books on Religion and the Environment

This extensively researched book has as its primary premise that religious groups and organizations are some of the most effective and persuasive environmental advocates.  Gottlieb has a scholarly perspective with extensive notes and citations from many religions including Judaism, Christianity, Islam and Buddhism.  He provides numerous examples to support his argument pulling from projects in the U.S., Asia, and Africa.  Unlike many books on the environment, this one has an upbeat tone while at the same time providing detailed examples and well told stories to support that optimism.  This book is a must read for anyone wanting a current perspective on religion and the environmental movement.

In this book long time social activist Paul Hawken traces the growing proliferation of social, religious and environmental groups and the impact they are beginning to have upon the well-being of our planet. Hawken makes a compelling and impassioned argument that the combined forced of these groups (think millions of groups not thousands) represent a fundamental shift in global society towards the good and hopefully towards the survival of our species. This book is, in essence, a history of the movement of movements. The sheer volume of activism which Hawken has documented is impressive as is the 100+ page appendix. That Hawken can provide this level of scholarship while making his argument readable and exciting is no small accomplishment.

Given the challenges of the environmental crisis, Buddhism's teaching of the interrelatedness of all life forms may be critical to the recovery of human reciprocity with nature. In this new work, twenty religionists and environmentalists examine Buddhism's understanding of the intricate web of life. In noting the cultural diversity of Buddhism, they highlight aspects of the tradition which may help formulate an effective environmental ethics, citing examples from both Asia and the United States of socially engaged Buddhist projects to protect the environment. The authors explore theoretical and methodological issues and analyze the prospects and problems of using Buddhism as an environmental resource in both theory and practice. This groundbreaking volume inaugurates a larger series examining the religions of the world and their ecological implications which will shape a new field of study involving religious issues, contemporary environmental ethics, and public policy concerns.

What can Christianity as a tradition contribute to the struggle to secure the future well-being of the earth community? This collaborative volume, the third in the series on religions of the world and the environment, announces that an ecological reformation, an eco-justice reorientation of Christian theology and ethics, is prominent on the ecumenical agenda. The authors explore problematic themes that contribute to ecological neglect or abuse and offer constructive insight into and responsive imperatives for ecologically just and socially responsible living.

This book, arising from over twenty years experience of working with the world's major faiths, draws extensively upon joint World Bank and ARC/WWF projects world wide. It shows, through stories, land management, myths, investment policies, legends, advocacy and celebration, the role the major faiths have , do and can play in making the world a better place. The major faiths are the oldest institutions in the world and have survived essentially because they are constantly evolving and changing. There is much to be learnt by newer institutions such as the World Bank and the multitudes of NGOs about how to remain true to what you believe but change and grow as you develop. The book explores issues of climate change, forestry, asset management, education and biodiversity protection and does so using the techniques of the great faiths - storytelling, example and celebration. It reveals a variety of world views and it asks us to see that our personal view, may be just one amongst many. The challenge of living with integrity in a pluralist world underlies the book and it offers models of how diversity is crucial in attempting to ensure we have a sustainable world.

Wallace retrieves a central but often neglected biblical theme—the idea of God as carnal Spirit who indwells all things—as the basis for constructing a "green spirituality" responsive to the environmental needs of our time. In the biblical tradition, he writes, God as Spirit is a presence that shows itself to us daily by living in and through the earth. One message of Christianity is therefore celebration of the bodily, material world—ancient redwoods, vernal springs, broad-winged hawks, everyday pigweed—as the place that God indwells and cares for in order to maintain the well-being of the earth. Wallace’s bold yet careful work reawakens our sense of the sacrality of the earth and the life that the trinitarian God creates there.

For the Beauty of the Earth: A Christian Vision for Creation Care by Steven Bouma-Prediger.

Thomas Aquinas once stated that ''any error about creation also leads to an error about God.'' At a time when it seems humans have erred much in their treatment of the planet, this book explores the relationship between Christianity and the natural world in the most thorough evangelical treatment available on a theology of creation care. An esteemed scholar of ecology and theology, Steven Bouma-Prediger claims that ''authentic Christian faith requires ecological obedience.'' This substantive yet accessible book argues that true Christianity acknowledges the responsibility and privilege Christians have been given as stewards of the earth. Sure to provoke dialogue, For the Beauty of the Earth will be welcomed by professors and students of theology, ecology, and contemporary culture.

Hinduism and Ecology by Mary Evelyn Tucker (Editor)

This book opens with the startling statement that India boasts the world's largest environmental movement, involving over 950 nongovernmental organizations...The central issue is whether the mores and tenets of Hinduism are compatible with the protection of the environment. The writers examine epics and sacred texts, arts and rituals, and the thoughts of Gandhi for what they show about the human use of nature in India...The quality of writing and scholarship is high. The writers are aware of parallels with the ecological crisis in the West; thus the book should be valuable to those interested in the global crisis. These lucid explanations of Indian thought and customs will help the Westerner to better understand India. --W. C. Buchanan

Islam is the religion of over one billion people and is practiced in virtually every country on earth. The articulation of an Islamic environmental ethic in contemporary terms is all the more urgent because Western-style conservation efforts do not fit all cultural and philosophical traditions. This volume outlines the Islamic view of the cosmic order and reviews the ways an Islamic world view can be interpreted, reassessed, and applied to such environmental problems as pollution and water scarcity. Sections on social justice and on issues of sustainability and development look at the history and roots of the current environmental crisis; at the broader context of women's rights of equal access to both natural and social resources; and at the interconnectedness of environmental protection and the alleviation of human poverty.

Judaism and Ecology: Created World and Revealed Word by Tsvi Blanchard, Eliezer Diamond, Evan Eisenberg, and Michael Fishbane.

Jewish ecological discourse has shown that Judaism harbors deep concern for the well-being of the natural world. However, the movement has not articulated a Jewish theology of nature, nor has it submitted the sources of Judaism to a systematic, philosophical examination. This volume intends to contribute to the nascent discourse on Judaism and ecology by clarifying diverse conceptions of nature in Jewish thought and by using the insights of Judaism to formulate a constructive Jewish theology of nature. The twenty-one contributors consider the Bible and rabbinic literature, examine the relationship between the doctrine of creation and the doctrine of revelation in the context of natural law, and wrestle with questions of nature and morality. They look at nature in the Jewish mystical tradition, and they face the challenges to Jewish environmental activism caused by the tension between the secular nature of the environmental discourse and Jewish religious commitments.

Drawing upon the work of John Muir, Henry David Thoreau, St. Francis of Assisi, and even the Dalai Lama and Pope John Paul II, activist Tom Hayden writes that religion is the answer to today's environmental crisis. Though he berates many religions for perpetuating man's dominance of earth, he cites a growing awareness of the sanctity of all creation. He calls for the unification of increasing numbers of eco-spiritualists and a revamping of traditional religious doctrines--including the Ten Commandments--to include guidelines for taking care of the earth and to acknowledge the dependency of our own lives on its healthful existence.

In this provocative book, Norman Wirzba argues that the doctrine of creation--as presented in the Bible and as developed through the centuries--actually holds the key to a true understanding of our place in the environment and our responsibility toward it. Wirzba contends that an adequate response to environmental destruction depends on a new formulation of ourselves as part of a larger whole, rather than as radically free individuals. Drawing on the work of biblical scholars, ecologists, agrarians, philosophers, theologians, and cultural critics, Wirzba develops a comprehensive worldview that grows out of the idea that the world is God's creation.

As chief of the medical staff at a large hospital, Sleeth was living the American dream--until he realized that something was terribly wrong. As he saw patient after patient suffering from cancer, asthma, and other chronic diseases, he began to understand that the Earth and its inhabitants were in trouble. Feeling helpless, he turned to his faith for guidance. He discovered how the timeless lessons of personal responsibility, simplicity, and stewardship taught in the Bible could be applied to modern life. The Sleeths have since sold their big home and given away more than half of what they once owned. In Serve God, Save the Planet, Sleeth shares the joy of adopting a less materialistic lifestyle, and reveals what was easy and what was hard about the changes his family has made. Drawing on science and religion, Sleeth builds a bridge between environmentalists and mainstream Christians.  Serve God, Save the Planet is more than a book: it is a prescription for taking personal responsibility for global survival.