In this study guide, students will learn what the Bible teaches about the natural world and its purpose from Genesis through Revelation. Then they will consider the environmental challenges facing their local area and those affecting the planet. Finally, they will explore the unique responsibility of Christians to care for creation compared with other approaches to ‘environmental’ issues.
This study could be used as one-third of a course in high school Biology or combined with nature study to provide an Environmental Science credit.
Spine Text
This study guide accompanies the living book Creation Care: A Biblical Theology of the Natural World by Douglas J. Moo and Jonathan A. Moo (Zondervan Academic, 2018, ISBN: 978-0310293743).
Please note that there is also an audio and video version by the authors, but they do not sync to the book and are, in fact, substantially different. Therefore, if you choose to use either of them, you will have to make adjustments on your own.
- 256 pages
- Reading Level: Grade 10-12
- Prerequisites: none.
- Please Note. Both the book and study guide include religious content, therefore, there will not be a secular version of this guide available.
*Please pre-read this text — You should know that as the book Creation Care was written by two Biblical scholars, it includes a lot of theology! Therefore, it would be helpful for you to pre-read it so your conversations with your child about the subject will be well-informed.
Author Bio
Douglas Moo credits watching his son’s love for the natural world as he was growing up for infecting him with his own love of creation and his interest in putting faith and environmental ethics together. For Jonathan Moo, the example his parents set of taking him outside often and showing him what it meant to follow Christ in an atmosphere where no question was off-limits and where faith and science could go together, was foundational.
Jonathan (son) went on to study many things; literature, biology, wildlife ecology, and theology to name a few. Jonathan is now a professor where he gets to teach about many of his interests, ranging from the New Testament, Greek, environmental studies and environmental ethics . He loves to take his students outside to adventure and discover, whether it be hiking in the mountains or on the other side of the world.
Douglas (dad) is a scholar and a professor. He has authored many works covering individual books of the New Testament. He and his wife, Jenny (Jonathan’s mom), love to photograph God’s creation, capturing the light on neighborhood walks, while traversing the wilds of Alaska, or traveling around the globe. (source)
Guide Pages: 58
Other Necessary Items to Complement This Course
Schedule
This study guide includes 33 lessons, each requiring approximately 30-40 minutes. You can either schedule it:
- Three times a week for 11 weeks, allowing for exams during the 12th week, or
- Once a week for an entire year, allowing time for exams at the end of each term and including other science subjects on the other days of the week.
This guide uses the tools and prompts
- Reading assignments
- Narration and discussion prompts
- Activities and experiments related to the reading
- Supplemental current events, books, videos, and article suggestions
- Leisure reading options
- Exam questions
Sample Lessons
A digital version can be purchased below, but the paperback copies of this study guide must be purchased on Amazon. (And remember, as stated above, there will not be a secular version available.)