Retrieving Augustine's Doctrine of Creation

Ancient Wisdom for Current Controversy

By: Gavin Ortlund

Narrated by: Kyle Tait

How might premodern exegesis of Genesis inform Christian debates about creation today?

Imagine a table with three people in dialogue: a young-earth creationist, an old-earth creationist, and an evolutionary creationist. Into the room walks Augustine of Hippo, one of the most significant theologians in the history of the church. In what ways will his reading of Scripture and his doctrine of creation inform, deepen, and shape the conversation?

Pastor and theologian Gavin Ortlund explores just such a scenario by retrieving Augustine's reading of Genesis 1-3 and considering how his premodern understanding of creation can help Christians today. Ortlund contends that while Augustine's hermeneutical approach and theological questions might differ from those of today, this church father's humility before Scripture and his theological conclusions can shed light on matters such as evolution, animal death, and the historical Adam and Eve. Have a seat. Join the conversation.

©2020 Gavin R. Ortlund (P)2021 eChristian

Very Good

This book was a great demonstration that there can be multiple orthodox readings of Genesis. Gavin's is a voice of peace in the midst of so much contention. I would highly recommend this book to anyone interested in the creation debate.

Fantastic, sober analysis of a topic far more relevant than it may at first appear

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Dr. Ortlund does a masterful job of revivifying St. Augustine’s highly intelligent (and still highly relevant) approach to harmonizing scripture and the physical sciences. This book will very much reward your reading time.

Superb scholarly work on little known history

Ortlund examines the work of St. Augustine on creation and Genesis 1 and demonstrates how his views— colony from a universally reveeed figure in church history— throw cold water on various hot takes that cause more heat than light in current debates.

The narrator is earnest and intelligible . The overall sound however is a bit tinny- as if it were altered. I wondered for a while if it were AI.

Great Book.

I really appreciated this book. Ortlund challenged my thinking and presuppositions in how I understand theology and creation. The overview of the need for humility in relation to this topic was very beneficial. At times I found myself agreeing with Augustine and at other times wondering what he (Augustine) was thinking. This book really helped me see that attempting to understand other theological positions is beneficial even if we don't necessarily agree.

In summary, great book, do yourself a favour and give it a read.