Tending the Garden

The church has been notably uninvolved with the task of serving God's creation. Indeed, Western Christianity has been quick to stress humanity's responsibility to "rule over and subdue the earth," providing the rationale for the onslaughts of modern technology, and offering little if any safeguard against the desecration of God's creation. Tending the Garden calls the church back to its biblical and theological roots so that it may understand freshly its task of stewardship. Rich in biblical insight and creative theological work, the book examines the relationship of God, humanity, and all creation. The author's goal is to develop a specifically biblical environmental ethic, not merely to lend unqualified support to the increasingly popular cultural ethic to preserve the earth. Loren Wilkinson provides the framework for the discussion with his exploration of the New Age movement. He argues that while the New Age movement has generated much-needed concern for the preservation of the earth and its finite resources, the quasi-pantheistic relidion of the earth that often characterizes New Age thought makes it necessary for Christians to define their own environmental ethic, firmly rooted in biblical teaching. The rest of the book is devoted to articulating this biblical ethic. Following a chapter in which Robert Meye develops a theology of nature, three authors articulate the biblical concept of earthkeeping: William Dyrness on the Old Testament, Robert Johnston on wisdom literature, and Paulos Mar Gregorios on the New Testament. Contributions by Mary Evelyn Jegen and Larry Rasmussen define the role of the church and the Christian in earthkeeping. The book concludes with a powerful six-part poem by John Leax titled "Thirst," and an evocative story by Paul Brand titled "A Handful of Mud: A Personal History of My Love for the Soil." - Back cover.