Missions Resources - Bibliography
The Creation: An Appeal to Save Life on Earth
Authors: E. O. Wilson
ISBN: 978-0393330489
Publisher: W. W. Norton
Number of pages: 192
Type of cover: Soft Cover
Summary:
Dear Biologist,
I recently finished reading your book The Creation: An Appeal to Save Life on Earth. To restate it, you appeal to the religious to join scientists to save the earth. You acknowledge that “science and religion are the two most powerful forces of society,” and “together they can save creation.” Although I am not the Southern Baptist pastor you address, I am a Christian and member of your audience. But I fear that your book did not lead me to any new concern to save the earth since you’ve failed in some fundamentals of persuasion: knowing your audience and appealing to their values.
While you articulate reasonably well some Christian’s positions, we are actually a much broader group than you realize. Some Christians do hold to a literal, seven-day creation, yet I know others who are both scientists and evolutionists. To lump us together does not do justice to the scope of your audience. Also since we are theists, your condemnation of intelligent design serves no good purpose to move us to your side.
Likewise, you fail to capitalize on Christian beliefs and values which could be persuasive. Although you’ve titled your book The Creation, you ignore what could be a most compelling point. If there is a creation, there must be a creator who will call humanity to account for its actions. Having to account to God for my care of the earth sobers me. How shall we face God when we’ve poisoned his land, fouled his oceans, and wiped myriads of his beings from the face of the earth?
Creation has fallen with and because of humanity, and creation will be redeemed and renewed along with us. If God values it so highly, so ought we. Our perspective, as expressed in the Bible, is that “the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God.” [Romans 8:21] I find it curious that you never use the Bible in your appeal to the religious.
Your elevation of science seems grandiose, but falls short in providing holistic answers to creation’s travails. You write that one goal of science is to create life. You furthermore state, “Science…makes no claims beyond what can be sensed in the real world” I remain skeptical of your claims. If biology makes no claims “beyond what can be sensed,” it cannot account for real but intangible qualities, such as truth, hope or mercy.
You’ve also failed to show how science addresses the underlying causes for catastrophes like habitat loss, species extinction, pollution, and invasive species. People are the problem, but how does biology propose to stop slash-and-burn agriculture or over-harvesting among people who’re poor and hungry? Although “biology…has become foremost in relevance to the central questions of philosophy, aiming to explain the nature of mind and reality and the meaning of life,” you criticize the idea that “priority is owed” to, among other things, “jobs…alleviation of poverty, medicine.”
Dear Biologist, you’ve failed to provide a compelling solution to the human suffering that puts creation in trouble. Christ, I submit, does. “For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in [Christ], 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 1:20). Christ offers a holistic solution to the physical, emotional, environmental, and spiritual needs of humanity. That Christianity doesn’t do a better job of addressing these needs is to our disgrace. The fault lies with some Christians’ woeful practice of Christ’s message, not with the message itself.
These criticisms aside, I’m glad I read your book. You did not need to convince me the earth is in trouble. Yet you gave me one of the best explanations for the danger of invasive species in your fascinating account of Caribbean crop loss in “Alien Invaders from Planet Earth.”
I also loved your chapter “Two Magnificent Animals.” I would encourage everyone to read and consider what creatures are their “embodiment of wildness.” (Mine are the fisher and white-faced meadowhawk.) As creation resonates with each of us, we’ll care more about it.
Likewise, “Wild Nature and Human Nature” argues for our “innate tendency to affiliate with life and lifelike processes” with its discussion of where people choose to live and creation’s ability to heal. “How to Raise a Naturalist” is an important chapter, for biologists and Christians alike ought to nurture an environmental awareness among children.
Finally, dear Biologist, although I’m skeptical your book will persuade the religious to cooperate with science in creation care, I will urge my colleagues to read it. I’m grateful to you for opening the dialogue and think it shameful that the religious didn’t think of it first.
Warmly and respectfully,
Jill Feldkamp
Jill Feldkamp is the Administrative Coordinator for InterVarsity's Global Projects.
Print
Email
Comments
Be the first one to add a comment.
To post a comment, please login or register