Friday, 24 April 2009

• Gardening Eden by Mike Abbaté

  We have been hearing a lot about the environment lately.  One does not have to search far to find dire predictions for our planet's future if changes are not made.  Companies are claiming to have gone "green," stores are offering re-usable bags, and the bumper stickers of environmentalists are calling us to action.  Most people at least believe that we all should all do our part (whether they act on it or not).    

   

  Interestingly, this issue seems to present a dilemma for many Christians.  How can one be concerned about the environment, they wonder, when there are people who have not yet heard the gospel?  Isn't the world going to eventually be destroyed anyway?

   

  With gentleness and grace, author Mike Abbaté address this very issue.  As a man who loves God, His people, AND His creation, Abbate suggests that Christians do not have to "forfeit protecting the environment to serve God" (p. 18).  Read this summary of his book entitled Gardening Eden: 

   

  Before the snake, the apple, and the Ten Commandments, God created a garden, placed humans in it, and told them to take care of it.

   

  “Spiritual environmentalism” did not start out as an oxymoron—it was an invitation. Yet today, many believe God’s original job description for humankind has been replaced by other worthier pursuits. So when did this simple instruction become so controversial? How does one sort through all the mixed messages? Is making the world a healthier place for the next generation really a responsibility—or even possible?

   

  Gardening Eden is a new understanding of how the spiritual dimensions of life can find expression and renewal through caring for our incredible planet. Empowering, simple, and never polemical, Michael Abbaté outlines the Bible’s clear spiritual benefits of caring for creation, exploring new motivations and inspired ideas, and revealing the power of our basic connection to all people and living things through the growing interest in spiritual environmentalism.

   

  Green living is no longer a fad—simple lifestyle solutions are now available to everyone. Gardening Eden shows readers how this shift transforms not only our world, but their very souls as they’re drawn into deeper harmony with the Creator. This book invites them to discover the powerful spiritual satisfaction of heeding the call to save our world.

   

   Author Bio:

  A nationally recognized expert in “green” development strategies, Mike Abbaté is a founder of GreenWorks, an award-winning landscape architecture design firm. He frequently speaks to students and leaders about practical ways to minimize the impact of building and landscape design on natural resources. Abbaté’s work has been featured in national magazines such as Metropolis and Landscape Architecture and in many local newspapers and trade publications. He and his wife, Vicki, have two adult daughters and live near Portland, Oregon.

   

  As one who has personally struggled with this issue, I appreciate the insights that Abbaté conveys in this book.  It is very readable, non-offensive, and perspective-changing.  If this interests you, you can buy his book here.  Or, leave a comment and you might win a copy!   

   

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