Spiritual Life on a Burning Planet
A Christian Response to Climate Change
Imprint: Wipf and Stock
Spiritual Life on a Burning Planet draws on scientific research in developing religious perspectives on anthropogenic climate change. Its four chapters are entitled "Tolling Bells," "Burning Planet," "Eschatology in the Anthropocene," and "The Downward Passage." "Tolling Bells" introduces the topic of climate change and several of its emotional and biblical implications. "Burning Planet" provides an overview of the science of climate change and surveys the effects of global warming on human life later this century. The essays in "Eschatology in the Anthropocene" develop theological interpretations of climate change and examine its moral, spiritual, social, and psychological dimensions. "The Downward Passage" focuses on Christ's descent, the harrowing of hell, understood as a point of doctrine and an exemplary image of forthcoming challenges as we advance more deeply into the Anthropocene. A spiritual path suited to the Anthropocene is outlined. Its watchword is penthos, a traditional practice with sufficient power to convey a person through the grief and mourning that represent a true grasp of our having forced the earth into a new geological epoch.
David T. Bradford is an independent scholar. His publications span the fields of clinical psychology, neuropsychology, and religious studies. His most recent book is The Spiritual Tradition in Eastern Christianity: Ascetic Psychology, Mystical Experience, and Physical Practices (2016). He lives in Montrose, Colorado.
"Bradford begins with a far-ranging, near-definitive look at the ways in which the catastrophic upheavals of global warming will manifest themselves on every level (ecologically, socially, spiritually). Human negligence, greed, and hubris are assigned blame. But, certainly, his book's primary purpose is to provide a scholarly Christian framework as a guide to greeting such devastation with grief, humility, and enlightened mysticism. To my way of thinking, this is literature."
--William Browning Spencer, author of the classic Zod Wallop and The Unorthodox Dr. Draper and Other Stories
"With David T. Bradford, Christian ecology finds one of its most powerful advocates. After towering figures such as Illich, Ellul, Moltmann, Boff, and Cobb, Bradford shows the importance of a discipline (in all senses) fostering a synergy between the three main forms of ecology: environmentalism (the scientific study of global warming), political ecology (its social import), and mental ecology (the spiritual stakes). This is a journey towards Thomas's faith."
--Michel Weber, Director of the Centre for Philosophical Practice, Brussels
"In this unique synthesis of science and religion, Bradford begins with an incisive review of pertinent research before examining the religious meaning of global warming in eight beautifully written, intensely scholarly essays. This is a powerful work and a devastating moral indictment. Prophets are typically unwelcome in their homeland. I hope for better results in the case of Spiritual Life on a Burning Planet."
--John C. Huie, Founding Director, Environmental Leadership Center, Warren Wilson College
"In beautiful prose and unique perspective, Bradford brings science to Scripture in a rare combination of passion, commitment, and deep scholarship on perhaps the most pressing issue of our time, an essential and important work that should waken and alarm even the most skeptical reader."
--Jason Brown, retired Clinical Professor of Neurology, New York University Medical Center
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