Michael Abbate’s Gardening Eden is everything I had hoped it would be:
Well-written
Authoritative
Fresh
Honest
Grounded
Abbate combines his experience as a landscape architect and his knowledge of biblical text to present a compelling argument for his assertion that Christians should be at the leading edge of environmental protection.
“People of faith claim to know the the Artist but lack any compunction for protecting the artwork.”
Gardening Eden presents reasoned answers to questions raised by skepticism about motive resulting from political differences.
“It’s not necessary to have complete agreement with any one point of view to be good stewards of our planet. We don’t have to accept a political point of view or oppose another to be advocates for the environment.“
I was challenged by Gardening Eden to think differently about the idea of protecting endangered species of plants and animals. My attitude has been one of concern for the larger animals such as bears, birds and whales, but indifference toward the fate of insignificant insects and pond dwellers. Abbate makes a strong case for the significance of every species by reminding his readers that God created everything and must have had a purpose for every living thing. By ignoring the fate of even the tiniest creature, we are ignoring something that was critical to God’s plan for creation.
For those of us who are in the “green” camp, Gardening Eden is a welcome breath of fresh air, providing conversation starters for dialog with our skeptical friends.
The term “creation care” is being heard more frequently in churches these days and my hope is that Gardening Eden will become a guidebook for people of faith who want to glorify their Creator by protecting His creation.
