Customer Reviews

Gardening Eden: How Creation Care Will Change Your Faith, Your Life, and Our World

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Gardening Eden by Michael Abbate is a thoughtful response to global warming and Christianity. Global warming has been a hot topic on the news for the last several years, and the Church's response has varied from disdainful denial to eager embrace of the news. Abbate takes the stance that whether you believe that the world is suffering from major climate change or not, God gave dominion of the earth to mankind during Creation, and that requires us to be good stewards of the earth's resources. He gives weight to the various arguments against environmentalism, and takes a common sense approach to how Christians should act. The world is a beautiful creation on which every single thing belongs to God, and it's our responsibility to take good care of it, and that means making changes in our everyday lives. Abbate includes big and small ways to be more green, including some easy changes. I try to bring reusable bags every time I go grocery shopping, and I've become a lot more careful about how much driving I do in my gas-guzzling van. Abbate offers solutions even for those who may not have a lot of cash to start buying organic food or completely remodel their home. I appreciated Abbate's reasoned response to the issues. Without taking sides in the political debate or making the reader feel guilty, he encourages responsible living as a requirement of faith.

I purchased this book last March, prior to its actual publication date. I was looking for a book to teach a Sunday school class with my wife on Christian environmentalism. I also wanted to start a garden at our church in a grassy area off of a parking lot, and this seemed like the perfect fit. It was a good fit, and I must admit that I enjoyed the book, and, although I consider myself fairly well informed on Christian environmentalism, I did learn a few things.

I especially appreciated Abbate's landscape architectural background, and it was nice to read a book by someone from the Pacific Northwest. However, I was a bit disappointed that these two aspects of his background weren't foregrounded a bit more effectively. I would have enjoyed some more detail on the beauty of the Pacific Northwest, and I would have enjoyed more examples of how his profession shaped his love of the natural world.

When I read Annie Dillard, John Muir, or Henry Thoreau, I am awestruck by the passion and sense of place such environmental writers can evoke. Abbate has written a much more general and practical book than Dillard or Thoreau. That's fine, and I do appreciate the practical elements here. Still, I would have liked more descriptive detail and passion in the prose. The high point of the book for me emotionally was an encounter with a pangolin in the Central African Republic. Unfortunately, there were no other points that neared this emotional peak.

The book starts with an engaging interplay between Abbate and a biology instructor who had invited him to speak at her college. The edgy interplay between them on the issue of Abbate's Christian foundations intrigued me at first, but in the end left me a bit disappointed. I liked this way of starting the book, but I must admit that I wish Abbate had gone much further here. It wasn't quite edgy enough, and it didn't delve deeply enough into the uncomfortable ground between science and Christianity. I also wish that he had struggled a bit more with the entire "garden" and "good steward" metaphors/paradigms than he does later in the book.

And perhaps the most disappointing aspect of the book was that the Christian passion wasn't evident either. I am sure that he felt this passion, but it didn't manifest itself in his writing. When I read E. O. Wilson's "Creation," I definitely felt Wilson's passion for the environment and for the study of biology. Abbate didn't do the same thing for Christian environmentalism.

In the end, this is a very measured book, written to bridge chasms between environmentalists and Christians, and in this Abbate is primarily successful. While he doesn't step on the political/religious landmines littered about this topic, he also doesn't inspire his readers' to follow him as strongly as he might. Abbate does, at times, seem to be too aware of the issues here, and is a bit too tentative as a result. I can understand his anxiety; certainly the country's current partisan extremism is frightening at times. However, while he succeeds in answering thorny questions and reconciling conflicts, he doesn't inspire us to see God in nature the way that I would have liked. And I must admit that I felt the same kind of lukewarm disappointment in the recommendations for actions near the end of the book that I did at the end of Gore's "Inconvenient Truth."

This is a good book for those who feel some real emotional conflicts about combining Christianity with environmentalism. However, it isn't a really good book for those of us who have already reconciled many of these conflicts. For me, the book doesn't take the reader far enough into the wilderness and not nearly close enough to God. We are left somewhere closer to a lovely Saturday afternoon in nice city park, remembering that there is church on Sunday. Still, enjoying a city park can be a good way to ease closer to wilderness, and it can be like taking a step closer to God, I suppose.

I would highly recommend Michael Abbate's Gardening Eden: How Creation Care Will Change Your Faith, Your Life, and Our World. [...].



David once sang God's praises by proclaiming, "When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him? You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor. You made him ruler over the works of your hands; you put everything under his feet: all flocks and herds, and the beasts of the field, the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea, all that swim the paths of the seas. O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! (Psalm 8:3-9, NIV).
The author wrote, "We strive to be liberal in love, conservative with resources" (Abbate, 217). The environment should not be a political issue - but one of worship to our God. We have been entrusted with his creation - we have been given dominion (not domination). This world is not about me, it is not about more, and it is not about now. I appreciate the author's biblical instruction and practical ideas. He does not approach the subject as an environmentalist (who often focus too much attention on the art and can resort to blaming others) but instead as a conservationist (who focuses on the Artist and thus takes responsibility personally). My hope is that the church would join in celebrating Earth Day - not in honor of the dirt that we walk on but instead by using this day to remind others of our Creator and his gift to us.
Official Description: 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.

Official Biography: 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.

I have always thought that it was our responsibility as stewards of the Earth to take care of the environment and this book shows me that it has spiritual ramifications as well. Michael's writing was easy to understand and appreciate to allow you to see how God sees us and the world that He created for us.

Michael's Abbate's work weaves personal stories with an intelligent link to faith and stewardship of the planet. His writing is relevant for all who have been inspired by nature and feel compelled to action. Abbate's passion is contagious.

I picked up Gardening Eden and was a little skeptical to start. However, once I started reading it was hard for me to put it down. Mike is writting from his heart and does it with a great deal of emotion. I highly recommend this for anyone who is at all concerned with protecting the earth!

Although environmentalists want to conserve the environment, political conservatives generally don't. That is the problem Michael Abbate tackles in his book, Gardening Eden, How Creation Care Will Change Your Faith, Your Life and Our World. Abbate speaks to the political conservative, to the Christian, to the conservative Christian, with the argument that God intends and desires us to be good stewards of all He has given us, including the earth. As such, believers should be motivated to care for the environment. He discusses why we should care about environmental issues from a spiritual and practical standpoint, refutes "Christian" arguments against environmentalism and gives 50 practical suggestions on life choices that will make a difference.

Because Gardening Eden is targeted toward the environmental "skeptic", I feel some of the positions he takes are weak. I feel like he's giving more credence than is due to the "unbelievers" that our environment is in grave trouble. I don't think Abbate actually believes the anti-eco arguments, but he softens his approach by arguing why, even if those arguments have some merit, one should still take care of the environment. However, I guess I can swallow his pandering to the skeptics if he's able to convince them they need to take care of Planet Earth in spite of their reservations. The ends justify the means if, in the end, more people who didn't care about environmental issues do after reading this book.

One of my favorite comments to come out of the book was this:

As Reverend Richard Cizik told Bill Moyers in the 2006 documentary, "Is God Green?": "I happen to think that to be biblically consistent means you have to, at times, be politically inconsistent."

Climate change, species extinction, pollution, destruction of our natural resources, etc., are NOT political statements; they are scientific facts. I thank Michael Abbate (and Reverend Cizik) for saying so!

Another favorite comment from the book was Abbate's quote of a bumper sticker:

God's original plan was to hang out in a garden with some naked vegetarians.

I have no doubt Michael Abbate cares about the environment and desperately wants to see the Christian community ban together to advance to cause of eco-stewardship as a group and as individuals. The religious right cares about unborn babies and has made a lot of political hay out of that issue. But in my opinion, if they don't care for the environment, ALL babies -- and adults -- aren't going to survive very long without a world in which to live! Since conservatives are his target audience, he can't very well sound like me, an unabashedly rabid environmentalist! For what it's worth, as a believer I agree wholeheartedly that God didn't intend for us to destroy His creation and is heartsick when He sees what we have done:

"Because of this the land mourns and all who live in it waste away; the beasts of the field and the birds of the air and the fish of the sea are dying." Hosea 4:3

Overall, I would recommend Gardening Eden, especially for the political and religious conservative in your life.

I read "Gardening Eden" by Michael Abbate, where he shows us the Biblical roots of caring for our earth, and easy tips on how to improve our own behaviors to benefit the planet.
In the book's introduction Randy Alcorn writes that sometimes evangelical Christians are not in the lead in caring for God's creation of the earth, and how the Bible directs us to work in the Garden of Eden and to "take care of it". Genesis 2:15.
Abbate includes 50 ideas for what we can do to care for our planet, and some of them are money saving tips, which are very welcome.
Some ideas he explains: grow vegetables, even just one tomato in a pot!
Get a programmable thermostat that turns the heater off or down at night and when folks are not at home. Set the temperature no higher than 68 degrees; this is comfortable.
Dry clothes on a line outside, weather permitting, and on a wooden clothes rack in the house in harsh weather.
The beauty of these tips is that of the fifty, you may already do 10, 10 are not achievable for you, and this leaves 30 to consider. If each of us can do 10 more (or even one more) of these things, it will have a big and positive effect on our home, the earth.
When I was eleven, I joined the conservation group "Defenders of Wildlife", and continue my membership every year since then so my love of God's creatures and our earth go back a long way and this topic is especially dear to me.

Reading this book helped give me a greater sense of appreciation for what God has given us in creation's beauty. For me a walk in nature, identifying new birds or plants is a wonderfully recharging and peaceful experience. I was encouraged by the connection between nature and spirituality that Michael Abbaté describes.

A quote from a young girl, hiding in Holland, reveals an understanding of this reality more than sixty years ago: "The best remedy for those who are frightened, lonely or unhappy is to go outside, somewhere they can be alone, alone with the sky, nature and God. For then and only then can you feel that everything is as it should be and that God wants people to be happy amid nature's beauty and simplicity. As long as this exists, and that should be forever, I know that there will be solace for every sorrow, whatever the circumstances. I firmly believe that nature can bring comfort to all who suffer." - Anne Frank: the Diary of a Young Girl

I was also challenged by the information Michael Abbaté shares: "Here in the United States, each of us uses about 100 to 150 gallons of water a day... By comparison, each person in Morocco uses twenty-nine gallons per day, about one-fifth as much as we use. Great Britain: thirty one gallons, Germany: forty-one gallons per day. Being aware of the decisions we make on a daily level can help us to reduce, reuse and recycle to create a better environment for tomorrow.

Ralph Waldo Emerson said: "The happiest man is he who learns from nature the lesson of worship." Being able to see beauty in nature requires that we spend time there and experience that power of solitude. Jesus himself prepared for three intense years of ministry by withdrawing to the desert for forty days of solitude. Jesus had a good balance of withdrawing to places alone to pray and then return to the crowds who wanted so much from him. I can certainly learn from these examples and continue to recharge by "going outside to play" (and pray)! (Reviewed by Shari Dolleman)