Grant Wiley - Introduction to From Nature to Creation (class reading)


            The introduction to Norman Wirzba’s book that we are going to continue in the class was interesting in that it got me thinking about my own relationship to what he calls Creation (from the title). Wirzba explains the relationship that many of us in the Christian faith and outside of it have toward the environment. It seems that we simply degrade the environment with seemingly no reason or purpose. What Wirzba seems to be pushing for is an entirely new relationship to Creation that begins with the Christian faith. According to Wirzba, as Christians, we should be concerned with Creation because of our God’s relationship to his Creation. This is not to mention that God sent his only Son down to Earth to dwell with us and among other things, give us an example for how to live. 

            A word that Wirzba uses throughout this reading is imagination, but I like the word wonder better. This is something that I have always struggled with in my life and journey as a Christian. In our modern world we often get so caught up in the business and hustle of the day and miss out on the small things, the beautiful Creation that surrounds us. Wirzba does a great job explaining this through the lens of imagination. Imagining a world that God truly loves, a world that God said was very good. I hope to try to pursue this imagination and this wonder and take the time to process and appreciate the little things in life like the huge James River or the scenery on the Noland Trail. 

            Finally, working off the last point that Wirzba made about imagination, he brings up the issue with people in what he calls postmodern culture. We live in a world in which utilitarianism has taken over and we are so shortsighted in our actions. I can certainly relate to this as I often find myself saying – I’m just too busy to deal with this right now. For example, I normally walk the Noland Trail every Sunday, but sometimes I have a paper coming up and I make the decision to skip walking to work on it. I am trading the opportunity to wonder at God’s Creation for efficiency in my schoolwork. This is just a small anecdote, but it does a good job of describing a phenomenon that I experience often throughout the year and it influences many parts of my life. In sum, this introduction by Wirzba got me thinking about many aspects of my life as a Christian, specifically how I relate myself to Creation. 

- January 25, 2021

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