The doctrine of creation is crucial to the Christian faith, but it has often been maligned, misinterpreted, or ignored.

Some, such as pagan philosophers and Gnostics, have tended to denigrate the goodness of the material world. More recently, new questions have emerged regarding human origins in light of the Darwinian account of evolution. What does it mean today to both affirm the goodness of God's creation and anticipate the new creation?

The Center for Pastor Theologians (CPT) seeks to assist pastors in the study and production of biblical and theological scholarship for the theological renewal of the church and the ecclesial renewal of theology. Based on the third annual CPT conference, this volume bringstogether the reflections of church leaders, academic theologians, and scientists on the importance—and the many dimensions—of the doctrine of creation.

Contributors engage with Scripture and scientific theory, draw on examples from church history, and delve into current issues in contemporary culture in order to help Christians understand the beginning and ending of God's good creation.

Based on annual CPT conferences, the volumes in the Center for Pastor Theologians series bring together the reflections of pastors and theologians who desire to make ongoing contributions to the wider scholarly community for the renewal of both theology and the church.



Todd Wilson is the president and cofounder of the Center for Pastor Theologians and the former senior pastor of Calvary Memorial Church. He holds a PhD from University of Cambridge and is the author of Mere Sexuality and Real Christian, as well as coauthor of The Pastor Theologian. He and his family live in Oak Park, Illinois.







Gerald L. Hiestand (PhD, University of Reading) is the senior pastor at Calvary Memorial Church in Oak Park, Illinois, and the cofounder and director of the Center for Pastor Theologians. He is coauthor of The Pastor Theologian: Resurrecting an Ancient Vision and coeditor of Becoming a Pastor Theologian; Beauty, Order, and Mystery; and Creation and Doxology.



Acknowledgments

Introduction: In Praise of Beauty: The Native Connection Between Creation and Doxology (Gerald Hiestand and Todd Wilson)



Part I: The Doctrine of Creation Expressed

1. Reading Genesis 1 with theFourth Commandment: The Creation Week as a Calandar Narrative (Michael LeFebvre)

2. Galaxies, Genes, and the Glory of God (Deb Haarsma)

3. Mere Creation: Ten Theses (Most) Evangelicals Can (Mostly) Agree On (Todd Wilson)

4. All Truth Is God's Truth: A Defense of Dogmatic Creationism (Hans Madueme)



Part II: The Doctrine of Creation Explored

5. Is the World Sacramental? Ontology, Language, and Scripture (Jeremy Mann)

6. Irenaeus, the Devil, and the Goodness of Creation: How Iranaeus's Account of the Devil Reshapes the Christian Narrative in a Pro-terrestial Direction (Gerald Hiestand)

7. Wendell Berry and the Materiality of Creation (Stephen Witmer)

8. Creation, New Creation, and the So-Called Mission of God (John Walton)



Part III: The Doctrine of Creation Practiced

9. Intellectually Frustrated Atheists and Intellectually Frustrated Christians: The Strange Opportunity of the Late-Modern World (Andy Crouch)

10. It All Begins in Genesis: Thinking Theologically about Medicine, Technology, and the Christian Life (Paige Comstock Cunningham)

11. Justice, Creation, and New Creation: In Christ All Things Hold Together (Kristen Deede Johnson)

12. Creation, Theology, and One Local Church in Southern California (Gregory Waybright)

Contributors

Author Index

Subject Index

Scripture Index