For the secular environmentalist thinking religion has nothing to say about the Earth, or for the person of faith who is an environmentalist, or for yourself, consider these books for holiday giving.
The Bible and Ecology: Rediscovering the Community of Creation. Richard Bauckham.
The Blue Sapphire of the Mind: Notes for a Contemplative Ecology. Douglas E. Christie.
Consider the Birds: A Provocative Guide to Birds of the Bible. Debbie Blue.
Earth-Honoring Faith: Religious Ethics in a New Key. Larry L. Rasmussen.
God's Good World: Reclaiming the Doctrine of Creation. Jonathan R. Wilson.
Language of the Fields: Tilling and Keeping as Christian Vocation. Daniel G. Deffenbaugh.
Love Letter to the Earth. Thich Nhat Hanh.
Making Peace with the Land: God's Call to Reconcile with Creation. Fred Bahnson and Norman Wirzba.
Option for the Poor and for the Earth: Catholic Social Teaching. Donal Dorr (a revision of his 1992 text, Option for the Poor: A Hundred Years of Vatican Social Teaching).
Rebirth of the Sacred: Science, Religion and the New Environmental Ethos. Robert Nadeau.
The Seven Pillars of Creation: The Bible, Science, and the Ecology of Wonder. William P. Brown.
Shalom and the Community of Creation: An Indigenous Vision. Randy S. Woodley.
Spiritual Ecology: The Cry of the Earth. Llewellyn Vaughan-Lee, editor (over 20 contributors to inter-faith essays).
Why Animal Suffering Matters: Philosophy, Theology, and Practical Ethics. Andrew Linzey.
Also of interest:
Carbon Fast (daily actions to reduce one's carbon imprint), free on-line at www.macucc.org/carbonfast .
The Peaceable Table: Journal of Christian animal concerns and compassionate eating. Free on-line at http://www.vegetarianfriends.net/ .
Tuesday, December 3, 2013
Tuesday, November 5, 2013
Creation Corner Column 11/13 World Charter for Nature
World Charter for Nature
Adopted over thirty years ago, the World Charter for Nature was agreed to by 111 member nation-states of the United Nations. It followed an earlier declaration of over forty years ago. You may want to compare it with the ethics you try to abide by in ecological matters, and that of your national church body, political body, and any environmental advocacy group you belong to.
It first re-affirms the fundamental purposes of the U.N., then proceeds to note what it is aware of, convinced of, and persuaded by. Some general principles follow, and then functions and implementation measures are noted.
It proclaims five "principles of conservation by which all human conduct affecting nature is to be guided and judged."
1. Nature shall be respected and its essential processes shall not be impaired.
2. The genetic viability on the earth shall not be compromised; the population levels of all life forms, wild and domesticated, must be at least sufficient for their survival, and to this end necessary habitats shall be safeguarded.
3. All areas of the earth, both land and sea, shall be subject to these principles of conservation; special protection shall be given to unique areas, to representative samples of all the different types of ecosystems and to the habitats of rare or endangered species.
4. Ecosystems and organisms, as well as the land, marine and atmospheric resources that are utilized by man, shall be managed to achieve and maintain optimum sustainable productivity, but not in such a way as to endanger the integrity of those other ecosystems or species with which they coexist.
5. Nature shall be secured against degradation caused by warfare or other hostile activities.
You may also ask yourself what you think might be missing here, and why the United States was the only nation-state to vote against it.
Thursday, October 3, 2013
Creation Corner Column, October 2013: Environmental Resources You May Have Missed
Biophilia: The Human Bond With Other Species. E.O. Wilson, 1984.
The Biophilia Hypothesis. Stephen Kellert and E.O. Wilson, eds. 1993.
Breaking New Ground: A Personal History. Environmentalist Lester R. Brown's autobiography (see www.earth-policy.org/books/bng ). 2013.
The Ecocriticism Reader: Landmarks in Literary Ecology. CheryllGlotfelty and Harold Fromm, eds. 1996.
Ecological Intelligence: How Knowing the Hidden Impacts of What We Buy Can Change Everything. Daniel Goldman, 2009.
The Human, The Orchid, and the Octopus: Exploring and Conserving Our Natural World. Jacques Cousteau and Susan Schiefelbein, 2007.
Planet Earth: An Illustrated History. Kelly Knauer, ed. for Time Life. 2008. Explores the atmosphere, pedosphere (land), biosphere (life), hydrosphere (water), cryosphere (frozen regions), and geosphere (subterranean earth).
Rewilding the World: Dispatches From the Conservation Revolution. Caroline Fraser, 2009.
Sacred Earth: Places of Peace and Power. Martin Gray, 2007. 137 portrayed sites; listing of 500 of the world's most sacred sites.
Simply Living: The Spirit of the Indigenous People. Shirley Ann Jones, ed. 1999. (Ethnophilosophical Quotations).
Slow Violence and the Environmentalism of the Poor. Rob Nixon, 2012.
http://www.worldchanging.com/ A sustainability website (and book) for solutions to planetary problems.
http://www.edge.org/ wide-ranging discussion of science and technology matters.
http://www.shalejustice.org/ A Pennsylvania-based coalition of organizations united for the environment.
Thursday, September 5, 2013
Creation Corner Column 9/13: Reflections on Priorities, Principles, Projects
Reflections on Priorities, Principles, Projects
God touches all in the heavens and on earth; everything is full of sacred presence. Psalm 103:19
Here in the palm of my hand is a hazelnut, a small thing, round like a ball. It is all that is made; it is made by love. See in this little thing three truths: God made it; God loves it; God keeps it. In these three truths stay and grow. Julian of Norwich
The fragrance always remains in the hand that gives the rose. Heda Bejar
If you want your faith, you have to work for it. It is a gift, but for very few is it a gift given without any demand for equal time devoted to its cultivation. Flannery O'Connor
To choose what is difficult, all one's days, as if it were easy: that is faith. W.H. Auden
Conservation is a cause that has no end. There is no point at which we can say, "Our work is finished." Rachel Carson
We fasted, marched, picketed, sat in...We never succeeded, and we never quite gave up. That is the best that can be said for us. We must be content if it is to be our obituary. Daniel Berrigan, SJ
Everyone needs beauty as well as bread, places to play and pray, where nature heals and gives strength to body and soul alike. John Muir, environmentalist
The sole meaning of life is to serve humanity. Leo Tolstoy
To remember the past is to commit oneself to the future. To remember Hiroshima is to abhor nuclear war. Pope John Paul II
Nuclear war begins, I believe, in our hearts. And that is where it must end. Archbishop Raymond G. Hunthausen
The world in arms is not spending money alone. It is spending the sweat of its laborers, the genius of its scientists, the hopes of its children...Under the cloud of war, it is humanity hanging from a cross of iron. Dwight D. Eisenhower
The seed never sees the flower. Zen saying
If you expect to see the final results of your works, you simply have not asked a big enough question. Arab proverb
Probably every generation sees itself as charged with remaking the world. Mine, however, knows it will not remake the world. Its task is even greater; to keep the world from destroying itself. Albert Camus
We are now reminded to be aware of our place upon this earth, and to fulfill our obligations to ourselves, our families, nation, and natural world and its creator. Joanne Shenandoah ("Prophecy Song").
God is wholly present in all creation, in every corner, behind you and before you. Martin Luther.
Monday, August 12, 2013
Creation Corner 8/13: Late Summer Reading suggestions
Late 2013 summer Environmental Book list recommendations: Creation Corner of August 2013
For the discerning reader of environmental topics, here are some choice titles to choose from in late summer.
1. A source of many links to environmental book lists by topic:
Note: Michael Ochs is a member of St. Mark's Lutheran Church of Williamsport PA http://www.stmarkswilliamsport.org/
2. This listopia" allows for votes for favorite books, in topics ranging from "contemporary fiction or non-fiction, how-to guides for green living, ecology tracts from the tree-hugging 1970s, and those seminal works that chronicled the first stirrings for the conservation ethic."
3. Similar to #2, this site allows you to "browse by tag" for topics such as nature, sustainability, environmental health, picture books, inspiration for change, green politics, etc. The book covers are also shown.
4. This "Grinning Planet" site (Saving the Planet One Joke At A Time) provides separate book pages on global warming, energy, solar energy, etc. as well as cartoons, videos, quotes, music, movies, etc.
5. An Environmental Science Books list catalogued alphabetically provides a good bibliography. Jacket covers are portrayed, and it allows you to find a list or topic ("what are the best books about such-and-such").
6. This site reflects on some of the best titles from the 20th century from the pro-activist view of a college teacher of environmental science.
7. From the Society of Environmental Journalists (SEJ) are recommended or authored titles by SEJ members, including fiction books, and a "how-to" guide for covering pollution topics. A good source for the reporting on environment, energy, science, health and climate.
8. The reading list of the Environmental Literacy Council. Topics include air and climate, land, water, ecosytems, energy, food, environment and society.
9. A short reading list meant for young adults (high school and college) by an environmental science teacher of widely-read and highly-reviewd books that analyze issues around the interaction of humans and the environment, categorized by their central issue. Each title is a link to the book's page on Amazon.com .
10. Children's Environmental Books---400 nature and environmental books for children of all ages.
11. Environmental science E-books for free online viewing and/or dowload; some highly technical.
12. From The Association for the Study of Literature and Environment's (ASLE) list of "Twelve Classic Nature and Environment Books. Includes winners of the National Outdoor Book Awards (NOBA) and ten other "best book lists" in the category of "outdoor literature."
Note: Michael Ochs is a member of St. Mark's Lutheran Church of Williamsport PA http://www.stmarkswilliamsport.org/
Tuesday, July 9, 2013
Mid-Summer Reading: July 2013 Creation Corner Column
Blessed Are the Consumers,
by Sallie McFague. In his "Environmental Urgency” piece in the current
(7/2013) The Lutheran magazine (http://www.thelutheran.org)
James K. Honig raises this book up,
saying (now paraphrasing) she brings forward the theological model of kenosis,
(Philippians 2:5-8) in the sense that "in creation God emptied God's self
in love, giving creation and all creatures space to flourish" and as
"Christ emptied himself (on the cross) for the sake of the whole
world" so too we "give ourselves to simpler living and sustainable practices
for the sake of giving others space and opportunity to flourish. This includes
not only other people but other creatures and, indeed, the earth itself."
"Caring for Creation:
Vision, Hope and Justice" is the ELCA social statement on the environment
and may be found at http://www.elca.org/socialstatements
or call 800-638-3522, ext. 2580.
Climate Crises in Human History, edited by A. Bruce Mainwaring,
Robert Giegengack and Claudio Vita-Finzi. This volume considers the response of
selected cultures to climate events that have been documented from the archaeological
and geological records.
Feral: Searching for Enhancement on the Frontiers of Rewilding by George Monbiot. From a review in The (UK) Guardian Weekly: "The closest we get to nature is feeding ducks in the park, and ‘the greatest trial of strength and ingenuity we face is opening a badly designed packet of nuts'. In short, civilization has squeezed the wildness out of our environment and out of us. Unable to flex our Paleolithic muscles, we have withered, aetiolated *, gone to seed." * Aetiolated (or etiolated, means to be pale and drawn out due to a lack of light, feeble, having lost vigor or substance.)
Global Weirdness by Climate
Central. Sub-titled: "Severe Storms, Deadly Heat Waves, Relentless
Drought, Rising Seas, and the Weather of the Future." This is the trusted
source of information on all things climate related (cover blurb). From The New York Times book review:
"Lays out what we know about climate change while hewing to the facts and taking
great care to avoid bias and hysteria."
How Many Lightbulbs Does It Take to Change a Christian?:
A Pocket Guide to Shrinking Your Ecological Footprint by Jan Nunley, Claire
Foster and David Shreeve. Eight sections look at water, energy, transportation,
waste, biodiversity, well-being, lifestyle, and Sabbath. 64 pages.
"Now and Forever: Sabbath,
stewardship and sustainable church" by David Davis. A study guide to this
piece from the April 2013 issue of The
Lutheran Magazine can be found at http://www.thelutheran.org.
Shopping for Meaningful Lives:
The Religious Motive of Consumerism by Bruce P. Rittenhouse. Consumerism is
a problem. It deforms individual character, our sense of obligation to one another,
and our concern for future generations and the environment. It is a defining
feature of our culture. What drives consumerism" What can be done to
counteract it? The author shows that consumerism functions as a religion. It
provides a means of assurance that an individual life is meaningful. And
because we need this assurance to live out our everyday lives, consumerism
takes precedence over whatever other values a person professes---unless a
person can adopt a different way to secure the meaning of his or her life. Thus
from the perspective of Christian theology, consumerism is a wrong answer to a
problem of human existence that should be answered by faith in Christ. (From
the publisher's description of the
book).
Sojourners Magazine (http://sojo.net/magazine) has recently
featured some articles of interest about creation care. In the May 2013 issue
you can find the following articles, among others, from their cover feature
entitled "Licking Climate Change":
..."For God So Loved the World" by Rose Marie Berger (Is it
possible that people of faith, in a Spirit-driven 'power shift', might be the
key to reversing climate change?)
..."The Gathering Storm" by Janelle Tupper (describes twelve of the many possible effects of our rising global temperature).
..."No Time for Arm-Chair Activists" by Julie Polter (a
compilation of 13 books, 3 films, etc. re: climate change).
..."Feeding Our Imagination" by Mallory McDuff (re: two
recent fiction books with a climate change theme).
..."The Battle is Joined" by Bill McKibben, founder of http://www.350.org, and Methodist layman (re: the Keystone XL
pipeline debate).
From the July 2013 issue of Sojourners
Magazine, one can find the following:
..."Turning Up the Heat" by Bill McKibben (re: the emerging
fossil fuel resistance movement---see http://www.joinsummerheat.org.)
"Urgent: Time for creation
care" by Robert C. Blezard is a study guide that accompanies the cover
feature story in the July 2013 issue ("Urgent: Creation care") of The Lutheran Magazine http://www.thelutheran.org (click
"study guides").
"When creation speaks to
us: Can we listen to others as we discover responsibility?" is the theme title
for the monthly message from the presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran
Church in America, Mark S. Hanson, in the July issue of http://www.thelutheran.org magazine.
Zoobiquity: The Astonishing Connection Between
Human and Animal Health, by Barbara Hatterson-Horowitz, M.D., and Kathryn
Bowers. Dr. Atul Gawande says this book is "full of fascinating stories of
intersection between human and non-human medicine...Fish that faint; dinosaur
cancers...adolescent elephant behavior that explain(s) human teenagers...I was beguiled."
Wednesday, June 5, 2013
Early Summer Reading: Creation Corner Column June 2013
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