Spirit and Nature

Description:
Spirit and Nature is a collection of essays exploring how the resources of Christian spirituality can inform the practice of a more ecologically sustainable faith. Our current ecological situation calls for people of religious faith to reexamine the way they envision the practice of spirituality. As environmental ethicists have called us to reconsider the human-Earth relationship so that the planet is not seen as simply an endless supply of resources to fill human wants and needs, so these essays call us to reconsider spiritual practice as it relates to Earth's ecology. Rather than viewing spirituality as an escape from the material world, the authors describe the embodiment of the God-quest within the human-nature relationship. Drawing on diverse disciplinary perspectives, these essays examine a variety of topics, including the relationship between Earth and humans in the Bible, the role of nature's beauty in Christian spirituality, the practice of Christian discernment and contemplation in light of the natural sciences, the role of nature in liturgical prayer, and others. These essays consider how scholarship in Christian spirituality can contribute to re-imaging faith in ways that better cherish the Earth's fragile beauty.

Endorsements:
""This collection of essays contains something to please everybody interested in ecological spirituality, regardless of their background. For scientists, reflections on Loren Eisley and Aldo Leopold, for artists thoughts on Emily Carr, for readers with a theological background, sections on Alice Walker's fluid spirituality, the Hebrew Bible's view of creation, liturgy in the face of ecological tragedy, Athanasius' Life of Antony, and more. This all constitutes a colorful intellectual quilt well worth reading.""
--Steven A. Kolmes
University of Portland

""What does the discipline of Christian spirituality contribute to twenty-first-century urgency toward sustaining the life of the earth? From a rereading of the Bible and retrieval of resources in Christian history, to engagement with contemporary scientists, writers, artists, and activists, this volume's essays stretch readers into transformative new engagement with the tradition, in love of the earth.""
--Lisa E. Dahill
Trinity Lutheran Seminary

""It is difficult to imagine anyone reading this book and remaining unmoved by its powerful witness to the emergence of a distinctively Christian, ecological spirituality. The historical and theological breadth and interdisciplinary rigor of these essays consistently point toward a truth that has too long been obscured from view--that Christian spiritual practice is inconceivable apart from careful and sustained attention to the living world.""
--Douglas Burton-Christie
Loyola-Marymount University

""Through Spirit and Nature, the editors and authors invite us to take a clearer, deeper, and more sustained look at the Divine web that binds us to God, each other, and all of nature. We learn from Irenaeus of Lyons that 'the glory of God is the human person fully alive,' but Spirit and Nature helps us see a truth even more profound: that God's glory is a creation fully alive and flourishing. This collection is urgent and indispensible for all who study and teach Christian spirituality.""
--Sam Hamilton-Poore
San Francisco Theological Seminary


About the Contributor(s):
Timothy Hessel-Robinson is Alberta and Harold Lunger Assistant Professor of Spiritual Resources and Disciplines at Brite Divinity School, Texas Christian University.

Ray Maria McNamara, RSM, is Director of Mission Advancement for the Sisters of Mercy. She previously taught theology and spirituality at the University of Portland.