Theology from the Spring: Reflections of the Creator Cast in Nature

Tapping into his love for fishing and the great outdoors, Pastor Jacob Taggart uses the spring to prove the existence, glory, and love of the Creator of all things. With vivid descriptions, Taggart paints a beautiful picture that will lure even the most reluctant participant to partake from the spring.

Whether you are an avid fisherman or don’t know your floater from your line, Theology of the Spring can still awe and inspire you by bringing you back to the spring and, more importantly, to the One Who created the spring.

Theology from the Spring features a foreword by Dr. Owen Strachan.

 

Check out The Old Schoolhouse Magazine‘s review of Theology from the Spring HERE.

Endorsements

There are some very important truths in life that every person, every Christian, should confront: order, unity and diversity, reality and perception, general and specific revelation. These can be dry and dusty unless you discuss them in a common experienced area. This is what Jacob Taggart does in Theology from the Spring. He indeed gives reflections of the Creator cast in nature. As Plato perceived shadows in the cave, as Augustine perceived the bending of an oar in water, so Jacob takes the simple experience of fishing and applies it to the realities in life. A relevant and enjoyable read for otherwise stilted and academic subjects. An unlettered person in theology and philosophy can get a head start by reading Jacob’s blueprint.
– Tommy Nelson,
Senior Pastor, Denton Bible Church

As objective as I want to be, I own my prejudice about Jacob Taggart’s new book. I love Biblical theology, the gospel of grace, the voice of creation, and the sport of fly fishing . . . a lot. As a tapestry of truth and grace, Jacob Taggart has woven all four together in Theology from the Spring. Whether or not you ever pick up a fly rod, you will be greatly encouraged by this creative presentation of our calling to know and love, enjoy and serve Jesus.
– Dr. Scotty Ward Smith,
Pastor Emeritus, Christ Community Church, Franklin, TN; Teacher in Residence, West End Community Church, Nashville, TN; Gospel Coalition Contributor

Norman Maclean opened his book A River Runs Through It with these words, “In our family, there was no clear line between religion and fly fishing.” And so it seems to be with most fly fishers. Their proximity to God’s glorious creation, and the need to understand the complexities of aquatic ecosystems, bequeaths a nearness to our Creator that few other sports can offer.
And, of course, water plays a powerful role on the fly fisher’s life, from the fluid that harbors the trout, to the stream’s siren song, to the lakes mirroring life. Springs have a special place in the fly fisher’s arcane vocabulary, especially when one speaks of “spring creeks.” Not seasonal phenomena, but springs large enough to form a trout stream right from their point of emergence.
Weave together the fly fisher’s reverence for spring creeks, their immediacy with nature, their near awe at the habits and habitats of trout, and the One Who created it all, and you have a good start at Jake’s book. His theology is sound, and his stories of fly fishing revealing of the man, and his love of God and the out-of-doors. Even if you don’t fly fish, or don’t even fish at all, you will enjoy, and benefit, from this unique look at spring creeks as they reveal the truths of the Gospel.
-Dr. Gary Borger,
Best-selling Fly Fishing Author; Contributing Editor for Fly Fisherman magazine; consultant for the movie, A River Runs Through It; Fly Fusion magazine’s top 7 most influential fly fisherman of the last fifty years.

After reading Theology from the Spring, you will never again look at water in the same way. More importantly, you will see water’s Creator in a refreshing new light. The One who called the seas into existence also poured Himself out for us by taking on humanity, thus offering us living water. Jacob Taggart has brought together his love of the outdoors, his fascination with science, and his love of Scripture in a way that helps us see the majesty of God revealed in the natural world.
–Rob Phillips,
Strategic Leader for Apologetics, Missouri Baptist Convention