Reforesting Faith
What Trees Teach Us About the Nature of God and His Love for Us
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4.8 • 16 Ratings
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
This groundbreaking walk through Scripture by former physician and carpenter Dr. Matthew Sleeth makes the convincing case that trees reveal more about God and faith than you ever imagined.
“Christians looking to reconnect to the natural world will relish Sleeth’s passionate call to Christian stewardship of the Earth.”—Publishers Weekly
Fifteen years ago, Matthew Sleeth believed that science and logic held the answers to everything. But when tragedy struck, he opened the Bible for the first time and was surprised to find that God chose to tell the gospel story through a trail of trees.
There’s a tree on the first page of Genesis, in the first psalm, on the first page of the New Testament, and on the last page of Revelation. The Bible’s wisdom is referred to as a tree of life. Every major biblical character and every major theological event has a tree marking the spot. A tree was the only thing that could kill Jesus—and the only thing Jesus ever harmed.
Reforesting Faith is the rare book that builds bridges by connecting those who love the Creator with creation and those who love creation with the Creator.
Join Dr. Sleeth as he explores the wonders of life, death, and rebirth through the trail of trees in Scripture. Once you discover the hidden language of trees, your walk through the woods—and through Scripture—will never be the same.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In this affecting work, physician and carpenter Sleeth (The Gospel According to the Earth) explains the importance of trees within the Bible and in life through scriptural passages and personal stories. The Bible urges Christians to pay close attention to trees, Sleeth observes, and in so doing to commit to safeguarding them and the natural world at large. Trees serve as protection, he writes, and provide beauty, food, and shade, but they also need human care in an increasingly industrialized world. In this way, trees live symbiotically with humans and should be recognized as having a high status in the kingdom of God. To back up his points, Sleeth details the prevalence and place of trees in scriptures each major character is associated with a tree, Jesus calls himself "the true vine" (John 15:1), and the Bible itself is referred to as "a Tree of Life" (Proverbs 3:18). Personal anecdote and observation appear throughout (the author's favorite tree, for instance, is a 500-year-old Cathedral Oak outside a church in Lafayette, La.) making this case for environmental sustainability resonate on a personal level, as well. Christians looking to reconnect to the natural world will relish Sleeth's passionate call to Christian stewardship of the Earth.
Customer Reviews
Reforesting Faith
Excellent!
Be like a tree!
Honestly, I have spent very little time connecting trees to theology and their symbolism - this book presented a new idea and I was thrilled to read it! Being able to connect the ideas in the book to teachings even a century ago makes me marvel at how Christian teachings have changed in that intervening time.
Why give this book four stars? In certain passages, I think connecting events to trees is a stretch (eg The discussion on David and Goliath). In other sections, the ideas are underdeveloped - for example, going a bit more in depth on the symbolism of trees (oak, fig, cedar, eg) would be appreciated.
This book could easily be accompanied by a study guide, and I hope to find one soon!