From Nature to Creation a Christian Vision for Understanding and Loving Our World Review

From Nature to Cosmos

A Christian Vision for Understanding and Loving Our World

series: Church and Postmodern Culture, The

• Format

  Paperback

  ISBN

  9780801095931

  Dimensions

  v.5 ten 8.five

  Pub. Date

  October 2015

  SRP

  $22.00

  Carton Quantity

  35

  Number of pages

  174

• Format

  Due east-Volume

  ISBN

  9781493400089

  Pub. Date

  Sep 2015

  SRP

  $22.00

About

How does Christianity modify the way we view the natural globe? In this addition to a critically acclaimed series, renowned theologian Norman Wirzba engages philosophers, environmentalists, and cultural critics to show how the mod concept of nature has been deeply problematic. He explains that understanding the world as creation rather than as nature or the environment makes possible an imagination shaped by practices of responsibility and gratitude, which can assistance bring healing to our lands and communities. By learning to give thank you for creation as God's gift of life, Christians deport witness to the divine beloved that is reconciling all things to God. This volume volition appeal to professors and students of ecology philosophy, theology, and ethics as well equally Christian readers interested in environmentalism, creation care, and agrestal means of life.

Contents
Introduction
1. On Non Knowing Where or Who We Are
2. Idolizing Nature
three. Perceiving Creation
four. The Human Art of Creaturely Life
v. Giving Thanks
Alphabetize

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Endorsements

"Norman Wirzba writes with verve, alacrity, and theological sensitivity in laying out particular arguments for bringing back the importance of creation for a theological anthropology relevant to earth ideals. Wirzba is conscientious to trace the history of ideas and prove u.s.a. their philosophical underpinnings, while illuminating our electric current impoverished condition. He is persuasive in noting the cultural need for a motility away from the disorientation resulting from an 'eclipse of creation' toward an orientation that is rooted in a profound understanding of creatureliness. This volume volition be valuable not only for individuals but likewise in a variety of ecclesial too as educational settings."

Celia Due east. Deane-Drummond, University of Notre Dame

"With insightful analysis and lucid prose Norman Wirzba offers a winsome argument for reimagining the natural world every bit creation--lovingly made, sustained, and redeemed past the triune God. From Nature to Creation expertly traces how major trends in contemporary culture undermine the possibility of care for creation. Most importantly, this volume not only persuasively shows how the felt absence of God and the pervasive degradation of the world are linked but also compellingly demonstrates how we may love God and encompass our creatureliness in means that are faithful and life-giving for all of God's creatures. Few books I have read of tardily are equally timely equally this."

Steven Bouma-Prediger, professor of religion, Hope College; writer of For the Beauty of the Earth

"In this, his virtually of import volume yet, Norman Wirzba asks the elementary question: What difference would it make if nosotros idea of the globe not as nature but as creation? His answer--that 'this is the world in which God delights . . . the earth nosotros are called to love'--challenges anybody. Certainly it challenges those who would reduce creation to 'natural resources.' Only it also is a profound claiming to Christians who come across our creaturely life every bit a preparation for sky. Rather, as Wirzba concludes, creation is 'heaven's earthly life.' Drawing with magisterial and eloquent scholarship on a vast range of sources beyond both Christian and secular thought, Wirzba calls us to considerateness, to rootedness--and in a higher place all, to gratitude. All we man creatures need to hear the message of this very fine book."

Loren Wilkinson, professor of interdisciplinary studies and philosophy, Regent College, Vancouver

"The very moment we humans take go the unmarried most decisive force of nature itself is the moment that creation beloved of God has been eclipsed every bit the heart of our human relationship with all that exists. Nonetheless as commercialized nature and utilitarian thinking poison the planet and change the climate, what could exist more important than 'creation' as the gracious mode nosotros live? No one is improve than Wirzba in describing modernity'due south idolatrous and disastrous course and offering a Christian understanding of cosmos as the antidote."

Larry Rasmussen, Reinhold Niebuhr Professor Emeritus of Social Ethics, Union Theological Seminary, New York City

"This is non a book about polar bears, parakeets, or some new scheme for 'saving the globe.' It is a book about why Christians need to reclaim 'the human fine art of creaturely life.' Wirzba shows why creation, incarnation, and redemption are intricately bound up in bodies--our own, other creatures', and the earth's--and why if we're to intendance for those bodies we demand to prefer an 'iconic vision of the world' that simply Jesus makes possible. A deeply hopeful book written in prose both artful and lucid, this confirms Norman Wirzba's place as one of the finest theologians writing today."

Fred Bahnson, author of Soil and Sacrament; manager, Food, Faith, and Religious Leadership Initiative, Wake Forest University School of Divinity

"Today, humans stand amongst dirty water, inhale toxic air, and watch imperial mountains crumble to feed our energy addictions. Is this what the psalmist envisioned when he wrote that creation declares God's celebrity? I think not. Thankfully, Christians have resource like Norman Wirzba's From Nature to Cosmos to help guide us through these turbulent times. In a moment when conversations about environmental stewardship have become divisive and polarizing, Wirzba offers a level-headed 'peace; be still.' He reminds Christians that our earth was created and is sustained by an intentional Craftsman who has asked us to steward it well. Wirzba'due south words are fertile soil, fresh air, and a bountiful harvest that volition stir your passion for creation and stoke your beloved for the Creator. From Nature to Creation is a before long-to-be-classic text on the theology of cosmos, and it has come up to us not a moment as well soon."

Jonathan Merritt, writer of Jesus Is Better Than You Imagined; senior columnist at Religion News Service

"In this wise, prophetic, and expansive book, Norman Wirzba offers us an extended meditation on creation with compelling eloquence. Here is a theology that is (literally) grounded in the gift of soil. A multidisciplinary treatise expertly engaging philosophy, theology, literature, and environmental, this volume moves effortlessly from postmodern theory to agricultural policy, from biblical interpretation to gardening, from economics to a spirituality of gratitude. Wirzba invites usa into a world of interdependent intimacy, sympathy, hospitality, delight, and beloved. This book is a generous gift that bears witness to a world characterized as gift."

Brian J. Walsh, campus government minister, University of Toronto; author of Kicking at the Darkness: Bruce Cockburn and the Christian Imagination

"In this brief book, Norman Wirzba casts a profound vision of creaturely life, of what information technology ways to alive as creatures within an interconnected creation that embodies the love and goodness of the Creator. Standing in stark dissimilarity to modernistic philosophical conceptions of nature, Wirzba's work is sure to inspire a moving ridge of theological explorations in both the academy and the church."

C. Christopher Smith, founding editor, The Englewood Review of Books; coauthor of Tedious Church

Praise for the Series:

"[This] serial is non just a good thought; it is actually essential. If mission, liturgy, and pastoral care are to be effective today, then churches need a better understanding of so-called postmodern culture as something to be reckoned with and sometimes resisted. Increasingly, there is an educated interest in religion, just there is also a need to exist well-informed nigh postmodern idea and its very complex relation both to postmodern culture (to which it is often really hostile) and to organized religion. Again the need is for a critical appreciation--non dismissal and not empty adulation. This series aims to provide this in an accessible manner. I am convinced that the chief ideas of postmodernism are actually not as 'difficult' every bit people suppose and that a articulate and unproblematic presentation of them actually assists wider cultural discussion. An additional purpose of the series is to introduce to a wider audition theologies that are already trying critically to assimilate the postmodern turn. Since some of these are intensely focused on the importance of 'church building,' it is crucial that this occur. Although it is already happening, it needs to crystallize. This serial may exist just the thing to bring it almost."

John Milbank, Academy of Nottingham

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The Author

1. 

   Norman Wirzba

   Norman Wirzba (PhD, Loyola Academy, Chicago) is Gilbert T. Rowe Distinguished Professor of Theology at Knuckles University Divinity School in Durham, North Carolina. He is the author or editor of numerous books, including Food and Faith: A Theology of...

   Continue reading about Norman Wirzba

Reviews

Named a "Best Theology Volume of 2015," Englewood Review of Books
"Best Instance of Theology in Conversation with Urgent Contemporary Concerns" for 2015, Hearts & Minds Bookstore

"From Nature to Creation is an eloquent theological exercise that contributes astutely to ongoing conversations around ecology and religion. This brief treatise draws from sources both devotional and secular to codify timely arguments for interresponsibility. . . . Christians should appreciate the work as much for the diversity of references--from Cormac McCarthy to Athanasius, from Wendell Berry to Jacques Derrida--every bit for its thoughtful contemporary recommendations. . . . From Nature to Creation stands to aggrandize and enrich ongoing conversations around the identify of religious people in the natural world. Cute writing, frequent dashes of practiced humor, and practical proposals all make this book a piquing, thought-provoking add-on to burgeoning theological exchanges."

Michelle Anne Schingler,

Foreword Reviews

"Wirzba'due south book acts as a theological wake-upward call, a summons for Christians to see themselves as inhabitants of God'south ongoing creation. In turn, such a renewed perception would change the way nosotros relate to the other members of creation. . . . Wirzba issues a stirring phone call to re-name who nosotros are (creatures rather than subjects), where we are (creation rather than nature), and how nosotros run across (iconically rather than idolatrously). . . . The counterpoint to this insistence on our demand to name the globe rightly is Wirzba's emphasis on practicing hospitality, which is a posture of radical openness to an ontological other."

Jeffrey Bilbro,

Books & Civilization

"[This volume] digs into Christian traditions for guidance on how to treat an ecologically frail earth, and it shows how powerful linguistic communication can be."

Kristin Swenson,

Publishers Weekly

"Wirzba has given us a wonderful book that shows just what is at stake when the modern idea of nature supplants a vision of the world as God'due south creation. . . . The book judiciously deploys critique to highlight effective ways to imagine and enact faithful Christian living. . . . Wirzba's volume is an indispensable resources for pastors, students and laypeople concerned with Christian faithfulness under the conditions of modernity. Written for a broad, non-specialist audience, complex philosophical discussions are distilled and paired with concrete illustrations and practical examples. For these reasons, I cannot think of a amend volume for those who want to think through what it might hateful to beloved this world every bit God'southward good creation."

Jonathan Lett,

Theology

"Much Christian antipathy toward environmentalism arises from a rightful aversion to nature-worship. . . . Wirzba would not have us go out the earth alone, but instead take an active function in cultivating it. . . . As God'due south gardeners, we're given responsibility to nurture and love, equally well as preserve and conserve, his creation. . . . Wirzba is correct that nosotros need to reconsider some of our preferred methods of agriculture and environmental care. Doing so will require questioning the stereotypes that drive our conversation about creation. Information technology will require a deeper reverence for the world God has given u.s.--and perhaps a bit of thoughtful gardening, too."

Gracy Olmstead,

Christianity Today

"[Wirzba] mounts a convincing theological case for intellectual humility toward creation and reimagining what 'knowing' the world should mean for Christians . . . This is a beautiful and hopeful book, bringing real insight . . . into what it means for humans to comprehend their createdness. . . . Wirzba is not shy to propose concrete recommendations (from organic farming to diet to purchasing habits, and more than) for actively embodying creaturely stewardship. His book thus commends itself well to Christian congregations and not merely to eco-theologians."

Paul M. Blowers,

Modern Theology

"Wirzba casts a profound vision of creaturely life, of what it ways to live equally creatures within an interconnected creation that embodies the love and goodness of the Creator. Continuing in stark contrast to modern philosophical conceptions of nature, Wirzba's piece of work is sure to inspire a wave of theological explorations in both the academy and the church."

C. Christopher Smith,

Englewood Review of Books

"The author does an excellent chore of showing how what nosotros proper noun and narrative matters. . . . Wirzba's book succeeds in its examination of today's idea in relation to faith and practise. . . . While I think that every Christian could benefit from reading this book, information technology would be platonic for a congregational study group in which one chapter per week could be discussed. . . . I found the book to be a worthwhile read. . . . With over 200 footnotes, Wirzba provides abundant opportunity for further study and reflection. I would recommend it to a Christian study grouping as a springboard for discussion."

Bruce Due east. Buttler,

Perspectives on Science and Christian Faith

"Living rightly in the globe requires a rigorous theological vision. . . . Wirzba's slender book is a passionate call to expand the Christian vision to include the whole world. . . . I look forward to every installment in this series, assertive that each lesson volition assistance me to address and consider current events from a different angle. Baker Bookish and [series editor] James K. A. Smith are to exist commended for the series. I hope they continue educational activity."

Aaron Perry,

Asbury Periodical

"This book deserves accolades for a number of reasons, and is significant on a number of fronts. . . . [Wirzba] does some heavy lifting for the states here analyzing how Western civilisation's understanding of our home as God'due south creation shifted to 'nature' with the rise of modernity. . . . Information technology really does aid us understand how these shifts underneath the roots of Western culture have had disastrous consequences. . . . Whoever thinks history and philosophy are but for 'ivory tower' idealists or nerdy intellectuals with their caput in the clouds or the books should exist shown this, noting, again, how ideas have consequences and how social imaginations, often grounded in rhetorical and intellectual shifts, push us to practices and habits and ways of arranging our lives and our societies. If we want to--literally, as Wirzba shows--consume better, knowing how nosotros have rejected our very creatureliness is part of the answer. . . . Such a volume surely has to be commended, and we are happy to name information technology ane of the most important of the yr!"

Byron Borger,

Hearts & Minds web log ("Best Example of Theology in Conversation with Urgent Gimmicky Concerns" for 2015)

"[Wirzba] is highly regarded among religious environmental ethicists for his expertise on this topic and his creative approach. . . . [This volume] is a fine text and conveys many ideas that are worth mulling. Wirzba'southward diagnosis of the problem is particularly astute. . . . This is an important entry in an ongoing conversation and Wirzba's argument of the importance of understanding the essence of creation every bit a gift from God carries significant weight. Thus this volume has a place in the library of those seeking a deeper understanding of the contemporary issues in Christian environmental ideals."

Andrew J. Spencer,

Ethics & Culture blog

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Source: http://bakerpublishinggroup.com/books/from-nature-to-creation/353830

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