Arts and Humanities Commons^™

Salvation Means Creation Healed: Creation, Cross, Kingdom And Mission, Howard A. Snyder

The Asbury Journal

Global warming, hurricanes and violent storms raise fundamental questions about how Christians understand the relationship between God, human beings, and the entire created order. The issue is not just the ethical one of responding to environmental concerns; it is the more basic one of the nature of salvation itself as revealed in Scripture. Salvation through Jesus Christ by the Holy Spirit is the story of God redeeming and healing his creation, and this in turn defines the nature of Christian mission.

For multiple reasons explored here, evangelicals have often neglected or positively denied Christian responsibility to address ecological issues. This …

Anticipating The New Creation: Wesleyan Foundations For Holistic Mission, Randy L. Maddox

The Asbury Journal

This essay provides a brief orientation to the public debate over the last forty years about the implications of the Christian worldview for environmental concern. It then explores the mature writings of John Wesley (and some of Charles Wesley's hymns), seeking to highlight those convictions that emphasize God's care for the whole creation and that call upon us to participate in this care. These Wesleyan convictions are developed in direct dialogue with the most common charges leveled against the Christian worldview as unsupportive or even detrimental to environmental concern. The article also highlights how Wesley sharpened his commitment to those …

A Biblical Theology Of Creation Care, Sandra Richter

The Asbury Journal

This essay briefly considers the seemingly modern topic of creation- care through a biblical theological lens, asking the question: "Is environmentalism a Christian value?" Tracing the narrative of Redemption from the Garden to the New Jerusalem (with particular attention given to the norms of Israelite society as regards land tenure and creature care), this article demonstrates that biblical law from every era communicates a similar theme: the earth, its produce, and its inhabitants belong to God, not to humanity. Moreover, according to Scripture, humanity's role as regards the creation is that of steward. God takes great pleasure in his creation, …