Our Father's World: Mobilizing the Church to Care for Creation

by Edward R. Brown

Environmentalists have pleaded with Christian leaders to take up the challenge of caring for the environment. How should Christians respond to the environmental crisis? What does the Bible have to say about creation care and the responsibility of Christians? Edward Brown offers a biblical framework for creation care as well as practical steps that ordinary Christians can take to exercise good ecological stewardship. As a pioneering leader of the evangelical creation care movement, Brown provides a new model for "environmental missions," in which Christian organizations respond to ecological crises in ways that transform both the people and the land that sustains them. This book is filled with ideas that students, churches, mission agencies and all concerned Christians can implement at home and around the world.

Genres: Environment, Nonfiction, Social Justice, Christian

203 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2006

Reviews

[Neal Bringe · Rating 3 out of 5]

Edward Brown presents the core issue well as a problem of the sinful human heart which breaks relationships with God, self, each other and the rest of creation. Apart from God, one is unfulfilled and dissatisfied, leading to a consumer driven lifestyle also called affluenza. Neither technology nor regulation can solve the problem. Jesus is the one who reconciles all things which will be in its fullness after He returns. The call of the book is for the church to implement the plan of redemption and reconciliation including creation care. “The church is capable of addressing every issue: repentance from sin, motivation for individual action, courage and influence to change corporate behavior, and the ability to recruit and mobilize millions of people from volunteers to scientists.” Mr. Brown suggests that we need worship that leads to wonder and awe, teaching and preaching that emphasizes the comprehensive nature of God’s redemptive plan. We need to instill these values in the next generation, reach out to our communities, and missionary outreach programs that integrate creation-care within traditional church planting and evangelism. The experience is that every program is richer and more meaningful with creation care. A call to increase the use of creation in children’s instruction is needed, as the Creator has hardwired them to make powerful connections with creation. “And when the love and excitement about God’s world is paired with a love and appreciation for God’s word … the result will be an experience that children will take with them the rest of their lives.” There is also a call to include creation care in seminary training and evangelism. Sound theology in the endeavor includes dependence on God, working through the church, training in technical subjects and the Bible, and relying on prayer as much as on planning. I think the book could benefit by narrowing the breath of the narrative to the above points.

[Leah · Rating 4 out of 5]

With fewer than 200 pages, Our Father's World is a handbook individuals, groups, classes, or committees could study to increase their own awareness and participation in caring for all creation as well as helping create opportunities for others around them to do so. Ed Brown cautions us the environmental crisis is a crisis of population, of prosperity, of poverty, and of spirituality. He essentially writes from and to a North American context, yet clearly describes an interdependent world where contentment with micro living space in one city effectively may degrade waters and forests in another country some distance away. Although he does not propose a one-size-fits-all creation care and environmental stewardship solution, the author wisely says we need to get beyond apparent symptoms. He describes creation as "sacred" rather than divine [page 49], creation itself as sacred worship space--a theme presented at several points in the book. I especially enjoyed chapter 8 on "Creation-Caring Worship," with suggestions as to how we can sing and pray alongside creation.

The book is in two basic sections: The Message, "Why the Church Must Care for Creation"; and The Mission, "Mobilizing the Church to Care for Creation," and without a doubt, we need to do this together. I love his words at the end of chapter 6, Ambassadors of Redemption: "It's this very hybrid character of the church that allows it to bring something unique to the real problems of the environmental crisis. The church can deliver spiritual power to practical problems."

Brown comes from a relatively conservative evangelical background rather than a fundamentalist or mainline one, but I cannot imagine any person of any or no faith tradition not appreciating his analysis and his ideas for helping solve the crisis. This is a book for all generations!

[Frankthe · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a good book to show that Christians should care about creation and it shows how Christians, mostly churches, can help restore the environment. Needs more Bible passages to show that Christians should care about creation and it needs more ways that individual Christians can help restore the environment. However, this was not the point of the book, the point of the book was to try to get churches to help restore the environment which it did. I would recommend this book to pastors or people that work in the church, but not to Christians who don't.

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

Brown has a very comprehensive take on the realities of being a Christian and caring for creation. He is unflinching in his call to action, but also encouraging, inspiring, and authoritative. His own missional environmental work is fascinating and he offers a well-written in-depth look at creation care. Brown also provides a lot of incredibly useful advice and resources for church leaders and members looking to incorporate creation care values in every part of their church.

[Eric · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book provides a basic theology of creation care but is not really that convincing at times. It offers nothing radical in terms of what we should actually do. This book really has very little to offer except to a Christian who has no concept of caring about the environment. Fortunately for the author there are lots of those.