and be a part of it. The third chapter discusses the value of creation from a Christian perspective. It talks about how humans have become selfish in how they view creation; seeing its value only in relation to ourselves. It is important for humans to understand that creation’s value must be seen beyond ourselves. To many times when a secular environmental group looks at creation around them they look to sustain it only for human use. A faith based movement needs to see the environment through the eyes of God. That is one of the reasons that God gave Adam the privilege of naming the animals. The author asks of the naming: “Can you name what you do not value?...Man Named them and knew their value. But human beings participated in the joy of creation in another way as well, not only naming but in keeping: ‘A river watering the garden flowed from Eden; from there it was separated into four headwaters…the Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.’”(Gen. 2:10, 15). (p. 53). Chapter 4 discusses how we are all linked together with nature. Too many times religious movements look to separate humans from the rest of creation. The authors discuss how the fall of humans not only affected humans but also nature. When Adam and Eve were in the Garden of Eden they lived in “Shalom” with nature as well as God. (p.61). When humans sinned and were thrown out of the Garden “it became a struggle to live in creation, and a strenuous effort to carry out God-given responsibilities.” (p.63). Sin not only affects human’s relationship to God but also our relationship with nature. “What was once a garden whose nature was to produce fruit is now a briar patch that can yield food only with backbreaking labor.” (p. 64). Because of the connection humans and the rest of creation has to sin all are in need of redemption. Chapter 5 discusses this need for the redemption of all creation. “Just as the sin of Adam affected all creation, so the sacrifice of Christ begins the redemption of it.” (p. 86). The authors not only point to the New Testament to talk about redemption but also give the example of Noah in the Old Testament. The covenant that God established was not just with Noah but, “between me and the earth” and “every living creature.” (Gen. 9:12-13). The authors argue that redemption should be personal but it should also not “ignore the broader implication of that redemption.” (p. 87). Although humans are a part of creation we do play a unique role within it. Chapter 6 is entitled: “Ruling & Subduing: The Uniqueness of Being Human.” The authors examine the two words “ruling” and “subduing”, and discuss what they mean today, and what they might have meant to Adam and Eve. Those words have a very different meaning when looked at from the perspective of Genesis. Chapter 7 takes a closer look at the environmental problems we face today. It talks about how humans have succeeded in being “fruitful and increase(ing) in number,” but are not as successful in subduing it. (Gen 1:28) They discuss the effect the spike in human population has had on creation. They accuse the church of “limiting its attention to the human members of creation and forgetting that our responsibility as stewards extends as servants to the whole garden.” (p. 105). To support this argument they discuss the loss of God’s creatures because of the loss of ecosystems, as well as the effects of green house gases, the holes in the ozone layers, and the acidic level found in rain. Chapter 8 discusses the consequences of not taking care of creation. They do this by looking at what has happened in the past when God’s people have not taken care of creation. They point to the Old Testament when the land would dry up and God’s people would be thrown into exile. They do not believe that today God is punishing humans as a result of their sin, (the sin of not taking care of creation) rather the state we find our world in today is a direct result of our lack of concern as well as our selfish view of our status in creation. They emphasize the importance of scripture in the environmental debate: “If we would teach the mandates of Scripture, we would not ignore the practice and instruction of the care of God’s creation, because we would not fail to point out that the first task of humanity was to till and keep the garden.” (p. 130). Chapter 9 and 10 offer suggestions for how the church can and must act to help “till and keep the garden.” They discuss how the preaching ministry “has the opportunity, as well as the biblical responsibility, to emphasize a biblical view of creation.” (p. 148). And how action on the local level can have an influence on a global scale. Personal Thoughts The book would be a helpful resource for both the individual and a group. I will use this book in my ministry as I begin to think about the church’s role in the caring for Creation. Each chapter of the book begins with a quote on the environment from either scripture or a theologian and concludes with a set of questions for further thought and discussion. I’ll be the first to admit that I am one of the skeptics of the severity of the Global Warming topic. It is not that I doubt there has been a rise of the average global temperature, but I question the idea the severity of warming in the future. My number one frustration with the argument for Global Warming from a Christian perspective is the lack of God’s grace in the debate. Up until this class my impression of environmental theology was that it was a works based theology. I wanted to find a book that took a long hard look at scripture and science together to discuss the issue of Global Warming and other environmental concerns. This book has changed the way I view not only the environment but also my role in creation as well. The way the authors look at the scripture in light of creation as a whole was very helpful to me. I see the creation story in a whole new way thanks to the authors of this book. It has forced me to take a long hard look at how I “till and keep the garden.” This book was successful in changing my views on creation because it did not simply tell me that I’m the sole cause of all the problems that face the environment, therefore I must be the solution. It points to how the Bible discusses our role in creation. One of the most powerful images for me in this book was the discussion on Adam naming the animals. God gave us a role in creation by allowing us to name all the plants and animals on earth. God knew that by letting humans name all in creation we would take ownership (not in the sense of: we own it we can do whatever we want with it rather because we named it we love it and will take care of it.) in caring for creation. This book is a helpful resource for people who have grown tired of the doom and gloom that has become part of the environmental debate. The authors don’t do a lot of finger pointing at the readers of how awful they are because they are killing the environment. Rather they speak to the readers as people of faith. They look at creation in light of Christianity and what the Bible teaches us about taking care of the earth. Before I took this class or read this book my view of the environment was that it is ours to do with as we please (within reason). I did see the value of taking care of the earth and finding renewable sources of energy. But because of the anger and hostility that I heard from people about this issue I stopped listening. This book has brought me to a whole new understanding of creation. My theology has begun to change because of the connections I now see between Scripture and the environment.

Michael Zurek

Book Review

Van Dyke, Fred, Raymond Brand, David Mahan, and Joseph Sheldon.
Redeeming Creation: A Biblical Basis for Environmental Ethics. InterVarsity Press, 1994.

Synopsis

The authors of Redeeming Creation: A Biblical Basis for Environmental Ethics are not clergy or theologians (in the academic sense) but they are teachers in a Christian community. In the preface of the book they state that their goal is “to reveal the joy and beauty of the world around us, with humanity’s rightful responsibilities for its care, through an understanding of who God is to us as Creator…” (p. 11).

The first chapter of the book begins with a discussion of why creation is in crisis. It gives a background into natural ecological cycles and how they have been changed as a result of human activity. The authors do a good job to use language that is easy to understand. This book does not read like a science book, the concepts are explained so that a layperson can understand the problem. The chapter concludes by acknowledging that the environmental problems discussed cannot be “treated merely as a series of scientific or technical problems.” (p.25). They contend that the solution to the problems we face must discuss three questions: “Who is God as Creator? What is the earth as his creation? And “Who are we as God’s creatures in the creation?” (p. 25). It is these three questions that are the basis for the book.

The authors make the point to not refer to the environment as “nature” but rather “creation.” They believe that by referring to the environment as simply “nature” implies “something that happens on its own, by itself, without design or interference.” They continue, “when we speak of the world as ‘nature,’ we speak of it as a self-generating, self-sustaining system, and we mentally (even if unconsciously) exclude ourselves from it…This leads us to conclude that the best we can do for nature is to remove ourselves from it.” (p. 39). The use of “creation” to discuss the environment acknowledges that we have a God who created and sustains the world around us. “To call the world creation acknowledges that it 1. Is made by God, (2) exists for the pleasure of God, (3) is sustained by God and (4) includes humans. But the environment did not appear through natural processes, God created it.” (p. 40)

The second chapter talks about what it means to refer to God as Creator. It discusses the difference between the Genesis account of creation and other ancient creation stories. The major difference between the two is that the God in Genesis “is preexistent, and it is from him that all things arise. The ancient myths see human beings demeaned by the gods and driven to do their will by force…Genesis makes human beings creatures created in the image of God, and their service to him an expression of both their freedom and their humanity.” (p. 30). The key to the Genesis story is that God calls his creation “good.” It is not just humans that are called good but all of creation. The authors offer a compelling argument that the when God instructs us to rule over the earth and all creatures it does not mean exploit all of creation but rather to sustain it and be a part of it.

The third chapter discusses the value of creation from a Christian perspective. It talks about how humans have become selfish in how they view creation; seeing its value only in relation to ourselves. It is important for humans to understand that creation’s value must be seen beyond ourselves. To many times when a secular environmental group looks at creation around them they look to sustain it only for human use. A faith based movement needs to see the environment through the eyes of God. That is one of the reasons that God gave Adam the privilege of naming the animals. The author asks of the naming: “Can you name what you do not value?...Man Named them and knew their value. But human beings participated in the joy of creation in another way as well, not only naming but in keeping: ‘A river watering the garden flowed from Eden; from there it was separated into four headwaters…the Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.’”(Gen. 2:10, 15). (p. 53).

Chapter 4 discusses how we are all linked together with nature. Too many times religious movements look to separate humans from the rest of creation. The authors discuss how the fall of humans not only affected humans but also nature. When Adam and Eve were in the Garden of Eden they lived in “Shalom” with nature as well as God. (p.61). When humans sinned and were thrown out of the Garden “it became a struggle to live in creation, and a strenuous effort to carry out God-given responsibilities.” (p.63). Sin not only affects human’s relationship to God but also our relationship with nature. “What was once a garden whose nature was to produce fruit is now a briar patch that can yield food only with backbreaking labor.” (p. 64).

Because of the connection humans and the rest of creation has to sin all are in need of redemption. Chapter 5 discusses this need for the redemption of all creation. “Just as the sin of Adam affected all creation, so the sacrifice of Christ begins the redemption of it.” (p. 86). The authors not only point to the New Testament to talk about redemption but also give the example of Noah in the Old Testament. The covenant that God established was not just with Noah but, “between me and the earth” and “every living creature.” (Gen. 9:12-13). The authors argue that redemption should be personal but it should also not “ignore the broader implication of that redemption.” (p. 87).

Although humans are a part of creation we do play a unique role within it. Chapter 6 is entitled: “Ruling & Subduing: The Uniqueness of Being Human.” The authors examine the two words “ruling” and “subduing”, and discuss what they mean today, and what they might have meant to Adam and Eve. Those words have a very different meaning when looked at from the perspective of Genesis.

Chapter 7 takes a closer look at the environmental problems we face today. It talks about how humans have succeeded in being “fruitful and increase(ing) in number,” but are not as successful in subduing it. (Gen 1:28) They discuss the effect the spike in human population has had on creation. They accuse the church of “limiting its attention to the human members of creation and forgetting that our responsibility as stewards extends as servants to the whole garden.” (p. 105). To support this argument they discuss the loss of God’s creatures because of the loss of ecosystems, as well as the effects of green house gases, the holes in the ozone layers, and the acidic level found in rain.

Chapter 8 discusses the consequences of not taking care of creation. They do this by looking at what has happened in the past when God’s people have not taken care of creation. They point to the Old Testament when the land would dry up and God’s people would be thrown into exile. They do not believe that today God is punishing humans as a result of their sin, (the sin of not taking care of creation) rather the state we find our world in today is a direct result of our lack of concern as well as our selfish view of our status in creation. They emphasize the importance of scripture in the environmental debate: “If we would teach the mandates of Scripture, we would not ignore the practice and instruction of the care of God’s creation, because we would not fail to point out that the first task of humanity was to till and keep the garden.” (p. 130).

Chapter 9 and 10 offer suggestions for how the church can and must act to help “till and keep the garden.” They discuss how the preaching ministry “has the opportunity, as well as the biblical responsibility, to emphasize a biblical view of creation.” (p. 148). And how action on the local level can have an influence on a global scale.

Personal Thoughts

The book would be a helpful resource for both the individual and a group. I will use this book in my ministry as I begin to think about the church’s role in the caring for Creation. Each chapter of the book begins with a quote on the environment from either scripture or a theologian and concludes with a set of questions for further thought and discussion.

I’ll be the first to admit that I am one of the skeptics of the severity of the Global Warming topic. It is not that I doubt there has been a rise of the average global temperature, but I question the idea the severity of warming in the future. My number one frustration with the argument for Global Warming from a Christian perspective is the lack of God’s grace in the debate. Up until this class my impression of environmental theology was that it was a works based theology. I wanted to find a book that took a long hard look at scripture and science together to discuss the issue of Global Warming and other environmental concerns. This book has changed the way I view not only the environment but also my role in creation as well. The way the authors look at the scripture in light of creation as a whole was very helpful to me. I see the creation story in a whole new way thanks to the authors of this book. It has forced me to take a long hard look at how I “till and keep the garden.” This book was successful in changing my views on creation because it did not simply tell me that I’m the sole cause of all the problems that face the environment, therefore I must be the solution. It points to how the Bible discusses our role in creation.

One of the most powerful images for me in this book was the discussion on Adam naming the animals. God gave us a role in creation by allowing us to name all the plants and animals on earth. God knew that by letting humans name all in creation we would take ownership (not in the sense of: we own it we can do whatever we want with it rather because we named it we love it and will take care of it.) in caring for creation.

This book is a helpful resource for people who have grown tired of the doom and gloom that has become part of the environmental debate. The authors don’t do a lot of finger pointing at the readers of how awful they are because they are killing the environment. Rather they speak to the readers as people of faith. They look at creation in light of Christianity and what the Bible teaches us about taking care of the earth.

Before I took this class or read this book my view of the environment was that it is ours to do with as we please (within reason). I did see the value of taking care of the earth and finding renewable sources of energy. But because of the anger and hostility that I heard from people about this issue I stopped listening. This book has brought me to a whole new understanding of creation. My theology has begun to change because of the connections I now see between Scripture and the environment.