Includes bibliographical references and indexes.

pt. 1: Not far enough -- pt. 2: How do we know? -- Some forms of natural religion -- The biblical view -- The basis of Israel's confession -- Implications for the church -- pt. 3: The reserved room -- The wonders of the room -- Creation not necessary -- The transcendence of God -- Implications for the church -- Sample sermon: God the music lover; Scripture lessons: Psalms 148; Colossians 1:9-20 -- pt. 4: The biblical balance -- Human beings as glorious -- Human beings as creatures -- The meaning of our dominion -- Implications for the church -- Sample meditation: Our best hope?; Scripture lessons: Genesis 2:7-9, 15-17; Deuteronomy 5:29-33; 1Corinthians 4:1-2 -- pt. 5: Contingency and providence -- The dependent creation -- Implications for the church -- The limits of our description -- The positive dialogue with science -- Sample sermon: Contingency, chaos, and Christ ; Scripture lessons: 2 Corinthians 5:17-6:2; Mark 4:35-41 -- pt. 6: The dark shadow -- The corruption of creation --Sin, the root of corruption -- Suffering and death as unnatural -- Continuing grace -- Sample meditation: Season's meaning; Scripture lessons: Genesis 6:5-8, 8:20-22; Romans 5:6-11 -- Sample sermon: Between despair and illusion ; Scripture lessons: 2 Corinthians 4:1-18; Mark 9:2-9 -- pt. 7: The final question -- The end of the cosmos -- The glad good news -- The character of the new age -- Sample sermon: The last phrase ; Scripture lessons: Romans 13:11-14; Matthew 24: 36-44 -- Sample Sermon: B.C. and A.D. ; Scripture lessons: Isaiah 35: 1-10; Matthew 11:2-15 -- pt. 8: The preacher's opportunity -- Reviewing basic affirmations -- Using the material in other sermons -- The language of nature.

A book whose time has come, Nature, God, and Pulpit draws together and interprets, for the church and especially for preachers, the biblical materials on the relationship between God and his creation. The book is particularly timely because, as Elizabeth Achtemeier points out, few subjects have been more neglected and less explicated by this country's pulpits in recent years than the relation between nature and God. Clearly articulating what the Bible says about the natural world and God's relation to it, this book is all of the following: a thoughtful biblical response to recent discussions of ecology; a discerning corrective to many current theologies and ideologies; an appreciative summary of the findings and notions of modern science; a mother lode of materials and sample sermons on the relation of God to his creation; a passionate call for preachers to more thoroughly examine and articulate scriptural content; and an eloquent and inspiring celebration of God in relation to his world. While written primarily for preachers, Nature, God, and Pulpit will provide provocative reading for many others as well - seminarians, homiletics students, teachers, and anybody who wishes to better understand the Christian view of the bond between Creator and creation.