Greener Faith

In a time of darkening environmental prospects frightening religious fundamentalism and moribund liberalism the remarkable and historically unprecedented rise of religious environmentalism is a profound source of hope. In A Greener Faith Roger S. Gottlieb chronicles the promises of this critically important movement illuminating its principal ideas leading personalities and ways of connecting care for the earth with justice for human beings. He also shows how religious environmentalism breaks the customary boundaries of religious issues in political life. Asserting that environmental degradation is sacrilegious sinful and an offense against God catapults religions directly into questions of social policy economic and moral priorities and the overall direction of secular society. Gottlieb contends that a spiritual perspective applied to the Earth provides the environmental movement with a uniquely appropriate way to voice its dream of a sustainable and just world. Equally important it helps develop a world-making political agenda that far exceeds interest group politics applied to forests and toxic incinerators. Rather religious environmentalism offers an all-inclusive vision of what human beings are and how we should treat each other and the rest of life.Gottlieb deftly analyzes the growing synthesis of the movement''s religious social and political aspects as well as the challenges it faces in consumerism fundamentalism and globalization. Highly engaging and passionately argued this book is an indispensable resource for people of faith environmentalists scholars and anyone who is concerned about our planet''s future.