Tending to Eden (Part 2)

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

On Friday we kicked off a mini-series exploring the new creation care book, Tending to Eden.  In part 1, I introduced you to the book.  We looked at its content, some quotes, the author Scott Sabin, and his work with Plant With Purpose.  And we also offered you an opportunity to win a free copy of the book (entry details below).  Also, be looking for a review of the book on Friday.

Last week I had the opportunity to interview Scott about Tending to Eden.  I had a great time talking with this interesting author and leader.  Below I have included some of the highlights of the interview which will give you further insight into the book and who he is.

What prompted you to write this book?

Well, its kind of a funny story. It kinda happened to me I guess. It’s indicative of the growing interest in creation care/ Christian environmental stewardship.  We put together a Bible study, actually the Bible study in the index.  Several publishers came back to us and said, “the Bible study won’t stand alone. You know, we’d love it as part of a series or as a book.” And so we thought about what kind of book we’d like to see. After a fair amount of negotiation the one you have is what came out. I was shocked having tried to publish material in the past that we had several publishers come to us excited about this idea.

Who is the intended audience for this book?

In my mind it was the many donors that I was talking to over the years who just didn’t quite get it. The people who said we like the economic development, but why trees. The people who said you guys are a little off. I was writing to persuade people who are on the fence about the whole environmental thing. That’s why in a lot of places I use the language they could relate to as much as possible….

A secondary audience was the people who are interested in the environment or are interested in caring for the poor but haven’t quite seen the connection. The people who say, “Yeah this is great but how can we worry about creation when people are starving” – to draw that connection together.

If you could condense the message into one sentence or paragraph, what would it be?

First of all, I want to make the point that creation care is a justice issue, that God loves his creation and that it is part of his plan for redemption. And we have a stewardship responsibility that we should take very seriously.

I especially appreciate how you highlight the hope we have in Jesus. Obviously that is extremely important to us at Creation Hope. Can you elaborate on that hope a bit?

First of all, I think the need for hope is tremendous. The more you immerse yourself in what is going on in creation, the more discouraged you can get. Take Haiti as an example. You look at the rate of deforestation and the demand for charcoal and you look at what we are able to do and the comparison is just… well, someone once said it’s like spitting in the ocean. I’m not sure if that’s a metaphor or not, but you look at the relative scale and it sort of is.

You look at the fact that Jesus promises redemption and we know that he will not be thwarted in his purposes. We know that he cares and loves his creation more than we do and doesn’t tend to throw things away.  I don’t know how things are going to play out…. I do know that there’s a plan that will take into account all of this that has been created.

The other thing I have learned as I have immersed myself more in creation is just the intricacy and the diversity and to me that gives me a lot of hope as well. I think some of our traditional ideas about heaven tend to be sort of boring. And you look at creation and realize that this is created by the same person that promises us eternal life. And to me that gives great assurance.

The story of the feeding of the 5,000 is tremendous in that in the position that the disciples and the boy who comes up with the fish and loaves are in if you just look at that tiny, little story, it’s sort of a microcosm. They don’t have any hope of feeding the 5,000 they just step out in obedience. I think that’s where we are. Go back to Haiti. We don’t have any hope of reforesting Haiti, but we step out in obedience following the call, confident that God has a plan of redemption for Haiti.

What is your favorite creation care book?

One of the underappreciated ones… that I thought was wonderful was Steven Bouma Prediger’s book [For the Beauty of the Earth: A Christian Vision for Creation Care (Engaging Culture)]. I think it’s underappreciated, partly because it’s been out for quite a while. That’s one of my favorites.  {Side note: This is also my personal favorite.  Review of the upcoming edition coming soon.}

What is your favorite way that you personally care for God’s creation?

As far as actually caring for creation – this may be a cop out – but what we do here and are trying to do here … trying to make it possible for people trapped in that cycle to live in a mutually beneficial relationship with their local environment.

Where I get excited is seeing hillsides that were eroded and barren covered with dark rich soil and trees and places where there are small little streams flowing that were dry before. That’s what really gets me excited.

Is there anything else that you wish you could have said that you would like to share with our readers?

There are some things I am thinking about… ideas that have occurred to me since. – The idea of kingdom relationships being life-giving and therefore as citizens of the kingdom, how we can be life-giving in our relationship with creation. These are ideas that I want to explore in the future. We spend a lot of time talking about reducing our footprint but I wonder how we can actually be restorative in our relationships rather than just mitigating our own damage…. It’s probably not possible this side of Christ’s return any more than it’s possible to bring about world peace by turning the other cheek. Nonetheless, we can live as if – because we are citizens of the kingdom – there’s a real sense in which we are living that out.

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:

1. Comment on any of the 3 Tending to Eden blog posts (part 1, this one, or the upcoming book review)
2. 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.

Also consider:

Tending to Eden (Part 1)

Eco Theology: To Serve and Protect

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