All Creation is Groaning: An Interdisciplinary Vision for Life in a Sacred Universe(Connections)

This multi-academic perspective on contemporary environmental issues reminds us of our oneness with the natural world and what that calls us to as moral creatures. Fashioned as a series of stories based on the model of biblical narrative, these seemingly multivalent voices and perspectives are joined together with biblical stories, references, and theological reflection to create in All Creation Is Groaning a seamless story that is both provocative and revelatory. All Creation Is Groaning provides a clear Vision of living life in a sacred universe. This Vision is linked to the biblical Vision of justice and righteousness for all of creation, and humankind's responsibility to hasten the Vision through a call to ethical practice. Critical and hermeneutical, this book reflects an interdisciplinary approach so as to build bridges of understanding between the Bible and contemporary disciplines." Chapters are *Stories from the Heart, - *New Ways of Knowing and Being Known, - *An Islamic Perspective on the Environment, - *Christian Values, Technology, and the Environment Crisis, - *Feeding the Hungry and Protecting the Environment, - *Mental Cartography in a Time of Environmental Crisis, - *Toward an Understanding of International Geopolitics and the Environment, - *Sustainability: An Eco- Theological Analysis, - *The Stewardship of Natural and Human Resources, - *Development of Environmental Responsibility in Children, - *An Ecological View of Elders and Their Families: Needs for the Twenty-First Century, - *Symphonies of Nature: Creation and Re-creation, - *A Sense of Place, - and *Hope Amidst Crisis: A Prophetic Vision of Cosmic Redemption.

Table of Contents:
Contents Foreword   vii Contributors   xi Introduction   xv   1  Stories from the Heart   1   2  New Ways of Knowing and Being Known   21   3  An Islamic Perspective on the Environment   46   4  Christian Values, Technology, and the Environmental Crisis   58   5  Feeding the Hungry and Protecting the Environment   77   6  Mental Cartography in a Time of Environmental Crisis   99   7  Toward an Understanding of International Geopolitics and the Environment   126   8  Sustainability: An Eco-Theological Analysis   144   9  The Stewardship of Natural and Human Resources   168 10  Development of Environmental Responsibility in Children   193 11  An Ecological View of Elders and Their Families: Needs for the Twenty-First Century   212  12  Symphonies of Nature: Creation and Re-creation   227 13  A Sense of Place   240 14  Hope Amidst Crisis: A Prophetic Vision of Cosmic Redemption   269 Epilogue   285 Bibliography   289

About the Author :
Carol J. Dempsey, OP is professor of biblical studies at the University of Portland, Oregon, with special expertise in Old Testament and prophets. She holds a PhD in biblical studies from The Catholic University of America, and has authored several books including Jeremiah: Preacher of Grace, Poet of Truth (Liturgical Press, 2007) and Reading the Bible, Transforming Conflict.

Review :
All Creation Is Groaning . . . is a magnificent resource, which approaches commitment to the Earth from an astonishing variety of perspectives, yet offers a common faith-filled view which inspires hope and commitment.Denis Edwards, Flinders University . . . these essays knit the university together in an interconnected community of discourse that itself witneses to seeing creation as an interconnected community of life. The result is an impressive contribution to growing ecological consciousness and concern.Rosemary Radford Ruether . . . this collection of essays is a unique example of the marvelous insights that can be achieved from an interdisciplinary venture that weaves together rather than compartmentalizes perspectives of theology and philosophy, literature and the arts, physical and social sciences, and business. What a wonderful way to learn about the marvelous work of which we are a part.Dianne Bergant, CSA, Catholic Theological Union We are deeply in the debt of this impressive collegium. The book is of value for its parts, and more so in the clarity with which its sum is more than its parts.Walter Brueggemann, Columbia Theological Seminary Editors and contributors should be commended for the daring contribution to a volume that can be formidably used at undergraduate institutions where students experience firsthand the variety of disciplines and subjects represented in this volume.Ecotheology