Stewards of Eden: what Scripture says about the environment and why it matters
Description
ECPA Top Shelf Book Cover Award
Biblical Foundations Book Award Winner
Sandra L. Richter cares about the Bible. She also cares about creation.
An expert in ancient Israelite society and economy as well as biblical theology, she walks readers through passages familiar and not-so-familiar, showing how significant environmental theology is to the Bible's witness. She then calls Christians to apply that message to today's environmental concerns.
Richter is a master Bible scholar. Each chapter draws out a biblical mandate about humanity's responsibility to care for the land, domestic and wild creatures, and people on the margins. She is also a master storyteller. Well informed on present-day environmental challenges, Richter includes case studies that connect the biblical mandates to current issues.
Though modern political alliances may tempt readers to sever Christian faith from environmental stewardship, in this concise and accessible book, Richter urges us to be driven by God's values instead.
More Details
Also in this Series
Published Reviews
Publisher's Weekly Review
Environmentalist and biblical studies scholar Richter (The Epic of Eden) unpacks the Bible's messages on care for the environment in this powerful analysis. Richter begins her exegesis theologically, by arguing that Christians have a special obligation to understand how original human rebellion against God affects humans' relationship with nature. In each chapter, she examines the historical context (including Earth's environmental state at the time) of different sections of the Bible, and in "What does the Bible say?" sections she explains environmental conditions and farming practices throughout biblical Israel. She then juxtaposes those guidelines for the natural, scripturally informed cultivation and preparation of food from biblical history with present-day case studies of farming and other land use practices, to argue for more careful stewardship of natural resources. The sections criticizing herbicides and coal mining are carefully argued and particularly enlightening. Richter's well-grounded argument will be of interest to evangelical Christians, especially those less familiar with green theology. (Feb.)
Publishers Weekly Reviews
Environmentalist and biblical studies scholar Richter (The Epic of Eden) unpacks the Bible's messages on care for the environment in this powerful analysis. Richter begins her exegesis theologically, by arguing that Christians have a special obligation to understand how original human rebellion against God affects humans' relationship with nature. In each chapter, she examines the historical context (including Earth's environmental state at the time) of different sections of the Bible, and in "What does the Bible say?" sections she explains environmental conditions and farming practices throughout biblical Israel. She then juxtaposes those guidelines for the natural, scripturally informed cultivation and preparation of food from biblical history with present-day case studies of farming and other land use practices, to argue for more careful stewardship of natural resources. The sections criticizing herbicides and coal mining are carefully argued and particularly enlightening. Richter's well-grounded argument will be of interest to evangelical Christians, especially those less familiar with green theology. (Feb.)
Copyright 2019 Publishers Weekly.