Book Review: Ecology at the Heart of Faith by Denis Edwards
The title just might make one think that Australian theologian Denis Edwards is offering readers another guide to preaching on Earth Day. That would be a serious mistake, because this book is a deeply-challenging exploration of the theology and the praxis necessary for “an ecological conversion.” The author calls for an understanding of the connection between ecological awareness and all facets of our Christian faith as he invites readers to think through what it means to form “an authentic ecological theology for the twenty-first century.”
The author is willing to meet head on ecologically unfriendly Scriptural citations without indulging in dueling proof quotes of “domination” versus “stewardship.” Instead, he constructs an intellectually honest, profoundly faithful, and scripturally sound case for a far-ranging understanding of our place in the interconnectedness of the world and a robust theological basis for ecological action. For example, Edwards states unflinchingly that the loss of biodiversity squarely is a theological issue, echoing Pope Paul’s often-quoted position that respect for the integrity of creation is a moral issue. The author maintains that a holistic life-view and theological understanding sees ecological awareness, justice for the poor of the earth, and complete gender equality as inescapable manifestations of the same understanding of God’s call to us all. Our awe at God’s creation demands the same response of care and respect for all of God’s creatures – animal and human, male and female, rich and poor.
While many authors have focused almost exclusively on the First Testament theme of God as Creator, Edwards presents a thoroughly Trinitarian approach exploring the ecological dimension not only of God as creator, but as Redeemer of life in all its richness, and as the Sprit that animates all life forms and all of creation.
Making the connection between ecological commitment and Jesus of Nazareth is at the center of a Christian ecological theology. This commitment is not something that can be taken for granted. It is far from obvious to many people that ecology has anything to do with Jesus. Numbers of Christians who are deeply committed to ecology find it easy enough to see their commitment in relation to God as Creator, but they cannot see a connection with the story of Jesus.
It is an urgent task for theology to show the interconnection between the living memory of Jesus and the issues that confront the global community.
And later in the same section, Edwards concludes:
Divine compassion is directed to the whole world. It reaches out beyond the human community to embrace ‘all things’ in the reconciliation of Christ (Col 1:15-20).
The recent Darwin Bicentennial triggered a fresh flurry of press attention on the creationists and evolutionists debate. Edwards’ book, while clearly focused on ecology, also provides insightful commentary on the questions of creation and evolution without succumbing to either oversimplification or hubris. For pastors, teachers, and students who must, from time to time, debate Biblical creationists, this book models a good-natured respect for all points of view. The author is respectful of people’s legitimate differences of opinion, while he builds his compelling case that the open-minded pursuit of scientific truth is essential to deepening our understanding of God’s hand at work in the world. Edwards nimbly weaves a tapestry from a vast range of sources including, to name just a few, cutting edge scientific cosmology, evolutionary biology, Scripture, Iranaeus, Aquinas, Bonhoeffer, Rahner, and Teilhard de Chardin. The author not only references an immense spectrum of scientific and theological thought, both ancient and contemporary, but astonishingly, he is able to distill it to only 123 pages of text.
As the author grapples with some of the most perplexing and unanswerable questions of divine creation, evolution, life, and death; he does so in a manner that combines intellectual integrity and appreciation of scientific truths with a profoundly Christian perspective. Here is a sample from the section entitled The Spirit in the Groaning of Creation:
More than any other generation we know that the cost of evolution, including pain and death, are built into the process of the evolution of life. For those who believe in a Creator, the conclusion is inescapable — God has chosen to create through emergence and evolution with its associated costs. The ancient question arises: If God is good and all-powerful, why does God create in this way? Theology does not have a complete answer to offer. It stands before a God of incomprehensible and uncontrollable mystery. It can only ever make a humble human attempt at articulating what can be said about a God who transcends limited human concepts and words. Christianity cannot claim to have the whole picture about God’s purposes and God’s action in creating. It does not know why creation takes the shape it does.
Christians are convinced, however, that the incomprehensible God has come close to us in Jesus. On the basis of this self-revelation of God in Christ, some profoundly important things can be said: that God is a God of radical compassion and love, that in the cross God enters into and embraces the suffering of a suffering world, that death is not the final meaning, and that God is a God who brings life out of death.
The slim book is not a quick read, but it is a potentially perspective-changing one. The book could serve as a particularly useful resource for college students who are sincerely vexed by the questions of science, faith, ecology, creation, evolution, life, and death. By exploring questions of ecology and theology it encourages questioning, reflection, and discussion of some of the same basic issues as creation and evolution but without the immediately polarization that too often precludes meaningful discussion of these topics.
Edward’s book is a both thoughtful and thought-provoking. It is an approachable and fascinating work characterized by perfectly-turned phrases and clear thinking.
