Hope for Creation

[DESCRIPTION] Can the Desert Be Green? Our world is in peril. Environmental degradation, human suffering, and relentless calamities confront us daily, painting a picture of a planet in distress. Amid this daunting reality, how can God’s people respond effectively? This critical question beckons for a thoughtful and proactive response that intertwines faith and ecology with tangible action in our increasingly fragile world. Hope for Creation offers a unique blend of theological insight and practical application. It gathers perspectives from theologians and practitioners, each giving a comprehensive understanding of creation care. The contributors not only diagnose environmental and humanitarian issues but also propose actionable solutions rooted in biblical foundations and contemporary experiences. This book is a call to action for Christians and mission leaders worldwide, urging active participation in restoring and preserving our planet. It equips church leaders, missionaries, and believers with the knowledge and tools to make a meaningful impact. By embracing this mission, readers contribute to a sustainable, hopeful future, joining a transformative journey towards environmental and human healing. [/DESCRIPTION] [SUBTITLE]Missional Responses to Environmental and Human Calamities[/SUBTITLE][CREDIT] Jonathan J. Bonk, Michel G. Distefano, J. Nelson Jennings, Jinbong Kim, and Jae Hoon Lee (editors) [/CREDIT] [PAGES] 392 [/PAGES] [BINDING] Paperback [/BINDING] [PUBLISHER] William Carey Publishing [/PUBLISHER] [PUBLISHYEAR] 2024 [/PUBLISHYEAR] [ENDORSEMENT2] This latest volume from the Korean Global Mission Leaders Forum (KGMLF) deals with the pressing issues of ecological and human calamity, and in so doing, offers an unusual richness of biblical reflection and practical wisdom. Wide-ranging, diverse, and hopeful, the book is the fruit of the unique space KGMLF creates by bringing together Korean and international scholars in conversation with mission practitioners. Paul Bendor-Samuel MRCGP, MBEExecutive Director, Oxford Centre for Mission StudiesDirector, Regnum BooksSundo Kim Research Tutor in Global Mission [/ENDORSEMENT2] [ENDORSEMENT3] Far too many Christians write off environmental concerns as marginal to the gospel or simply expressions of left-wing ideology. With solid biblical, theological, scientific, and practical grounding, the book in your hands compellingly challenges those assumptions and offers a hopeful and urgently needed corrective: love of God and love of neighbor require care for God’s creation of which humanity is only a part. Ruth Padilla DeBorst, PhDRichard C. Oudersluys Associate Professor of World Christianity, Western Theological SeminaryMember, Asociación Casa Adobe, Costa Rica [/ENDORSEMENT3] [ENDORSEMENT4] Hope for Creation represents a milestone in mission thinking: churches in the Global South collaborating on a series of international mission discussions and cooperation, and Christian mission now takes creation care as a major agenda. This urgent topic also promises a broader interaction with various institutions and even different faiths for the common future of humanity. This book will serve churches and mission communities as a road map for local reflections and applications. Wonsuk Ma, PhDExecutive Director, Center for Spirit-Empowered ResearchDistinguished Professor of Global Christianity, Oral Roberts University [/ENDORSEMENT4] [TOC] Preface Section A. Bible and Theology Chapter 1 God’s Word to a Nation in Denial and Rebellion: Jeremiah 1 by Chris Wright Chapter 2 God’s Word in a Culture of Delusion and False Security: Jeremiah 7 by Chris Wright Chapter 3 God’s Word of Global Judgment and Salvation: Isaiah 24–25 by Chris Wright Chapter 4 Toward a Biblical Theology of Calamity by Michel G. Distefano Response by Han Young Lee Chapter 5 Biblical Foundations for Creation Care by Dave Bookless Response by Regina Ryu Section B: History and Culture Chapter 6 Learning from the Past and Finding Hope for the Future by Allison Howell Response by Jung-Sook Lee Chapter 7 Indigenous Epistemologies: Connecting with Christ and Creation by Jay Matenga Response by Seung-hyun (Nathan) Chung Chapter 8 Creation Care: The Gospel’s Third Dimension by Ed Brown Response by Youngmi Shin Chapter 9 Environmental and Human Calamities in Korea and Implications for Mission by Bright Myeong-Seok Lee Response by Jay Matenga Section C. Economics, Sufficiency, Justice, Perceptions of Christian Leaders and Missionaries Chapter 10 Climate Crisis and Stewardship: A Christian Economist’s Perspective by Jong Ho Hong Response by Dave Bookless Chapter 11 A Critical Analysis on the Transformation of Korean Missionaries’ Epistemological Beliefs on Environmental and Human Calamities by Jooyun Eum Response by J. Nelson Jennings Chapter 12 Who Will Feed the World in the Twenty-First Century? Lessons and Questions from a Brief Comparison of China’s, India’s, and Africa’s Food Systems and Food Sovereignty- by Zhou Li Response by Anna Lisa Mudahy Chapter 13 Gold Mining in the Southwest of Burkina Faso and Christian Mission: The Great Commission and Structural Evil by Ini Dorcas Dah Response by Jonathan J. Bonk Section D. Local and Regional Responses to Climate Change and its Effects, Historical and Current Chapter 14 Partnership with God in Restoring Creation: A Story of Hope by Tony Rinaudo Response by Gihong Park Chapter 15 Onnuri Church’s Environmental Mission and Strategy by Woon-Oh Jung, Regina Ryu, and Woo-Yong Kim Response by Laura S. Meitzner Yoder Chapter 16 Economically Viable Green Energy from Waste Plastic: A Fourth River Energy Proposal to Support Missions and Bless the Environment by  Ben Torrey and Bong Ju Lee Response by Jeffrey T. M. Yoder Chapter 17 Environment, Natural Disasters, and the Experience of the Dandelion Community by Insoo Kim Response by Douglas Day Kaufman Chapter 18 Evangelizing All Creatures: Pastoral Ecology as Mission by   Douglas Day Kaufman Response by Hansung Kim Chapter 19 Can the Desert Be Green? An Environmental Mission to Plant Hope in the Wilderness by  Lawrence Ko Response by Myung-Soo Lee Section E. Testimonies Chapter 20 The Founding of Shine Church and Its Environmental Missionary Work by   Hyoungmin Kim Chapter 21 My Journey of Growth and Hope: From God’s Word to Works and Wonders to World Care by Laurence Gatawa Chapter 22 KGMLF Missional Koinonia by Sun Man Kim Section F. Summary and Conclusion Chapter 23 The Gospel of Hope in a Hopeless World by Jonathan J. Bonk Appendix: Resources for Mission and Congregation Acknowledgments by Jinbong Kim Participants Contributors Indices – Subjects, Names, Scriptures [/TOC]