Brown - Our Father’s World

But as I look out over this small, Midwestern congregation, it hardly seems like a mighty army. We’re in the heart of the American Midwest, in an old farming community. The worshipers are all of European descent. Some have been in this community and in this church for several generations; others are new arrivals. They work their farms and in the local community college and in industry and retail in a slightly larger community west and north of us.

 

They’ve gathered on this Sunday, as others like them have done here for more than 150 years, to worship, pray, learn from the words of Scripture and wrestle with the issues in their individual lives and their community. When the service is over, their discussions will revolve around the fortunes of the high-school sports teams, the prospect of a cold (or warm) winter and who is going to be on duty for nursery next Sunday.

It’s hard to believe that it is already twelve years since the first edition of this book was published, and ten since the last revision. We might have hoped, and even expected, that the condition of God’s creation would have improved at least a little in that time. Alas, “improvement” is not the first word that comes to mind when headlines like these dominate our news feeds:

• “A New Normal for California: Destructive WildfiresThroughout the State” (LA Times, July 31, 2018)

• “Red-hot planet: All-time heat records have been set all over the world during the past week” (Washington Post, July 3, 2018)

• “Will there be more fish or plastic in the sea in 2050?” (BBC News, Feb 15, 2016)

• “World to Lose Two-Thirds of Wild Animals by 2020?”(National Geographic, Oct 27, 2016)

 

I am not sure there is any measure with which we can say that the condition of God’s creation is better than it was ten years ago; in almost every case, it is much, much worse than it was.

On the other hand, changing the headlines is not what it’s about. I still hope that someday soon we’ll start to see news stories that indicate that things are moving in a different direction, but my goal and the purpose for this book is more modest, though still ambitious: to change the conversation within the global church family. I am convinced that if we can get to the point where it is normal and expected for Christians to care about God’s creation, and to live that way, the headlines will take care of themselves.

 

And in some ways, things really are different than they were ten years ago. The conversation is already changing, and the church actually is waking up to this issue around the world. There are still far too many of us for whom caring for God’s creation remains a novel idea or worse, who believe that this is something Christians should not be involved in. If you are one of those, I’m glad you’ve found this book, and I hope you’ll give me a chance to convince you otherwise. To my mind, there are few things more biblical or closer to the heart of God than that his people should take their responsibility to care for his world seriously.

 

If you are a returning reader, welcome! This edition of Our Father’s World is a revision, not a complete rewrite – the chapters and logical arguments remain the same. You will find new information, particularly with regard to shocking numbers about our wholesale destruction of God’s creatures and the loss of biodiversity in chapters one and two. Several excellent new books on this topic have been published in recent years. I have cited some of these at various points in the book, and more can be found in the reference list. In addition, chapters nine and twelve in particular offer a current snapshot of developments on Christian college campuses and with the global Lausanne/WEA Creation Care network.