ABSTRACT
So begins creation according to the Hebrew scripture which we Christians have inher ited through adoption. The birth of the cosmos, nature, creatures-all that we call “the world”—begins with divine creativity interacting with a formless, empty, yet-to-be earth. All that we have come to know as our cosmos begins with the Spirit of God hovering over the dark, deep waters.1 Genesis 1:1-2 offers an account of the cosmic and ecological nativ ity of the planet we rely on for sustenance.
