This week was Earth Day. On this day, Millions of people around the world renewed and celebrated their commitment to care for the Earth and the life it sustains. Yet most of our churches were silent on this day that reminds us to be good stewards of this world that God created. There is a major disconnect between Christians and those who advocate caring for our planet. Why is this so? Shouldn’t Christians be leading the way in caring for all that God has created?
In connection with Earth Day, the good folks at WaterBrook Press sent me an 
In the first section, Abbate shows the connections between faith and care for the environment, unpacking the biblical call to be good stewards of the Earth. He also address a number of objections that Christians have to environmental stewardship.
In the second section, Abbate provides practical advice for becoming better stewards of God’s creation. Throughout this section he gives 50 Gardenign Tips. These practical suggestions include:
- Gardening Tip 10: Grow a Garden
- Gardening Tip 19: Unplug Chargers
- Gardening Tip 28: Live Close to Work
- Gardenign Tip 32: Rent and Borrow Rather Than Buy
Abbate’s tips helped me to think about steps I can take to lower my environmental impact.
My one beef with the book is that Abbate occasionally uses a week biblical argument to support a great point, as when he suggests the Parable of the Ten Bridesmaids in Matthew 25 is a parable about energy conservation. Yes, we need to conserve energy. No, this parable is not about that!
Still, I think this can be a helpful book to wake up the Evangelical world to God’s call to creation care.
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