Spirit and Nature : The Study of Christian Spirituality in a Time of Ecological Urgency

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 natures beauty in Christian spiritual¡ity, 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 Earths fragile beauty. Book jacket.

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.