A Spirituality of Resistance: Finding a Peaceful Heart and Protecting the Earth

This is an important book! Gottlieb tackles big issues --the proper role of social activism in a spiritual life; sustaining hope without denying reality, in the environmental realm-- with insight and honesty. His attempt to specify a "grounded" spirituality should resonate with many readers, both traditional religious believers and freer spiritual seekers. It's a pleasure to read a book that plumbs the depths of serious issues, yet remains clear, readable and witty.

Roger Gottlieb has written an incredibly powerful book that reconciles the seemingly incompatible realms of politics and spirituality. Written with great lucidity and admirable intellectual honesty, this book is essential reading for those of us disillusioned by the sordid events surrounding the 2000 Selection of a President. Among other things, Gottlieb shows how honest anger is a powerful spiritual asset, something which enables us to steer a course between violent rage and impotent resignation when confronted with outrageous injustice. Both religious people and political activists could learn a great deal from this magnificent work. Gottlieb provides the intellectual and moral framework that will enable all persons of good will to join hands and work for the common good of our fragile planet and its inhabitants. Please read this work. It could quite possibly change your life!

Gottlieb does a fine job in this work of mixing environmentalism and spirituality, from several different religious perspectives. The author makes clear his Marxist leanings, but these do not seem to overly impact his work, which does a fine job analyzing the woes of our planet and how one can view them from religious viewpoints. He seems to take a slightly moral relativist viewpoint in assigning all religions equal weight, but this is also a positive in that it shows the support for the planet from numerous perspectives. A fine mix of anecdotes and statistics, science and faith, I recommend this book to anyone, regardless of their stance along the political spectrum.