Synopsis: "The Lord God formed a man from the dust of the ground . . ." (Gen 2:7). Made of dust, we humans are thoroughly physical beings. We are dusty earthlings. As such, we are also ecological beings, or rather eco-physical beings, firmly embedded in and dependent upon God's earthly ecosystems that support and provide for us and constitute our earthly home. Today we are living in ways that are damaging our home. As Christian dusty earthlings, we are called to oversee God's earthly creation and to follow Jesus Christ--God incarnated as a dusty earthling. How do we do this in the face of the array of ecological problems we face today? How can we obey the ecological principles and limits that govern all of life on God's good earth? I suggest that the virtues of humility, voluntary self-limitation, and the principles of kenosis and justice will help as we seek to follow Jesus as dusty earthlings in today's world. Endorsements: "Christianity implies two great truths about humans: we are unique within creation and we are embedded members of it. Human dignity has been grounded in the first; human survival may now hinge on embracing the second. Dusty Earthlings is a prophetic call for precisely such a paradigm shift in our self-understanding--one that is faithful to the Scriptures, resonant with science, and crucial to a viable future." --Glen G. Scorgie, Professor of Theology, Bethel Seminary "Mustol has unfolded, with a physician's insight, the richness--and crucial import for our time--of the biblical teaching that we share our dusty, creaturely status with the whole earth. At the same time, he expounds brilliantly on what it means to be made in the image of God. I will not teach another class on earthkeeping without requiring or recommending this splendid book. It is thorough, careful, brilliantly researched, readable, and very wise." --Loren Wilkinson, Professor of Interdisciplinary Studies, Regent College Author Biography: John Mustol is a retired physician and PhD candidate at Fuller Theological Seminary. He is currently an adjunct faculty member at Bethel San Diego.

Description: Technologies are deeply embedded in the modern West. What would our lives be like without asphalt, glass, gasoline, electricity, window screens, or indoor plumbing? We naturally praise technology when it is useful and bemoan it when it is not. But there is much more to technology than the usefulness of this or that artifact. Unfortunately, we tend not to consider the inherently social and moral character of technology. As a result, we are prone to overlook the effects of technology on our spiritual lives. This book investigates the role technology plays in helping and hampering our Christian practice and witness. Endorsements: ""Only Brad Kallenberg could have written this book. Drawing on an engineering background, schooled by Wittgenstein's philosophical work, and shaped by Christian theological convictions, he enables us to see how technology can exercise power over us to our detriment without asking us to abandon technology in service to human life."" --Stanley Hauerwas, Duke Divinity School ""Kallenberg does a masterful job of helping his reader see the blind spots of modern, technological culture. His insights are provocative, instructive, and often redemptive. You will find yourself asking a whole new set of questions after reading this book--questions you might wish you started asking long ago "" --Rick Langer Talbot School of Theology/Biola University ""Brad Kallenberg brings a strong philosophical and theological acumen to God and Gadgets. The very idea that technology is a mixed blessing is a true act of Christian witness in a culture immersed in all that is 'new-fangled' and thus considered almost in god-like terms. Kallenberg addresses in trenchant and true ways the claims of God and the Gospel on our gadget-infested culture. His prophetic voice rings true from a Christian perspective, much as an earlier philosopher, Ernesto Grassi, did in his insistence that technology has its own set of hazards. This is a must read for preachers and other scholars in our time."" --Rodney Wallace Kennedy Baptist House of Studies, United Theological Seminary About the Contributor(s): Brad J. Kallenberg is Associate Professor of Theology at the University of Dayton He is the author of Live to Tell: Evangelism for a Postmodern Age (2002) and Ethics as Grammar: Changing the Postmodern Subject (2001).