Reforesting Faith: What Trees Teach Us About the Nature of God and His Love for Us

“Sleeth is the perfect missionary to American evangelicals for the environmental cause.” —Andy Crouch, author of Culture Making: Recovering Our Creative Calling “Matthew Sleeth carries a fresh message and unique insights arising from a life of integrity and a vantage point that offers glimpses of the world that most others miss.” —Dr. John Stumbo, president of the US Christian and Missionary Alliance “ Reforesting Faith immediately captures the soul! It awakens a hunger for the vastness of God as well as the immediate presence of God. Matthew has a great gift of taking something as common as a tree and exploding the Scripture before our eyes, resulting in an overwhelming renewed love for our Lord.” —Jo Anne Lyon, general superintendent emerita of the Wesleyan Church “Somewhere along the line, too many people picked up the notion that loving trees was somehow pagan or Druidic. As this volume makes clear, the Bible is a veritable forest, full of towering cedars and heavy-laden fruit trees. Reading this will help make the Scriptures come more fully alive.” —Bill McKibben, author of The Comforting Whirlwind: God, Job, and the Scale of Creation “ Reforesting Faith is an extraordinary book. Never before have I gone on a ‘nature walk through the Bible,’ so I’m grateful I had Matthew Sleeth as a guide. It’s fascinating to see the Bible through this lens—and to realize the connection has been there all along. I heartily recommend this captivating and beautifully written book that enables us to see Scripture in a fresh way.” —Howard Dayton, founder of Compass—Finances God’s Way “This is one of those rare books that makes you wonder how you could have read the Bible your entire life and missed so many insights and treasures. Matthew Sleeth invites us on an amazing journey through Scripture with an eye to the special place of trees. In the process he helps us reimagine the world in new ways and awakens parts in us that have been asleep for far too long. Drawing from nearly a thousand references to trees or their derivatives in the Bible, Sleeth reignites our sense of wonder and our love for the majesty of God. This book will help restore our weakened imaginations and remind us of our proper place in the world.” —Timothy C. Tennent, PhD, president of Asbury Theological Seminary “All of physical creation is an object lesson of spiritual truth. In this wonderful book Matthew Sleeth illuminates the most profound, prolific, and practical object in God’s inventory—the tree. Both spiritual solace and spirited service find meaning in trees.” —Joel Salatin, farmer and author of The Marvelous Pigness of Pigs: Respecting and Caring for All God’s Creation “When it comes to biblical knowledge and divine insights, I can read Matthew Sleeth all day. In Reforesting Faith he has given us a curiosity-driven tome telling the grand story of God through the trees of Scripture. Don’t be lost in the woods; read this book, discover the thicket, and reforest your faith.” —Kyle Idleman, senior pastor of Southeast Christian Church and author of Not a Fan: Becoming a Completely Committed Follower of Jesus and Don’t Give Up: Faith That Gives You the Confidence to Keep Believing and the Courage to Keep Going “The intricate symbolism of trees is woven through the Bible from the beginning to the end in a way that is incredibly obvious to me now after reading Reforesting Faith . Thanks to this book, I will never look at a tree the same way again. If you care about nature at all, this is a must-read.” —Angela Correll, author of the novel Grounded “Matthew Sleeth is gifted at pulling out truths in Scripture the rest of us read over. He did it with the Sabbath, and now he’s done it again with trees. Read this book!” —Jess Correll, chairman of First Southern National Bank and UTG Life Insurance “In Reforesting Faith Matthew Sleeth reveals his core identity as a conservationist both in calling us to conserve trees and in inviting us to conserve an often-forgotten core metaphor of the Old and New Testaments. Through lively narrative grounded deeply in Scripture and in the concrete experiences of his personal journey, the author constructs a sort of tree-centric theology. Like a seasoned gallery docent, he invites us to notice the pervasive scriptural use of trees as sacramental signs in our world revealing God’s presence, his activity, and his eternal purposes. The book—like its subject, the tree—is a gift, pointing us to the triune God whose daily generosity sustains us and our world.” —Shirley A. Mullen, president of Houghton College “Matthew again connects us to the essential: God, the planet, the Sabbath, a tree. God’s breath that gave life to man is being shared daily by all that breathes, including trees. This reminder brings hope and enormous joy. Reforesting Faith is a must-read.” —Lisa Renstrom, former president of the Sierra Club “I never knew until reading Reforesting Faith how bountiful and significant trees are in God’s story of the Creation, the Fall, and redemption. Before reading this book, I loved the beautiful trees of God’s world and the power of the Bible’s rich symbols, but I never saw how many connections there were between them. This book has deepened my love for God’s Word and his world even more.” —Karen Swallow Prior, author of On Reading Well: Finding the Good Life Through Great Books and Fierce Convictions: The Extraordinary Life of Hannah More—Poet, Reformer, Abolitionist “The intrinsic and life-sustaining value of trees has long been neglected. Sleeth proves God’s love for trees and draws the reader into the realization that we need to not only reforest faith but also literally reforest our forests. This timely book is an almanac describing the importance of sustainable farming at a time when it is sorely needed.” —The Rev. Canon Sally Bingham, founder and president emerita of Interfaith Power and Light, a religious response to climate change “Readers of the Bible will be refreshed and quickened to see the sensible and intentional way God uses trees as blueprints for godly living and as key players in major events, including the stories of Adam and Eve, Moses, Gideon, Jonah, and Christ. Even if you are unfamiliar with the Bible, this book will be a reminder of how important trees are to every living thing on this planet.” —Grace Ju Miller, PhD, professor of plant biology and dean of the School of Natural and Applied Sciences at Taylor University “Dr. Matthew Sleeth is a stimulating thinker who came to Christ later in life and consequently looks at Scripture with fresh eyes. He sees biblical truths most of us who grew up in the church have overlooked. This exceptional book reflects Matthew’s keen insight, his love for God’s Word, and his passion for creation care. (PS: Hey, preachers… This is great material for a unique sermon series on the trees of the Bible!) —Bob Russell, retired senior minister of Southeast Christian Church “Matthew Sleeth takes us on a wonderful journey along a trail of trees into a deeper and richer hope for life— eternal life through faith in Jesus and thriving life for the Father’s world in which we live. This is a fun, inspirational, and provocative read.” —Mark Liederbach, PhD, professor of theology, ethics, and culture at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary “Matthew inspires us to celebrate the powerful nature of the trees that share the earth with us. The book transports me to the forest floor. As I gaze at the shimmering leaves above, I always feel my spirit rise toward the heavens. Reforesting Faith affirms that trees play a central role in the teachings of many religions around the world. The book is a fascinating journey into our past that teaches us what we must do to ensure a future full of beauty, life, and purpose.” —Dan Chu, executive director of the Sierra Club Foundation MATTHEW SLEETH, MD, a former emergency room physician and chief of the hospital medical staff, resigned from his position to teach, preach, and write about the biblical call to be good stewards of the earth. A highly sought-after speaker, Dr. Sleeth has spoken at more than 1,000 churches, campuses, and events, including serving as the monthly guest preacher at The Washington National Cathedral for a year. Recognized by Newsweek as one of the nation's most influential evangelical leaders, Dr. Sleeth is a graduate of George Washington University School of Medicine and has two postdoctoral fellowships. He is the executive director of Blessed Earth and author of Serving God, Saving the Planet ; 24/6 ; the introduction to The Green Bible , as well as numerous creation care books and articles. Dr. Sleeth lives in Lexington, KY, with Nancy, his wife of nearly 40 years. Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved. 1 What Trees Teach Us They are like trees planted by streams of water, which yield their fruit in its season, and their leaves do not wither. In all that they do, they prosper. —Psalm 1:3, NRSV I love trees. I always have. No one told me to love them; I just do. I love looking at them. I love sitting in their shade. I love hearing the sound of wind rustling through their leaves. But what can trees teach us? Specifically, what can trees teach us about the nature of God and his love for us? Nearly two decades ago, during a difficult season of my life, I began to search for answers to these questions. At the time I did not believe in God. I was trained in the sciences as a physician, and my search eventually led me on a nature walk through the Bible. This book, Reforesting Faith , shares what I learned. Before you embark on this trail with me, be warned: my job, my home, my family, the books I read, even the state I live in and the places I travel have all been completely changed by this journey through the woods. God’s Trees Trees grow older, taller, and bigger than anything else on the earth. They have been with us since the beginning of time. We humans owe our very lives to the sap, bark, wood, flowers, and fruit of trees. We are their masters, yet they are our stake in the future. And trees are beautiful. On the tops of mountains, bending over the sides of rivers, ringing the boreal latitudes, dripping wet with equatorial showers, trees blanket our world. At night when the air is clear, trees can be seen grouped together at the edge of the forest. Illuminated in silvery moonlight, they appear to have been stopped midsentence. All night long they draw a deep breath, hold it for one count, and then from dawn to dusk exhale life-giving oxygen. The smell of a pine forest on a hot day, the sound of palms clattering in a tropical breeze, the sight of yellow maple leaves raining down through an autumn sky—these are all evidence of trees giving praise to their Creator. For those with ears to hear and eyes to see, the enormity of the gift of trees impresses itself upon us anew each day. Only God can make a tree. Embarking on the Trail Reforesting Faith is about trees in the Bible. Reading it won’t make your credit card debt disappear. It won’t make your teeth whiter or your hair shinier. This is not a self-help book. It’s about gaining insight into why God placed our great-great-grandparents in a garden of trees and told them to dress and keep them. It will help you understand why George MacDonald, C. S. Lewis, J. R. R. Tolkien, and other great Christian writers cast the heroes of their stories as the protectors of trees and the bad guys as their enemies. For the majority of my life, I did not believe in God. That’s not the case anymore. In fact, the trees in the Bible are a crucial part of what brought me to faith. Christianity is the only religion that weaves trees from one end of its sacred text to the other. Every important character and every major event have a tree marking the spot. There is a tree in the first and last chapter of the Bible, in the first psalm, and in the first gospel. Throughout this book we’ll look at how the Bible uses trees to reveal spiritual truths about humanity and God. We’ll even see how the Bible contains assertions about trees not discovered by science until the modern era. Every important character and every major event have a tree marking the spot. Christians bring trees indoors once a year to celebrate the birth of their Savior. But many believe that Christians are anti-trees. Why? This is one of the questions Reforesting Faith will answer. We’ll go on a journey from Genesis to Revelation looking at how God uses trees in the Bible. And just like in the Bible, it’s okay to skip forward to read about Jesus (in part 3) and then come back to chapter 1. Who was the first person in the Bible to plant trees? Who was the first person in Scripture to deface a tree? Why did Jesus say the kingdom of heaven is like a tree? Why are we told that trees will shout for joy when the Lord returns to judge the earth? Can trees really talk to each other the way they do in the Bible? Why do some people smile when they see a tree blowing in the breeze, while others take no notice? Which has more trees: heaven or hell? These are just a few of the questions you’ll be able to answer after reading this book. Key Trail Markers God’s ways are made tangible in creation. Trees help us understand and see the nature and character of God. Our nature trek through the Bible will focus on several themes: ~xa0God loves trees. ~xa0Like God, trees are in the life business. ~xa0Responsible stewardship is one way we can express our love and respect for God. ~xa0Planting trees demonstrates love for our neighbors and hope for future generations. ~xa0Trees help us regain our sense of wonder. We are going to cover a lot of ground together. We will journey to ancient trees that stood witness to major interactions between God and our favorite Bible characters. We will also explore the varied ways God used trees to foretell the coming of the Messiah. Finally, we will see how Jesus and the apostles used the language of trees to share the good news. Please note that in this book the term tree will refer not only to living trees but also to the items that come from trees, such as rods, walking sticks, staffs, wooden ladders, and the cross. We will also include parts of trees, such as fruit, seeds, roots, branches, and leaves. Further, bushes, vines, and other plants will do their part in helping us find God’s deeper meaning in the context of the Bible. Join Me on the Walk Every time our bejeweled planet completes another circle around the sun, God gives every tree on the earth a new ring. Tick goes the clock, and another year goes by. This year will we see the trees? Will we heed the call to protect them? Will we plant the small tree today that the next generation will climb and the following one will find shade under? Will we plant in faith? Will we be called “oaks of righteousness” (Isaiah 61:3)? Two opposing forces are at war on this planet. One says, “Look to yourself. It’s all about you.” The other says, “Love God, and love your neighbor.” The man who said the latter claimed to be the true vine and the tree of life. Reforesting Faith is about what God loves. God loves trees. Join me on a walk through the Bible and be prepared to meet the One who loves trees. Read more