If Creation Is a Gift

Brings an ecotheological perspective to postmodern gift theory.

What if our world were considered a gift? Extending postmodern gift theory to ecological and ecotheological concerns, Mark Manolopoulos explores how “creation”—the what-is—can be seen as a gift. Creation, when viewed in a radically egalitarian way, is the matrix of all material things—human, otherwise-than-human, or humanly manufactured. Utilizing and critiquing the work of Jacques Derrida and Jean-Luc Marion, Manolopoulos argues that the gift is an irresolvable paradox marked by the contradictory elements of excess (gratuity, linearity) and exchange (gratitude, return). Philosophical and theological reflections on the gift become entangled in its paradoxical tension, but ultimately both aspects must be respected and reflected. When it comes to the creation-gift, we should vacillate between responses like letting-be, enjoyment, utility, and return.

Elegantly written and thought-provoking, If Creation Is a Gift both contributes to the ongoing debate on the gift and provides a fresh philosophical and theological consideration of the environmental crisis.

“…Manolopoulos’ text stimulates reflective thought concerning many aspects of the relational implications of giving in both inter-human and ecological ethical terms. As such, its consideration of creation as a gift is well poised to foster creativity in a reader, making careful reflection on Manolopoulos’ insights, as presented in this book, a valuable activity.” — Studies in Religion

“This is a thoughtful and well-written book, touching on both philosophy and theology. Manolopoulos provides an elegant introduction to the concept of the gift and to some relevant dimensions of Marion’s philosophy for environmental theology.” — Religious Studies Review