Creation’s Issues: T&T Clark handbook of the doctrine of creation, edited by Jason Goroncy, London, Bloomsbury Academic, 2024, pp. xxx + 981, £150 (hbk), ISBN 978-0-5676-8647-3; £135 (ePDF), ISBN 978-0-5676-8648-0; £135 (eBook), ISBN 978-0-5676-8649-7.

Astley, Jeff

Abstract

The significance of the doctrine of creation, especially its salience for the problem of evil and the debate over the relationship of science to religion, justifies giving it a higher status within Christian teaching than it often receives. Rather than being merely a doctrine about origins, focusing on the past, the heart of the notion of creation lies in the here-and-now, as expressed in the continuous or continuing creative act of God’s sustaining and preserving of all things, including us. Creation illuminates the doctrine of God, and especially the conjunction of God’s transcendence and immanence. But it also exacerbates the problem of evil, by acknowledging God’s ultimate responsibility for the pain and suffering caused by the workings of physical and biological nature, whether determined by ‘the laws of nature’ or not. These themes are explored here with reference to four recent relevant publications.

Citation

Astley, J. (2025). Creation’s Issues: T&T Clark handbook of the doctrine of creation, edited by Jason Goroncy, London, Bloomsbury Academic, 2024, pp. xxx + 981, £150 (hbk), ISBN 978-0-5676-8647-3; £135 (ePDF), ISBN 978-0-5676-8648-0; £135 (eBook), ISBN 978-0-5676-8649-7. Rural Theology, 23(1), 43-54. https://doi.org/10.1080/14704994.2025.2480358

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Mar 7, 2025
• Online Publication Date: Apr 7, 2025
• Publication Date: Jan 2, 2025
• Deposit Date: May 22, 2025
• Publicly Available Date: May 22, 2025
• Journal: Rural Theology
• Print ISSN: 1470-4994
• Electronic ISSN: 2042-1273
• Publisher: Taylor and Francis Group
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 23
• Issue: 1
• Pages: 43-54
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/14704994.2025.2480358
• Public URL: https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/3958828