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FEATURE
These examples are really just the tip
of the iceberg and once we begin to
see the Bible in this light, the narrative
suddenly becomes a whole lot wider;
the Gospel is no longer about just
saving souls into a disembodied
heaven, but is rather about the
redemption of all things : ‘For God was
pleased to have all his fullness dwell
in him, and through him to reconcile
to himself all things, whether
things on earth or things
in heaven, by making
peace through his blood, shed on the
cross’ (Colossians 1:19,20, NIV). Or
as Tom Wright puts it in his brilliant
book Surprised by Hope, ‘God will
redeem the whole universe; Jesus’
resurrection is the beginning of that
new life, the fresh grass growing
through the concrete of corruption
and decay in the old world.’4
Once the centrality of creation in
the biblical narrative has been
acknowledged, it is important to
challenge the preconceptions we
Christians hold about creation. The
first viewpoint – that creation care is
insidious – can be refuted by asking how
we can really claim to love God, and yet
willfully destroy what he has lovingly
created. The second perspective, that
creation care is irrelevant to the greater
evangelical vocation – seems to be
based on a dualistic belief that
separates mind/soul
from body, placing
little value on matter.5
AT THE HEART OF OUR LIFE
OF WORSHIP WE CELEBRATE A
MEAL. AND THAT QPS B