Tending to Eden (Part 1)

Scott

Media + Creation: a series which explores all things green and creation care related as found in the media and pop culture

Tending to Eden (Part 1)

A new creation care book came out recently and I have been fortunate enough to participate in the blog tour. The book is Tending to Eden: Environmental Stewardship for God’s People by Scott Sabin, executive director of Plant with Purpose.

Freebie note: we will be giving away a free, autographed copy of Tending to Eden. Read to the end for instructions.

Over the next week I will be publishing 3 posts (including this one) about this great book. Today’s is mostly an introduction to the book and a brief look inside. Next, I will let you in on the details from my interview with Scott. Finally, I will review the book. We will conclude the series in royal fashion by giving away the signed copy of the book to one lucky reader. Okay, we maybe that’s not “royal fashion,” but it is certainly something worth getting excited about.

About Tending to Eden

Let’s begin with the description from Amazon:

Written by Scott Sabin, executive director of a Christian relief and development agency, Tending to Eden is an invaluable resource for environmentally conscious congregations and community groups. In this practical guide for creation care, Sabin offers: Theological foundations for environmental stewardship, Practical strategies, Case studies of contemporary ministry groups, and Sidebars by leading voices in the Christian church who are passionate about environmental stewardship. Each chapter also includes a study guide for small-group use, and the appendix offers a related Bible study. With the holistic tools provided in this innovative and practical resource, churches and organizations can transform lives, communities, and ministries.

A look inside

If you are interested in getting more of a look inside Tending to Eden, here are a several quotes for you (a few short ones and 1 longer one).

Environmental restoration leading to economic opportunity is a virtuous cycle. As it brings glory to God, it becomes a victorious cycle, a foreshadowing of the kingdom to come.

We must make the connection between creation care and justice if we want to have an impact on the problems of the poor and oppressed in our own country and around the world. Environmental problems and their solutions transcend race, border, and economic class, and yet we must not ignore the disproportionate impact these problems have on economically disadvantaged and marginalized communities.Any comprehensive creation-care program must respond to the needs of the poor and the marginalized — working alongside them to clean up their neighborhoods, fight their oppressors, protect their reefs, preserve their rivers, and replant their forests.

Taking care of creation isn’t just about saving the whales or the spotted owl (although these concerns are far more important than the skeptics would have us believe). Creation care isn’t just about reduce, reuse, recycle. And it certainly isn’t about keeping others out or exporting our own environmental problems to other countries so America can remain pristine. It is about preserving creatures and conserving wilderness, but it is also about saving neighborhoods fromour waste, and improving the health and safety of children who live there. It is about working for justice for poor families in Appalachia and collaborating with poor farmers around the world who are struggling to produce food under increasingly difficult circumstances. Justice for the poor and oppressed should be a seamless part of creation care, just as creation care is fundamental to proclaiming and demonstrating God’s kingdom to all of creation.

When we ask, “What else must I do?” the answer is always “The next thing.” We are called to take the next step—but only the next step. One at a time. I have only begun to take the first steps. They have been far less painful than I expected. Lord willing, I will be able to take more steps toward being a good steward. How much is enough? There is no “enough.”

Whatever steps we take, we can be certain our labor will not be in vain. Jesus loves his creation and has a plan to redeem it. And we have been given a role to play in that redemption. So let’s get in the game.

More about Scott’s work

If you want to learn more about Scott Sabin’s work with Plant With Purpose, check out their website. And/or you can check out the video below.

Freebie Info

Next Friday, March 12th at 5:00pm PST we will hold a random drawing to determine the winner of the free, autographed copy of Tending to Eden. In order to qualify you must do one of the following:

Comment on any of the 3 Tending to Eden blog posts (this or one of the upcoming ones)
Tweet the following “I just entered to win a free copy of the book Tending to Eden from @creationhope. To enter go to http://bit.ly/bJqxkF #CreationHopeGiveaway”

Only one opportunity per person per option above (which means only 1 opportunity regardless of how many times you comment; only 1 opportunity regardless of how many times you tweet; with a maximum of 2 opportunities total to win). Comments and tweets must be made by 4:30pm PST on March 12, 2010. Sorry, only available to those in the Unites States. Please do not enter if you do not intend to read the book.

Tending to Eden (Part 1)