author: T. Wilson Dickinson
title: The Green Good News
publisher: Cascade Books
date: 2019
On the surface The Green Good News is about ecology, the environment, gardening... you know all that green stuff. And it is good stuff.
title: The Green Good Newspublisher: Cascade Books
date: 2019
On the surface The Green Good News is about ecology, the environment, gardening... you know all that green stuff. And it is good stuff.
But the book is about much more. It takes a holistic approach to life. Unlike too many "Christian" books on the environment, "being green" is not a tack on - it is rooted in God's creation and in his re-creation of the new heavens and the new earth. The author takes us on a journey through scripture, showing how living now is connected to how Jesus calls us to live as his disciples. The subtitle: "Christ's Path to Sustainable and Joyful Life" tells us that the Gospel and Green go together.
I read this book in the middle of a global pandemic. Our world is in so much pain, that it groans, as Paul reminds us in Romans. The damage we have done to the environment... rising temperatures, rising water levels, weather extremes, carbon emissions, resource consumption, disease, extinctions... it seems that there is little good news. And many respond with an "I guess there is nothing we can do" attitude. And while ultimately we wait for the new heavens and the new earth, our attitude and approach to living in this broken world is not one of giving up.
Dickinson's book is about partnering with God for the world, reminding us that proclaiming the good news puts Jesus at the crossroads of earth and empire. But as followers of Jesus, we live transformative shared lives.
Dickinson's book is about healing - both in the 1st-century context in which Jesus lived and, in our day, where we are to continue to confront the power and wealth of the empire for the sake of the vulnerable.
I would recommend The Green Good News. It's a book that is right for our day. If you are looking for an introduction to a holistic biblical view of the environment, peace and justice, this is a good place to start.
#TheGreenGoodNews
A review copy was provided by speakeasy.
All opinions are my own.
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