The Beginning and End of All Things: A Biblical Theology of Creation and New Creation
Authors: Klink Edward W. 
Published: November 2024

THE BEGINNING AND END OF ALL THINGS: A Biblical Theology of Creation and New Creation by Edward W. Klink III. Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2023. 208 pages, including discussion questions and in-dices. Paperback; $24.00. ISBN: 9780830855223. *Whereas many people tend to associate the doctrine of creation with the origins of the world, Edward Klink is concerned to form a theology of creation that envelops all of scripture. Klink is senior pastor of Hope Church, Roscoe, IL, and formerly on the faculty of Talbot School of Theology, Biola University. *Throughout the introduction and ten chapters of the book, Klink presents an insightful biblical theology of creation with suggestions to engage nature, culture, and life. In the introduction, he emphasizes that he does not want to dwell on the debates about the first six days of creation; instead, he wants to show that the whole Bible tells the story of creation and that this story is at the core of the gospel itself. *In chapter 1, "Creation's Covenant," Klink emphasizes Genesis 1-2 as the foundation of the rest of the biblical story and its message. Creation is designed to be the temple of God, and God has made a covenantal claim on his creation, with humanity assigned to be the prophets, priests, and kings of creation. *"Creation's Curse," the second chapter, discusses the theological meaning of Genesis 3. It reveals the cause and fact of the human fallen condition as well as God's gracious provision of the sacrifice of animals for clothing in Genesis 3:21. *Chapter 3, "Creation's Confusion," begins with St. Augustine's The City of God, from which Klink points to Abraham as the founder of the city of God and to Cain as the founder of the city of humanity. Humanity loved themselves and not the Creator, and so placed its trust in human achievement and effort, rather than in God. Surprisingly, in this chapter Klink did not comment on the significance of Noah's Flood. *New Creation is especially emphasized in chapter 4, "Creation's Country." God begins the new creation in one person, Abraham, to whom God says, "In you shall all the families of the earth be blessed." Klink designates Abraham as the second Adam because the redemptive new work was through Abraham, and his descendants are the new humanity (p. 73). Klink's interpretation of Abraham as the second Adam does not preempt the way in which Jesus serves as the second Adam according to the Apostle Paul. *In chapter 5, "Creation's Cry," Klink once again employs the Adam motif, this time identifying the Jewish people as an interim Adam. They served as God's prophets, priests, and kings in the Old Testament (OT) period (p. 84), but they failed the assignment, as indicated in Isaiah 43. Then at the end of the OT period, the prophets cried out to the Lord for a new work of God. Abraham and the Jewish people are an interim Adam in the sense that their Adam-derived roles of prophets, priests, and kings were replaced by Jesus and the church. *The next chapter, "Creation's Christ," has two main sections: Jesus, the revelation of God, is the purpose for creation; he is the Gardener (so Mary Magdalen thought) in "the second garden" (John 19:41, at his resurrection). Klink says the plotline of God's creation can be stated as the story of three gardens: the first garden at Eden, the second garden at Easter, and the third garden in Revelation 21-22. Following his commentary on the Gospel of John, Klink identifies Jesus as the cosmic temple of God and the revealer of the physical design of creation. *Chapter 7, "Creation's Cross," explains that Jesus is the inauguration of the new creation, and the new life in the Pauline second Adam (Jesus) is God's provision. Then follows, chapter 8, on the church--"Creation's Congregation." Klink describes the church as the true Adamic humanity and descendants of the second Adam. She is also the temple of God in Christ. *Chapter 9, "Creation's Commission," contends that for humans to bear the image of God, and to be fully human, they must be Christ-centered. In an interesting perspective, the Great Commission of Mathew 28 is interpreted as being given for the cultivation of creation. The tenth chapter, "Creation's Consummation," concludes with the new creation, which is the re-creation of all things. In particular, the last two chapters of Revelation reveal the glorious consummation of God's creation project. *In the Conclusion, Klink offers pastoral reflections. He intends the book to correct the truncated and deficient views of the doctrine of creation that are commonly found today, and to emphasize that the end of all things is a new creation. In Klink's view, the concept of a new creation has wide implications, and should influence our spiritual life, the Christian life, our view of the earth, and culture. *Each chapter ends with pastoral insight, practical application, and biblical encouragement for readers to live as God's people of the new creation. The author's ability to develop new connections of theological significance is fully displayed in this volume, particularly through his commentary on the Gospel of John. On the other hand, Klink's interpretations of the biblical events sometimes appear puzzling, such as interpreting Abraham as the second Adam, and the Jewish people as the interim Adam. This kind of unusual interpretation is not new with Klink, however, as it appears part of a recent trend of interpreting many OT persons and events as types of Christ (see, e.g., James Hamilton Jr., Typology: Understanding the Bible's Promise-Shaped Patterns). In his grand narrative, Klink does not comment on Noah's Flood, nor the final cosmic cataclysm (2 Peter 3:10; Mark 13:24-25; Rev. 6:12-14). In tracing the theme of creation and new creation throughout the Bible, the book fulfills the purpose of the Essential Studies in Biblical Theology series, which is to describe the grand storyline of the Bible. This volume can serve well the needs of beginning students of theology, church leaders, pastors, and laypeople. *Reviewed by T. Timothy Chen, PhD, Adjunct Professor, Chinese Studies Program, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, Fort Worth, TX 76115.