Celebrating Nature by Faith

“No theologian alive in the United States today has contributed more to a Christian theology of nature than Paul Santmire. This book brims with insights gathered and honed over more than a half century of prodding and equipping others to rise to the challenge of a cosmically capacious and materially grounded theology capable of meeting the ecological crisis facing our world today.”


—John F. Hoffmeyer, Associate Professor of Systematic Theology, United Lutheran Seminary





“Celebrating Nature by Faith is Paul Santmire’s urgent plea to rethink Christianity’s approach to nature. Rejecting ‘stewardship of nature’ as inadequate, he replaces it with ‘partnership,’ putting nature in relationship with God and humanity. With new insights into Bible and theology, Santmire stands out as both scholar and pastor, with a lifetime of passion for nature, faith, and justice. This is an important read for people of faith concerned about the future of the planet.”


—Jessica Crist, retired Bishop, Montana Synod, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America





“In our time of ecological crisis, we urgently need to recover the best in the Christian tradition for thinking integrally about God, humanity, and nature. Pope Francis’s Laudato Si’ has rightly commanded the most attention but others like H. Paul Santmire have also made signal contributions. In Celebrating Nature by Faith Santmire offers a masterful re-presentation of key insights gleaned over his fifty-year career as a pioneering ecotheologian within the Reformation tradition.”


—Mark U. Edwards Jr., former Professor of the History of Christianity, Harvard Divinity School; author of Luther’s Last Battles