God’s Good World: Reclaiming the Doctrine of Creation

As the creation vs. evolution controversy rages on, each side appeals to science to buttress its claims. In this fine work, author Wilson (Living Faithfully in a Fragmented World) insists that the questions are theological rather than scientific. At the outset, Wilson states his premise: that it is impossible to understand the doctrine of creation unless it is placed in the context of the doctrine of redemption. The two ideas, he insists, are mutually dependent—one without the other lacks the integrity and vigor of an authentic spiritual understanding. The author, a theologian at Carey Theological Seminary, approaches his subject from the standpoint of a committed disciple, one who has come to recognize the desperate need of the modern church to reclaim the creation narratives as expressions of Israel’s redemptive experience. “Christians should have a lively, disruptive, alternative account of reality created not by our technology but given by the Triune Creator and Redeemer,” he writes. It is only in the context of this reality that the church can fully comprehend the immensity of God. (Apr.)