Earth-honoring Faith

Earth-honoring Faith
Author: Larry L. Rasmussen
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Total Pages: 475
Release: 2015-04-01
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 0199986843

Grand Winner of the 2014 Nautilus Book Awards Thoughtful observers agree that the planetary crisis we now face-climate change; species extinction; the destruction of entire ecosystems; the urgent need for a more just economic-political order-is pushing human civilization to a radical turning point: change or perish. But precisely how to change remains an open question. In Earth-honoring Faith, Larry Rasmussen answers that question with a dramatically new way of thinking about human society, ethics, and the ongoing health of our planet. Rejecting the modern assumption that morality applies to human society alone, Rasmussen insists that we must derive a spiritual and ecological ethic that accounts for the well-being of all creation, as well as the primal elements upon which it depends: earth, air, fire, water, and sunlight. He argues that good science, necessary as it is, will not be enough to inspire fundamental change. We must draw on religious resources as well to make the difficult transition from an industrial-technological age obsessed with consumption to an ecological age that restores wise stewardship of all life. Earth-honoring Faith advocates an alliance of spirituality and ecology, in which the material requirements for planetary life are reconciled with deep traditions of spirituality across religions, traditions that include mysticism, sacramentalism, prophetic practices, asceticism, and the cultivation of wisdom. It is these shared spiritual practices that can produce a chorus of world faiths to counter the consumerism, utilitarianism, alienation, oppression, and folly that have pushed us to the brink. Written with passionate commitment and deep insight, Earth-honoring Faith reminds us that we must live in the present with the knowledge that the eyes of future generations will look back at us.

Earth-honoring Faith

Earth-honoring Faith
Author: Larry L. Rasmussen
Publisher:
Total Pages:
Release: 2013
Genre: Christian ethics
ISBN: 9780199980314

Larry L. Rasmussen offers a dramatic new way of thinking about human society, ethics, and the health of our planet. Rejecting the modern ethical assumption that morality applies to human society alone, 'Earth-Honoring Faith' argues that we must derive a system of ethics and morality that accounts for the wellbeing of all creation on Earth.

Earth Community Earth Ethics

Earth Community Earth Ethics
Author: Larry L. Rasmussen
Publisher:
Total Pages: 392
Release: 1996
Genre: Nature
ISBN:

In this important new book, social ethicist Larry Rasmussen lays the foundations for an approach to faith and ethics appropriate to a community of the earth, in all its peril and promise. Earth Community, Earth Ethics is a comprehensive treatment that synthesizes insights from religion, ethics, and environmentalism in a single vision for creating a sustainable community. Earth Community, Earth Ethics is arranged in three parts. In the first Rasmussen scans our global situation and brings into relief the extraordinary range of dangers threatening all life on our planet. In part two he explores worlds of religion, ethics, and human symbolism to glean from them the resources for a necessary "conversion to earth". Finally, he sketches a constructive ethic that can guide us out of our present situation. While its principle focus is environmental ethics Earth Community, Earth Ethics builds on the foundations of international discussions of sustainable development, and such books as The Ecology of Commerce and Envisioning a Sustainable Society. Rasmussen shows how the environmental predicament underscores a variety of crises afflicting modern industrial society: in economics, in politics, in gender and reproductive relations, as well as the debates on the very meaning of life itself.

Ecowomanism

Ecowomanism
Author: Harris, Melanie L.
Publisher: Orbis Books
Total Pages: 121
Release: 2017-09-14
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1608336662

Melanie Harris argues that African American women make unique contributions to the environmental justice movement in the ways that they theologize, theorize, practice spiritual activism, and come into religious understandings about their relationship with the earth. This unique text stands at the intersection of several academic disciplines: womanist theology, eco-theology, spirituality, and theological aesthetics.

Earth Habitat

Earth Habitat
Author: Dieter T. Hessel
Publisher: Fortress Press
Total Pages: 268
Release: 2001
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 9781451406610

This signal volume gathers theologians from around the world to address three pressing questions: How can Christianity and Christian churches rethink themselves and their roles in light of the endangered earth? What "earth-honoring" elements does justice-oriented Christianity have to contribute to the common good? And how can local communities and churches respond creatively and constructively on a level to these vast global forces? This volume captures the chief themes and presentations from the October 1998 conference on social justice, ecology, and church, entitled "Ecumenical Earth" and held at Union Theological Seminary. Among the 18 contributors to this trailblazing conference are Rasmussen and Hessel, James Cone, Kusumita Pedersen, Brigitte Kahl, Ibrahim M. Abu-Rabi, Steven Rockefeller, Havid Hallman, Ernst Conradie, Peggy Shepard, and Troy Messenger.

Resisting Structural Evil

Resisting Structural Evil
Author: Cynthia D. Moe-Lobeda
Publisher: Augsburg Fortress Publishers
Total Pages: 333
Release: 2013
Genre: Nature
ISBN: 1451462670

Reorienting Christian ethics from its usual anthropocentrism to an ecocentrism entails a new framework that Moe-Lobeda lays out in her first chapters, culminating in a creative rethinking of how it is that we understand morally.

Sacred Acts

Sacred Acts
Author: Mallory McDuff
Publisher: New Society Publishers
Total Pages: 274
Release: 2012-04-01
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1550925016

Stories from across North America of contemporary church leaders, parishioners and religious activists who are working to define a new environmental movement, where honoring the Creator means protecting the planet. Sacred Acts documents the diverse actions taken by churches to address climate change through stewardship, advocacy, spirituality and justice. Contributions from leading Christian voices such as Norman Wirzba and the Reverend Canon Sally Bingham detail the concrete work of faith communities such as: Englewood Christian Church in Indianapolis, IN, where parishioners have enhanced food security by sharing canning and food preservation skills in the church kitchen Georgia's Interfaith Power & Light, which has used federal stimulus funds to weatherize congregations, reduce utility bills and cut carbon emissions Earth Ministry, where people of faith spearheaded the movement to pass state legislation to make Washington State a coal-free state. Sacred Acts shows that churches can play a critical role in confronting climate change - perhaps the greatest moral imperative of our time. This timely collection will inspire individuals and congregations to act in good faith to help protect Earth's climate.

Rooted and Rising

Rooted and Rising
Author: Leah D. Schade
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
Total Pages: 247
Release: 2019-11-01
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1538127776

Rooted and Rising is for everyone who worries about the climate crisis and seeks spiritual practices and perspectives to renew their capacity for compassionate, purposeful, and joyful action. Leah Schade and Margaret Bullitt-Jonas gather twenty-one faith leaders, scientists, community organizers, theologians, and grassroots climate activists to offer wisdom for fellow pilgrims grappling with the weight of climate change. Acknowledging the unprecedented nature of our predicament—the fact that climate disruption is unraveling the web of life and threatening the end of human civilization—the authors share their stories of grief and hope, fear and faith. Together, the essays, introductory sections, and discussion questions reveal that our present crisis can elicit a depth of wisdom, insight, and motivation with power to guide us toward a more peaceful, just, and Earth-honoring future. With a foreword by Mary Evelyn Tucker and a special introduction by Bill McKibben, the book presents an interfaith perspective that welcomes and challenges readers of all backgrounds.

Celebrating the Great Mother

Celebrating the Great Mother
Author: Cait Johnson
Publisher: Destiny Books
Total Pages: 248
Release: 1995-06-01
Genre: Body, Mind & Spirit
ISBN: 9780892815500

Adults have a wide array of books to help explore earth-based spirituality. But what if they want to include their children? Here is a handbook to help parents, caregivers, teachers, and counselors create meaningful spiritual experiences that will inspire children of all ages. The ideas, suggestions, and activities collected here show how to bring children into rituals that celebrate seasonal cycles and help reclaim the spiritual roots of today's modern holidays. With surprisingly little effort, earth-centered activities and rituals can be incorporated into simple daily routines. Part 1, “Handbook for Earth-Connected Parenting,” gives techniques for developing a child's inner wisdom and sense of the sacred: dream journals, visualization, Tarot play, talismans, and interactions with the natural world Part 2 is a guide to the specific seasonal festivals, and offers a comprehensive collection of practical and enjoyable ways to celebrate the sacred days of our ancestors. Make a bean rune divination system, gather smudge sticks, grow grass pots, assemble a “dream pillow,” create altars the authors offer easy-to-follow suggestions. Includes suggested reading and resource sections for locating additional information and materials for creative projects.

Fields of Grace

Fields of Grace
Author: Hannah Luce
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Total Pages: 272
Release: 2013-10-22
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 147672962X

In this remarkable tale of hope and survival, Hannah Luce tells how, as the sole survivor of a terrible plane crash, she came to grips with her faith: “a calamitous, fascinating memoir, written with surprising spiritual sophistication” (Publishers Weekly, starred review). On May 11, 2012, a small plane carrying five young adults, en route to a Christian youth rally, crashed in a Kansas field, skidding 200 yards before hitting a tree and bursting into flames. Only two survived the crash: ex-marine Austin Anderson, who would die the next morning from extensive burns, and his friend Hannah Luce, the daughter of Teen Mania founder and influential youth minister Ron Luce. This is Hannah’s story. In Fields of Grace, Hannah details the investigation of her faith, her coming-of-age as the dutiful daughter of Evangelical royalty, her decision to join her father’s ministry outreach to teens, and her miraculous survival and recovery following the accident. It also serves as a tribute and testament to the lives of the dear friends who perished in the catastrophic plane crash and reveals how their memory continues to inspire all that she does. Here is the “riveting personal account” (Booklist) of a girl who grew up as the daughter of one of the most influential evangelical leaders of our time, who questioned her early religious convictions somewhere along the way and who, from the embers of that doomed plane ride, finally found her faith.