Chapter 5 of For the Beauty of the Earth, by Steven Bouma-Prediger is called "How should we think of the earth? A theology and ethic of care for the earth." The most promising ecological ethic is one that asks not primarily, What do we need to do? but Who do we need to be? Neither …
Category: Quotes
For the Beauty of the Earth — Chapter 4
Chapter 4 of For the Beauty of the Earth: A Christian Vision for Creation Care by Stephen Bouma-Prediger is called Is there a connection between scripture and ecology? --- Biblical wisdom and ecological vision. Some lessons from Genesis 1-2: God is the creator of all things. Humans are given the delegated, royal responsibility of ruling …
For the Beauty of the Earth — Chapter 3 — Complaint #3
I'm continuing my summary and review of For the Beauty of the Earth: A Christian Vision for Creation Care by Steven Bouma-Prediger. The third reason that many environmentalists blame Christianity for the ecological crisis is eschatological: If this world is going to burn, why take care of it? If Jesus is coming back soon, why …
Continue reading For the Beauty of the Earth — Chapter 3 — Complaint #3
The Great Exchange
Consider the following quote from Martin Luther with supporting verses from the Scriptures: Learn Christ and him crucified. Learn to sing to him and, despairing of yourself, say, "Lord Jesus, you are my righteousness, just as I am your sin. You have taken upon yourself what is mine and have given me what is yours. …
Knowing God – Chapter 9
Chapter 9 of Knowing God by J.I. Packer is "God Only Wise." Wisdom is the power to see, and the inclination to choose, the best and highest goal, together with the surest means of attaining it. In God boundless wisdom and endless power are united, and this makes him utterly worthy of our fullest trust. …
For the Beauty of the Earth — Chapter 3 — Complaint #2
Last week I started summarizing the complaints that some environmentalists have against Christianity as presented in chapter 3 of For the Beauty of the Earth, by Steven Bouma-Prediger. In my previous post on this, I presented the first complaint, which was that the Genesis 1:28 mandate that gave humans dominion over the creation leads to …
Continue reading For the Beauty of the Earth — Chapter 3 — Complaint #2
Knowing God – Chapter 8 Quotes
We took a break from going through Knowing God by J.I. Packer at the dinner table, but now we are back into it. Chapter 8 is "The Majesty of God." Here are a few good quotes: How may we form a right idea of God's greatness? The Bible teaches us two steps that we must …
For the Beauty of the Earth — Chapter 3 — Complaint #1
A continuation of my review of For the Beauty of the Earth, by Steven Bouma-Prediger. I'm going through chapter 3, which is "Is Christianity to Blame? The Ecological Complaint Against Christianity." The author discusses four common complaints that environmentalists have against Christianity, starting with: The first is that monotheism in general, and Christianity in particular, …
Continue reading For the Beauty of the Earth — Chapter 3 — Complaint #1
For the Beauty of the Earth — Chapter 3
Chapter 3 of For the Beauty of the Earth by Steven Bouma-Prediger is called "Is Christianity to Blame? The Ecological Complaint Against Christianity." Among many environmentalists, the strong emotions felt against Christianity is as strong as that which many conservative Christians have against "tree-hugging enviro-wackos." Consider these statements from the Sierra Club's magazine Sierra: To …
For the Beauty of the Earth — Chapter 2
The second chapter of For the Beauty of the Earth: A Christian Vision for Creation Care is "What's Wrong With the World? The Groaning of Creation." It is difficult to deny that we humans, though given the divine mandate in Genesis 1 to be caretakers of the Earth, have had a serious negative impact on …
For the Beauty of the Earth — Chapter 1
I am slowly reading For the Beauty of the Earth: A Christian Vision For Creation Care by Steven Bouma-Prediger. Chapter 1 is "Where Are We? An Ecological Perception of Place." Here are some quotes: Despite our education we remain ecologically illiterate. Or perhaps more accurately, because of our education we remain ignorant of how the …
Knowing God – Chapter 7 Quotes
Chapter 7 of Knowing God is entitled "God Unchanging," and is about the immutability of God (i.e. the fact that God does not change). This is part of what makes the Bible such an incredibly relevant book for us today. We don't have to make Christianity relevant by modernizing it in some way. The Word …
Knowing God — Chapter 6 Quotes
Chapter 6 of Knowing God by J.I. Packer is called "He Shall Testify", and is about the Holy Spirit. It is the sovereign prerogative of Christ's Spirit to convince men's consciences of the truth of Christ's gospel; and Christ's human witnesses must learn to ground their hopes of success, not on clever presentation of the …
Boys and the Army
Albert Mohler has written an article called "The Army We Have" -- Young Men, Responsibility, and Leadership for the Twenty-First Century. He writes about the difficulty of recruiting soldiers for today's volunteer army. It seems the problem isn't just that the Iraq war is scaring off recruits, but that it is awfully difficult to find …
Good Days/Bad Days
This item was originally posted in May 2006. It is one of the best quotes I have come across in my reading, and is certainly worth repeating Here's a quote from The Discipline of Grace by Jerry Bridges: Your worst days are never so bad that you are beyond the reach of God’s grace. And …
Education Quotes
It is said that another evangelist told John Wesley: "The Lord has told me to tell you that He doesn't need your book learning, your Greek and Hebrew." Wesley is said to have replied: "Thank you sir. Your letter was superfluous, as I already knew the Lord has no need of my 'book learning' as …
Knowing God – Chapter 5 Quotes
Chapter 5 of Knowing God is "God Incarnate". One of the foundational truths of Christianity is the incarnation of Christ. Jesus Christ is fully God and fully human at the same time. It is from misbelief, or at least inadequate belief, about the incarnation that difficulties at other points in the gospel story usually spring. …
Knowing God – Chapter 4 Quotes
Chapter 4 of Knowing God is "The Only True God," and it has to do with the prohibition in the Ten Commandments against making idols. "Idolatry consists not only in the worship of false gods, but also in the worship of the true God by images" (quoted from Charles Hodge). Just as it forbids us …
Knowing God – Chapter 3 Quotes
We continue to read Knowing God by J.I. Packer at the dinner table. Chapter three is "Knowing and Being Known." What were we made for? To know God. What aim should we set ourselves in life? To know God. What is the 'eternal life' that Jesus gives? Knowledge of God. 'This is life eternal, that …
Knowing God – Chapter 2 Quotes
Chapter 2 of Knowing God is entitled "The People Who Know Their God." The focus passage for this chapter is the Book of Daniel, and here are some quotes: A little knowledge of God is worth more than a great deal of knowledge about Him. One can know a great deal about God without much …
GeoChristian 