In this well-argued and timely book, Bauckham considers the relationship of humans to the rest of creation. He argues that there is much more to the Bible's understanding of this relationship than the mandate of human dominion given in Genesis 1, which has too often been used as a justification for domination and exploitation of the earth's resources. He also critiques the notion of stewardship as being on the one hand presumptuous, and on the other too general a term to explain our key responsibilities in caring for the earth. In countering this, he considers other biblical perspectives, including the book of Job, the Psalms and the Gospels, and re-evaluates the biblical tradition of 'dominion', in favour of a 'community of creation'. With its clear analysis and thought-provoking conclusions, The Bible and Ecology, is an essential read for anyone interested in a biblically grounded approach to ecology.

Bible And Ecology and Who Is God?: Key Moments of Biblical Revelation

Who Is God?: Key Moments of Biblical Revelation

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Richard Bauckham has built up a strong reputation as a thoughtful Biblical scholar and, as the title of this book suggests, he has brought this insight to bear on the issue of Ecology. What we have, therefore, is a consideration of what the Bible might say about the relationship between the human and the rest of creation. The book opens with a discussion of the role of a steward - humans being called to be stewards of the earth - and what this relationship might imply. A range of different interpretations are surveyed before Bauckham gives his own, which 'cannot be easily summed up by a single term such as stewardship' Instead, he describes the human as 'one creature amongst others' who is to respect creation and make limited use of its resources whilst reflecting 'God's own care for his creation'. The second chapter considers Job 38ff , which is presented as God 'putting us in our place' and puncturing an all too human hubris. The third chapter follows on by suggesting that the human is part of a 'community of creation' which share their dependence upon the creation God. The human is to be a servant and not a master in a creation which not only reflects the glory of God but is also his sanctuary. The fourth chapter introduces the notion of 'ecotopia' where there is peace within creation and between those who make up the created order. The final chapter, fittingly, deals with the New Testament's 'christological rendering of the Old Testament's understanding of creation'. Here the Bible's meta-narrative of Creation (and New Creation) is dealt with, and eschatology is reimagined as ecotopia. In all, this is a welcome addition to the writings on Ecology and one which reflects the author's deep concern with scripture. A good read. See also Guest reviewer's recommendation - Editor

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