Review by Choice Review
The book is a collection of essays by Berry (independent scholar) that span 30 years (1972-2001). The essays trace Berry's development from a European-centered theologian through his immersion into Asian religions to his emergence as a leading ecotheologian. Berry's constant focus on the importance of religion, especially spirituality, for the modern world is evident. He is deeply aware that religion, however, needs to change and adapt if it is to be of service to persons in a scientific, postmodern world. His work is easy to access and is marked with a passion for his subject matter and for the world. Of special interest and relevance is the third section of the book where he focuses on the Gaia hypothesis (the world as a living organism) and on the development of what he labels "an ecologically sensitive spirituality." Embedded within is a call to live ecologically, not just for the good of the planet, but as a way of regaining richer and deeper connections to the world and to oneself. Summing Up: Recommended. Lower-level undergraduates and above; general readers. C. L. Kammer The College of Wooster
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
The subtitle declares that these collected essays, published from 1972 to 2001, are still relevant. Readers confronting the planetary degradation that Berry chronicles in later essays and those recognizing a basic human need for spirituality will likely agree. Berry, a Catholic priest and author of The Dream of the Earth, devoted his life's work to connecting modern people with a spirituality that respects and is fed by our relationship with nature. In four parts, this book addresses how the history and diversity of world religions offer ways to engage with Earth; how it is necessary to connect with a spirituality that is Earth derived; how science can be in conversation with the religious sensibilities of wonder and awe; and how our relationship to the natural world is crucial to our spirituality. In the earliest essays, Berry sounds most optimistic and urges readers to reconcile modern impulses and technology with religious traditions. The later essays strike a more imperative tone, pressing for a change of mind and soul to deeply engage our sacred universe. The essay collection acquires even more significance and urgency in light of Berry's death in June. (Sept.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by Library Journal Review
This collection of essays by Berry, the Roman Catholic priest and environmental theologian who died in June, date from the 1970s to Berry's final pieces. The earliest essays still present relevant challenges to Christian and other religious thinkers to reinterpret their own traditions in a global context and in relation to one another. Throughout, Berry describes an alienation from Earth and its functioning, especially in Western societies. We know of the physical world through our quantitative measurements and we know of God through our scriptures, theologies, and religious traditions, but we've lost the wonder of direct experience of the natural world. Without an understanding of the entire world as sacred, Berry believes that we are doomed. Berry particularly faults biblical linear history and the biblical call for human dominance of creation as helping establish the reductionist concept of Earth as simply a collection of "natural resources." Verdict Because Berry delivers a consistent message throughout, general readers might be better served by reading these essays within a broader collection. But dedicated readers of ecology, theology, or religious philosophy will want to savor each one here.-Eric Norton, McMillan Memorial Lib., Wisconsin Rapids (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
