KEEPING GOD’S EARTH
The Global Environment in Biblical Perspective
Edited by Noah J. Toly & Daniel I. Block. IVP/Apollos. 300 pages. £16.99
ISBN 978-1-84474-450-3
If I had just one book on the ‘how to regard the environment from a biblical perspective’, this would be it. Of the books I have read on this subject so far, this one most satisfactorily combines relevant and contemporary scientific data with careful biblical theology and exegesis.
Written by a team of scholars, it is not a light read, but it is rewarding. The book is divided basically into six parts, each part containing two essays. The first of the two essays tends to take a global issue, like ‘Biodiversity’ or ‘Water Resources’ or ‘Climate Change’ and the second essay explains principles from Scripture which shed biblical light on what a reasonable response to the issue might be. All essays are thorough and of a high standard.
The Introduction sets both the scene and the tone of the book, notably the editors’ ‘Toward an Evangelical Response to Environmental Challenges’ and Douglas Moo’s ‘On the importance of Biblical Theology to Creation Care’. It is a pity, perhaps, that Sir John Houghton’s superbly fact-packed essay on ‘Climate Change’ could not have interacted with the apparent complexities arising from December 2009’s Copenhagen Summit (presumably, due to time constraints). David Gushee’s Conclusion anchors the more theoretical aspects of the book into ‘Bringing Creation Care Down to Earth’, giving a robust biblical defence of Environmental Ethics. For each of the six parts, a super selection of books is recommended for ‘Further Reading’ — at last we have a good resource on these matters!
While some charge may be levelled at the ‘christianised’ industrial West’s exploitation and misuse of the environment, the Church needs to tell ‘our own story more adequately’ and understand the Bible’s teaching more clearly, rather than be forced into a defensive mode on the matter. Highly recommended!
