In this, the third monograph in his Engaging the Doctrine series, Matthew Levering challenges the notion that humans evolved due to mere chance (e.g., Richard Dawkins) and addresses questions relevant to Pope Francis’ encyclical Laudato Si’, including: Is the claim that humans are made in the image of God self-aggrandizement and is the divine directive to “be fruitful and multiply” a recipe for ecological disaster (Gen. 1:27-28)? Throughout the book's seven chapters and conclusion, Levering cites the theology of Thomas Aquinas often because in his judgment “the loss of Aquinas's philosophical theology” … “has inflicted a grievous wound upon contemporary thought” (311).
The focus of the initial two chapters of Engaging the Doctrine of Creation is God. In chapter 1, Levering's reply to the proposition that humans resulted from chance developments harkens back to Aquinas’ concept of “the God of participation” who allows creatures to share in his own abundance (71). Levering builds to this position by citing Aquinas’ insight that since God's “essence is existence,” God is the ultimate source of all finite beings who purposefully brings together creation and redemption, stressing that because “created in the Word (Christ), we are redeemed in the Word” (67).
In chapter 2, David Bradshaw, a specialist in ancient and medieval philosophy, who is critical of Aquinas on God, serves as the foil Levering engages in presenting his own interpretation of Aquinas on the related topics of divine simplicity and God's free act of creation. Levering proposes that “if God were not simple, God could not be infinite actuality” and could not “produce being absolutely,” which is what the act of creation involves (107).
In chapter 3, “Creatures,” Levering engages the doctrine of creation principally by correlating biblical creation and modern science. He also points to ways in which Genesis 1's description of creation's movement of chaos to order resonates with Christian cosmological insights by drawing on Basil the Great's “theophanic” approach to the diversity of creatures to provide a rationale for the intrinsic goodness of creation (113–15).
In chapters 4 through 7, Levering addresses specific questions, the majority of which are focused on humans, including the meaning of humans being the only creatures to be made in the “image of God,” the command to “be fruitful and multiply,” the abuse of human freedom through sin, and the crucifixion of Jesus (God incarnate) as a loving act of redemptive mercy. This progression culminates with Levering addressing the relationship of the doctrines of creation and atonement with attention to creaturely injustice and retributive justice. When we rebel against God's order, we both disorder ourselves and deserve punishment. He proposes that by embracing just punishment a person can make satisfaction and heal the disorder he/she has caused (295–99).
Levering's engagement of the doctrine of creation closes with a thought-provoking Conclusion in which he reiterates his aim for the preceding chapters: to set forth and defend the Christian doctrine of the Creator and “his theophanic creatures” (310) in the context of human sin and redemption. He then stresses that by rejecting the biblically inspired doctrine of creation, Western societies are also rejecting human procreation, while neglecting to effectively respond to the ecological crisis. It is therefore imperative that we purify our vision of God, our Creator, and see creation rightly by embracing our “creatureliness as being at the heart of our redemption” (317).
This book offers many challenging insights worthy of consideration. It would not be an appropriate choice for undergraduate courses, but graduate students could benefit from having it listed among books recommended for courses on or related to creation.
