The Faithful Creator: Affirming Creation And Providence In An Age Of Anxiety - Softcover

Highfield, Ron

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1783593725 ISBN 13: 9781783593729

Publisher: Apollos, 2015

Synopsis

As Paul says in Romans, creation groans for redemption. But can we trust God to make all things new? The doctrines of creation and providence address the question of human anxiety in the face of suffering and evil. In a world that often seems to be spinning out of control, Christian faith confesses a "faithful Creator" (1 Peter 4:19) who promises a glorious future for all creation. In The Faithful Creator, seasoned professor and author Ron Highfield presents an overview of creation, providence and the problem of evil. He explores a wide range of issues, including the biblical accounts of creation, the dialogue between theology and science, models of providence, philosophical problems of evil and the proposals of open theism and process theism. Both accessible and scholarly, The Faithful Creator is an ideal text for classroom use.

About this title

About the Author:

Ron Highfield (PhD, Rice University) is professor of religion at Pepperdine University in Malibu, California. He is the author of Great is the Lord: Theology for the Praise of God, Barth and Rahner: Toward an Ecumenical Understanding of Sin and Evil, God, Freedom & Human Dignity and coauthor (with Gregory Boyd, William Lane Craig and Paul Helseth) of Four Views on Divine Providence. His published chapters and articles have covered subjects ranging from theological anthropology to open theism to Christian higher education.

Review:

"The Faithful Creator is an extraordinarily rich scholarly treatment of the subjects of divine creation and providence. Highfield situates the doctrine of providence where it belongs―as an outworking of the doctrine of divine creation, which in turn is grounded in the triune nature of God. And the discussion culminates in a wise and extensive treatment of the diverse ways in which the problem of evil threatens to undermine our belief in divine faithfulness. Highfield seems equally adept when discussing biblical, philosophical and historical-theological dimensions of the issue, enabling him to bring into the conversation an impressive range of thinkers―ancient to contemporary. This study demands consideration by those on all sides of the providence debate." (James S. Spiegel, Taylor University)

"In this splendid book, Ron Highfield carefully argues that a proper theological understanding of God's creative action and providential care for all things may afford peace and assurance in this age of anxiety. Solidly grounded in Scripture and masterfully engaging key figures in both classical and contemporary theology, Highfield employs the notions of analogy and secondary causality to preserve God's transcendence and immanence while affirming human freedom and the authentic causality of creatures. The reader is invited to find 'comfort, hope, courage and joy' in the reality of God's providence―in the truth that 'God so orders and directs every event in the history of creation that God's eternal purpose for creation is realized perfectly.'" (Michael J. Dodds, Dominican School of Philosophy and Theology)

"Suffering and evil often challenge our understanding of, and love for, the God who created and rules over the world. Focusing on God's work of creation and providence, Highfield is swimming against a stream in evangelical theology that has revised or modified aspects of the traditional understanding of God's nature (simplicity, immutability, eternity and omnipotence). He cogently reaffirms classical theism, and he applies it very helpfully in our present context. Whether or not readers agree with Highfield's criticism of recent departures from the classical tradition, they will benefit, as I have done, from interacting with his superb restatement of the tradition and his own constructive appropriation of it." (Terrance Tiessen, professor emeritus of systematic theology and ethics, Providence Theological Seminary)

"What I appreciate about The Faithful Creator is that Highfield goes beyond just saying that God is faithful and actually demonstrates it with his discussions on creation and providence. . . . This book is an excellent reminder that even though we may not know how our choices will play out in the rest of our lives, we can be certain that God, as our Creator, will be faithful in working all things toward His purpose. It is a reminder that we don't need to be anxious about the future because God is in control of the world that He has created." (Kailynn Nelson, Brave Daily, October 31, 2015)

About this edition

• Publisher: Apollos
• Publication date: 2015
• ISBN 10: 1783593725
• ISBN 13: 9781783593729
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 396