God’s Good Earth: The Case for an Unfallen Creation
Ebook
Overview
God’s world was created “very good,” Genesis chapter 1 tells us, and in this book Jon Garvey rediscovers the truth, known to the Church for its first 1,500 years but largely forgotten now, that the fall of mankind did not lessen that goodness. The natural creation does not require any apologies or excuses, but rather celebration and praise. The author’s re-examination of the scriptural evidence, the writings of two millennia of Christian theologians, and the physical evidence of the world itself lead to the conclusion that we, both as Christians and as modern Westerners, have badly misunderstood our world. Restoring a truer vision of the goodness of the present creation can transform our own lives, sharpen the ministry of the church to the world of both people and nature, and give us a better understanding of what God always intended to bring about through Christ in the age to come.
Top Highlights
“In the first section, I sought to show that the Bible’s position is that the natural creation remains God’s servant, and has not become corrupted or evil because of human sin. The second section was about the witness of scholars of Scripture and theology down the years, suggesting that until recent centuries the same positive view of nature overwhelmingly predominated. The third section, up until this point, has been intended to show that what we see in the natural state of things is consistent with such a ‘good’ creation.” (source)
“The animal references must be understood in this context, rather than as a description of nature in the raw. In each case a wild animal is paired with the livestock to which, in this present age, the latter might fall prey, to the loss of the farmer. No wild herbivores are mentioned. It is more to do with the Israelite landholder dwelling in God’s promised safety than the correction of a cruel natural order.” (source)
“All Darwinian evolution, on the other hand, is entirely divorced from any motivations at all,267 other than those common to all life (to eat if hungry, for example). One is born with some pattern of variations, and it may or may not result in ones breeding somewhat better and so contributing more to the gene pool.” (source)
“A beautifully written book that can be read for pure enjoyment
and enlightenment, and/or used as a scholarly resource on the
essential problem of evil in God’s creation. The optimistic theme
is a rare commodity in the modern marketplace of ideas. The
chapters on science are a powerful antidote to the prevailing
popular view of evolution as a violent deadly struggle. A book full
of new ideas, fresh approaches, and profound insights.”
—Seymour Garte, and Editor-in-Chief, God and Nature
Magazine
“A book that will bring us back to celebrating the joys and
goodness of creation rather than mourning its destruction and
fallen state. This demands positive action from us.”
—Ghillean T. Prance, Scientific Director of The Eden Project
“Jon Garvey has written a challenging but necessary work on the
goodness of creation. From opposite ends of the spectrum, young
earth creationists and theistic evolutionists assume that radical
evil permeates the natural order, in the form of earthquakes,
predatory carnivores, etc. Garvey critiques this view, building a
case from scripture and classical theology that humanity alone, not
the whole created order, is fallen. This vindication of creation’s
goodness is a welcome rebuttal of modern-day Gnosticism.”
—Nick Needham, Highland Theological College, Scotland
“Jon Garvey’s astounding thesis, that the Bible does not teach the
fall of nature due to human sin, seems on first hearing simply
misguided. But his tour though biblical creation texts and the
history of Christian theology is a revelation. Not only does
Scripture clearly teach God’s providence in creation’s
wildness—including animal predation—but the idea of nature’s fall
becomes popular only in the sixteenth century onwards. This is a
brilliant book!”
—J. Richard Middleton, Northeastern Seminary at Roberts Wesleyan
College
Product Details
- Title : God’s Good Earth: The Case for an Unfallen Creation
- Author: Garvey, Jon
- Publisher: Cascade Books
- Publication Date: 2019
- ISBN: 9781532652028
Born in Guildford, England, Jon Garvey studied medicine at Pembroke College, Cambridge University. Since 2011 his blog, The Hump of the Camel, has explored the theology of creation, attracting an extensive readership in the US, UK, and across the world. He now lives in rural Devonshire, within sight of England's Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site. He is married, with three children and five granddaughters, is a Baptist elder, and plays guitar and saxophone semi-professionally.
Reviews
1 rating
SideWinder
7/8/2024
This is a very interesting, thought-provoking book. However, attention Logos!! The text linkages are an unmitigated train wreck! In many cases, two footnotes are bundled under the text link to the first. If the text link to the second is clicked, there is nothing linked to it so the text defaults to the beginning of the chapter. Many scriptural text references have transposed letters and numbers. Some text links are just a meaningless string of numbers (example, "111222"). Chapter numbers and even the letter capital "I" often are formatted as links to nowhere. Whole sections of text appear as single links. Most of the text in dark screen mode is sepia in color with an occasional random section in white. The overall effect of these errors is significantly reduced, herky-jerky readability and difficulty in following the continuity of the author's arguments. If I were rating this on the formatting, I'd give it only one star. However, that would be unfair to the author who deserves much better from Logos. This book needs a complete overhaul!
