"In Creation Untamed, Terry Fretheim adjusts his goggles and dives headfirst into the swirling storm of practical biblical and theological questions that we all ask about God, tragedy, and suffering. Fretheim admits that the Bible cannot provide all the answers. Mysteries remain. Yet Fretheim skillfully guides the reader through the dark and choppy waters of theology and suffering, suggesting helpful ways to move and warning against less promising ways of understanding. This book is deeply biblical, highly practical, and richly theological. Highly recommended!"
--Dennis Olson, Charles T. Haley Professor of Old Testament Theology,
Princeton Theological Seminary
"There is no issue in contemporary faith more vexing than how we are to understand God's will and action in the event of natural disasters like tsunamis and hurricanes, wildfires and floods. Fortunately for readers, there is no more reliable guide for thinking biblically about these issues than Terence Fretheim. In this thoughtful and compact volume, Fretheim helps us not only to see clearly our own created vulnerability but also to encounter biblical testimony to a God who becomes vulnerable with us."
--Bruce C. Birch, professor of Old Testament emeritus,
Wesley Theological Seminary
"Who better than Fretheim to take up the hard contemporary question concerning the destructive forces on exhibit in creation! The author has spent his life thinking about these issues and reading these old texts forward toward our time and place. He begins with the conviction of the goodness of God's creation, and from there he launches into the dangers of reality and takes us with him."
--Walter Brueggemann, professor emeritus of Old Testament,
Columbia Theological Seminary
"Terence Fretheim explores the biblical materials to grapple with the devastation of natural disasters. He encourages readers to reconsider their traditional understanding of the relationship between God and suffering. I enthusiastically recommend Creation Untamed to all who want to be honest with the Bible and with life."
--Tremper Longman III, Robert H. Gundry Professor of Biblical Studies,
Westmont College
"This is vintage Fretheim: provocative theological reflection combined with a careful reading of the biblical text. What does human suffering say about God? At a time when hard questions lead some to turn away from the Old Testament, Fretheim finds rich resources for probing the depths of the person of God and for rethinking the relationship of the divine to the world."
--M. Daniel Carroll R., distinguished professor of Old Testament,
Denver Seminary
"With characteristic erudition, theological depth, and lively engagement, Terence Fretheim illuminates one of the most perplexing issues of faith: why natural disasters? Fretheim brings together a wide range of biblical texts and ably mines them for their wisdom about God's ways in the world. Such wisdom is critically needed when so much misunderstanding characterizes religious discourse today."
--William P. Brown, professor of Old Testament,
Columbia Theological Seminary
"Throughout history and yet today people have tended to view natural disasters as vengeful 'acts of God.' Fretheim has done us a great service by masterfully exposing how thoroughly this traditional perspective conflicts with a careful reading of the Bible's creation texts. Not all readers will agree with all of Fretheim's proposals, but all will benefit from the fresh perspective he brings to the biblical texts, the unsettling questions he invites us to consider, and the magnificent portrait of a loving, power-sharing, relational God who brings into being a dynamic creation full of beauty and risk."
--Greg Boyd, senior pastor,
Woodland Hills Church, St. Paul, MN
