Description
The T&T Clark Handbook of the Doctrine of Creation provides an expansive range of resources introducing the doctrine of creation as understood in Christian traditions. It offers an examination of: how the Bible and various Christian traditions have imagined creation; how the doctrine of creation informs and is informed by various dogmatic commitments; and how the doctrine of creation relates to a range of human concerns and activities.
The Handbook represents a celebration of, fascination with, bewilderment at, lament about, and hope for all that is, and serves as a scholarly, innovative, and constructive reference for those interested in attending to what Christian belief has to contribute to thinking about and living with the mysterious existence named ‘creation’.
Table of Contents
Foreword – Catherine Keller
Introduction: The Doctrine of Creation in Historical and Contemporary Perspective – David Fergusson
Part I: Texts and Traditions
1. Sabbath and Land – Daniel R. Driver
2. Tabernacle and Temple – David L. Stubbs
3. Pentateuch and Blessing – Stephen Chapman
4. Creation and the Prophets – Abigail Pelham
5. From Wonder to Wisdom – William P. Brown
6. Creation in the Synoptic Gospels – Stephen C. Barton
7. Creation in John’s Gospel – Vicki Balabanski
8. Paul, Slavery, and Creation – Batanayi I. Manyika
9. Ecology and Eschatology in the Second Testament – Keith Dyer
10. Patristic Reflections – Ilaria L. E. Ramelli
11. Gnosticism: Creation Myths and Lesser Gods Among Early Christianities – Michael A. Williams
12. Creation in Syriac Christianity – Nebojsa Tumara
13. On the Six Days of Creation: The Hexaemeral Tradition – Giles Gasper
14. Avicenna, Maimonides, and Aquinas on Creation – William E. Carroll
15. Creation in Reformation Theology – Randall C. Zachman
Part II: Dogmatic Partners
16. Eschatology and Resurrection – David W. Congdon
17. God, Maker of Heaven and Earth – Gregor Etzelmüller
18. Creation and Monotheism – Janet Soskice
19. Christ and Creation – Ian A. McFarland
20. Beauty as Person: Christ’s Presence to the World – Stephen John Wright
21. Holy Spirit: A Cosmic Creational Pneumatology – Veli-Matti Kärkkäinen
22. Nature and Grace: The Spirituality of Existence – Nicholas Ansell
23. Providence and Promise – Michael Weinrich
24. Transcendence and Immanence – Andreas Nordlander
25. The Land, Creation, Sovereignty, and Property – Tink Tinker
26. Election and Covenant – Margit Ernst-Habib
27. Liberation, Reconciliation, and Creation – Ernst M. Conradie
28. Time and Eternity – Ephraim Radner
29. Providence and Process – Thomas Jay Oord
30. Pantheism and Panentheism – Mariusz Tabaczek
31. Love and Law – Ulrik Nissen
32. Love and Justice: The Primacy of the Creator, the Goodness of Creation – Timothy P. Jackson
33. Justice and Joy – Andrew Shepherd
34. Metaphysics and Moral Responsibility – Jordan Wessling
35. Principalities and Powers – Joerg Rieger
36. Values and Disvalues in Creation – Christopher Southgate
37. Evil – Giles Waller
38. Human Personhood – Marc Cortez
39. Death – Chris E. W. Green
40. ‘The Heavens Declare …’ (Ps. 14.1, 19.1): Creation, Mission, and the Embodied Knowing of God – John G. Flett
41. Church and World – Simon Chan
42. Unveiling Scripture: Creation in an Apocalyptic Key – John Behr
Part III: Upbuilding Discourses
43. Astrophysics – David Wilkinson and Jennifer Wiseman
44. Cosmology – Rodney Holder
45. Physics: The Recreation of Creation – Tom McLeish
46. Theologies of Creation and the Anthropocene – Forrest Clingerman
47. Ecology and Ethics – Whitney A. Bauman
48. (Nonhuman) Animals – Ryan McLaughlin
49. Children – David Jensen
50. Disability and Creation – John Swinton
51. Human Sexuality – Eugene F. Rogers Jr.
52. Race – Willie James Jennings
53. Creation and Dao: A Theodaoian Perspective – Heup Young Kim
54. Creation and Tian – Xiaoli Yang
55. Decolonization: A Postcolonial Critique to a Theology of Creation – Nicolás Panotto
56. Religions and Responsibility – Jan-Olav Henriksen
57. Cities – Genevieve James
58. Politics – Tim Gorringe
59. Economics – Daniel M. Bell Jr.
60. Food – David Grumett
61. Pandemics: Conceptualizing the Doctrine of Creation During the Era of HIV/AIDS and COVID-19 – Sophia Chirongoma
62. This Present Darkness: War and the Doctrine of Creation – Scott Paeth
63. Work: Triune and Humane – Gordon Preece
64. Medicine – Andrew Sloane
65. Technology: Cybernetics and Creation – Scott Midson
66. Sport – Lincoln Harvey
67. Making Places: Architecture – Murray Rae
68. Creation, Creativity, and Artistry – Trevor Hart
69. Sounds – Jeremy Begbie
70. Contemplating Creation – Kevin Hart
71. Liturgy and Creation – Christopher Irvine
Afterword – Jürgen Moltmann
Endorsements
‘This monumental volume of seventy one chapters is staggering in its scope and forceful interrogation of different facets of creation and their meaning and significance. As a work it is thoroughly contemporary in its refusal to offer a univocal account of creation. Instead, it stuns the reader with its rich variety of contributions by leading and emerging authors in their fields, each offering a profound engagement with creation themes. As such this will be an important source book for anyone who has a particular specialism, be it biblical, historical, dogmatic, ecumenical or ethical concerns through to interdisciplinary engagement with social, cultural and scientific knowledge. It will also provide a comprehensive resource for students, encouraging and fostering important avenues for debate, thus encouraging the next generation of thinkers’. – Celia Deane-Drummond, University of Oxford, UK
‘This outstanding collection offers fresh insights into the diversity and richness and Christian understandings of creation. It is comprehensive and authoritative, while at the same time addressing the relevance of this traditional doctrine to a number of pressing contemporary issues. Highly recommended!’ – Peter Harrison, University of Queensland, Australia
‘For too long the doctrine of creation has been little more than a preamble to theological reflection. This Handbook rectifies that by showing the profound theoretical and practical relevance of the teaching of creation for every aspect of our shared creaturely life. This is, quite literally, a world-changing book because it compels us to re-think, re-imagine, and re-engage this world and all its diverse life in the light of the claim that every creature is a sacred gift beloved by God’. – Norman Wirzba, Duke University, USA
Reviews
Astley, Jeff. ‘Creation’s Issues’. Rural Theology 23, no. 1 (2025): 43–54. https://doi.org/10.1080/14704994.2025.2480358.
Doane, Sébastien. ‘Review of T&T Clark Handbook of the Doctrine of Creation, edited by Jason Goroncy’. Laval théologique et philosophique 81, no. 1 (2025): 174–75.
Gordon, Joseph K. ‘Review of T&T Clark Handbook of the Doctrine of Creation, edited by Jason Goroncy’. Theological Studies 85, no. 4 (2024): 723.
Mattes, Mark. ‘Review of T&T Clark Handbook of the Doctrine of Creation, edited by Jason Goroncy’. Lutheran Quarterly 38, no. 4 (2024): 489–92.
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