Udo W Middelmann

Francis A. Schaeffer’s Timeless Assessment of a Modern Ecological Crisis The earth is home to 7.8 billion people. As this number grows, so does the awareness of a seemingly endless list of environmental concerns threatening their existence—landfills, off-shore spills, toxic wastes, population explosion, and ozone depletion. As each of these concerns are a threat to humanity, how should Christians respond? Pollution and the Death of Man by Francis A. Schaeffer was first written in 1970, yet it remains relevant as the ecological threats of Schaeffer’s day continue to pose challenges today. Schaeffer studies these contemporary ecological crises through the lens of theology and Scripture, arguing that Christians must return to a profoundly biblical understanding of God’s relationship to the earth and his divine mandate to exercise godly dominion over it. A Christian Classic: Written by renowned philosopher Francis A. Schaeffer Cultural Analysis from a Biblical Perspective: Looks at modern ecological threats through the lens of theology and Scripture Educational: Includes appendices on “The Historical Roots of Our Ecologic Crisis” by the late American historian Lynn White Jr. and “Why Worry About Nature?” by the late sociologist Richard L. Means

In God and Man at Work Udo Middelmann argues that our ideas about daily activities are linked directly to our conception of the world. It is acquired by habit from the surrounding community as well as by reflection and personal preference. A person's attitude about the world explains the reason for most choices they make in work, love, and life. The biblical view of reality clarifies such empirical observations and frees them from sentimental assent. Communal faith may be colorful, but is mostly light in answers and repetitive in form. It lacks the substance to convince and to encourage. Religious cultural habits bind people through poetry and symbols. Many pastors, development workers, and business leaders are often long on devotional fervor but short on holistic connections to the whole of Scripture and rarely address intellectual fear and human suffering. God and Man at Work counters that with an appeal to the Bible's uniquely reasoned discourse and practical encouragement for people in the ""imago Dei"" to argue with nature and culture, and do well by doing good in every manual and intellectual endeavor. That moral effort will free them from religious enslavement and nature's indifference towards social and material improvement.

Schaeffer’s important classic outlines a theology of ecology, arguing for a renewed understanding of the creation account and a return to the biblical mandate of godly stewardship.