Creation and Christian Ethics
Understanding God’s Designs for Humanity and the World
About
Creation is a foundational pillar of the biblical storyline, yet it plays little role in contemporary evangelical ethics. Seeking to correct this oversight, Dennis Hollinger employs the creation story and creation themes throughout Scripture as a foundation for Christian ethics.
After demonstrating why creation is theologically significant and important for Christian ethics, Hollinger develops major creation paradigms that provide ethical guidance on a wide range of issues, including money, sex, power, racism, creation care, social institutions, and artificial intelligence, among many others. Creation and Christian Ethics shows throughout that the triune God creates from love, and in that creation are moral designs for humanity's journey in God's world.
Professors and students of Christian ethics will find this a valuable resource for the classroom, while pastors and church leaders will benefit from personal and small-group study.
Introduction: Why Creation for Ethics?
1. In the Beginning God: A Loving, Designing, Self-Disclosing Maker
2. It's a Good World After All: Money, Sex, and Power
3. Made in the Image of God: Human Dignity in All Humans and the Whole of Human Life
4. Creation Care: Stewarding God's Good Creation
5. Created for Relationship (1): Sexuality, Marriage, Sex, and Family
6. Created for Relationship (2): Major Institutions of Society
7. Created to Work: Connecting Sunday to Monday
8. Sabbath: God Institutes a Rhythm of Life for Worship, Self-Care, and Justice
9. Limited and Dependent: The Ethics of Human Finitude
10. Embodied Souls or Ensouled Bodies: The Meaning and Implications of Being Whole Beings
Conclusion: Living Out a Creation Ethic in a Pluralistic, Complex, Fallen World
Indexes
Endorsements
"Creation is important for far more than debates about how the world began. Dennis Hollinger shows us how this foundational doctrine is vital for discerning how to navigate the complexities of life in the world God created. Hollinger makes a clear connection between doctrine and ethics, and his depth of study and insight will help Christians walk with conviction, wisdom, humility, and generosity."
Vincent Bacote, professor of theology and director of the Center for Applied Christian Ethics, Wheaton College
"Dennis Hollinger is a wise ethicist who has given us a book that is full of wisdom. He argues convincingly--and eloquently--that a biblical ethics that is genuinely biblical must be firmly grounded in the knowledge of God's creating purposes in designing the marvelous world where he calls us to do his will. I learned much from this book, and I plan to return to it frequently to learn even more."
Richard J. Mouw, president emeritus, Fuller Theological Seminary
"Hollinger's fundamental instinct--which he consistently and ably applies throughout the book and across various subjects--is to make sure our ethics begin with the goodness of creation. It sounds easier than it often proves to be in practice: some downplay the goodness of creation because of a hyperemphasis on the fall, while others ignore creation by giving the spirit of this age too much unquestioned influence. I'm glad to see him push us toward the goodness and the faithful trajectory of God's creation in the way he does."
Kelly M. Kapic, professor of theological studies, Covenant College
"If the resurrection vindicates creation, then understanding the significance of creation in its biblical and trinitarian foundation alongside the teachings of Jesus, the kingdom, and eschatology is paramount for Christian ethics. Creation and Christian Ethics reclaims the centrality of this doctrine for understanding our creatureliness and social responsibility regarding an array of critical topics facing the contemporary church. Timely and comprehensive, this book is an essential read for discerning faithful witness and ethical practice in our day."
Autumn Alcott Ridenour, Mockler Associate Professor of Christian Ethics, Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary
"Dennis Hollinger is one of the most respected evangelical Protestant ethicists of our generation. This much-needed book is clear, cogent, and impressively comprehensive. This outstanding work of contemporary moral reflection is biblically rich, philosophically astute, and contextually engaged."
Jeffrey P. Greenman, president and professor of theology and ethics, Regent College
"A masterful examination of creation and its implications for contemporary Christian ethics. Hollinger carefully navigates the theory-praxis tension so often present in the field by offering a refreshingly robust biblical and theological account of creation and its practical application to many of the most challenging ethical issues of our day."
Michael J. Sleasman, director of bioethics degree programs and associate professor of bioethics, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School
"As we've come to expect from Dennis Hollinger, Creation and Christian Ethics is another first-rate work in the area of Christian ethics. It is thorough and well documented and will be a rich resource for those thinking hard about questions at the intersection of Christian faith and culture. The evangelical tradition has not always given the doctrine of creation sufficient weight--Hollinger corrects that neglect well in this important work."
Scott B. Rae, dean of the faculty and professor of Christian ethics, Talbot School of Theology, Biola University
The Author
-
courtesy of Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary Dennis P. Hollinger
Dennis P. Hollinger (PhD, Drew University) is president emeritus and senior distinguished professor of Christian ethics at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. He has been actively speaking, teaching, and writing on topics in ethics, including bioethics and...
Continue reading about Dennis P. Hollinger