A Greener Faith: Religious Environmentalism and Our Planet's Future

A Greener Faith discusses the role of religion and spirituality in the environmental movement. Gottlieb does an admirable job in pulling in resources from all of the world's major religions - Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism. He writes about the great benefits that people of faith can bring to the discussion of the environment and issues of social justice that are integral to environmental degradation. The writing is scholarly but accessible to the lay person, but don't expect this to be a quick read. It is a deep and thought-inspiring study. My only problem with the book is that Gottlieb tends to bring his own perspective of liberalism to the table, although he owns up to this when he does so (and I agree with his perspective). He offers strong defenses for the more liberal theological perspective. In spite of this, A Greener Faith is well worth delving into and absorbing.

I just had no idea about the scope of religious environmentalism and what a hopeful sign it is. Gottlieb does a great job of describing the movement's ideas, and what is being done by people around the world. Unlilke most books by academics, this one is written to be understood by a normally intelligent person, not a scholar. At times the book is really inspiring. Gottlieb puts forth a visionary account of how linking nature to God and spirituality can lead to fundamental social changes; and to changes in how we think about ourelves. I also very much enjoyed the chapter on new 'green' rituals and his description of how much spirituality there is and has always been in the the 'secular' environmental movement. Great book for environmentalists and for people who think religion has something to do with caring for life.