Coming Back to Earth: From gods, to God, to Gaia [Paperback]

Lloyd Geering (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 6, 2009

According to Lloyd Geering the doctrines of Incarnation and Trinity, which began as attempts to reflect the indwelling of God in human beings, were soon distorted to proclaim the reality of a sacred realm in the heavens. But the collapse of supernaturalism, he says, has produced a new and different pattern of reality: the self-creating universe, the self-evolving human species, and the emerging global consciousness. In light of these changes, he asks, Is Christianity going anywhere ? His answer, simply put, is that Christianity will not survive unless it can be harmonized with the secular global world. He further observes that all religious traditions must incorporate a concern for the present ecological crisis, And, he insists, any credible faith tradition must embrace a secular or humanist spirituality. Geering concludes that the most credible scenario for Christianity s future depends on accepting the Gaia concept as a powerful modern myth that will sustain individual humans spiritually, and our planetary home ecologically.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Coming Back to Earth is a very fine, very important book, and I hope it is read widely. Geering has outlined, in a quite convincing way, the kind of transformation Christian faith must make today in face of the ecological crisis: the most important problem humans have ever had to face. --Gordon Kaufman, Mallinckrodt Professor of Divinity, Emeritus, Harvard University

About the Author

Lloyd Geering is Emeritus Professor of Religious Studies at Victoria University, Wellington, New Zealand. Honored in 1988 as a Companion of the British Empire, Lloyd Geering is a public figure of considerable renown in New Zealand where he is in constant demand as a lecturer and as a commentator on religion and related matters on both television and radio. In 1966, he published an article on The Resurrection of Jesus and, in 1967, another on The Immortality of the Soul, which together sparked a two-year public, theological controversy that culminated in charges by the Presbyterian Church of New Zealand of which he is an ordained minister of doctrinal error and disturbing the peace of the church. After a dramatic, two-day televised trial, the Assembly judged that no doctrinal error had been proved, dismissed the charges and declared the case closed.

Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Polebridge Press (October 6, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1598150162
• ISBN-13: 978-1598150162
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6.9 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #825,637 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #70 in Books > Religion & Spirituality > Earth-Based Religions > Gaia

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must read!, December 1, 2009

By 

Elly Parmelee (Magnolia, TX) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Coming Back to Earth: From gods, to God, to Gaia (Paperback)

Sir Lloyd Geering offers a compelling argument for a transition from theism to a faith rooted in human consciousness and compassion. "The more we humans become an harmonious global society, relating in a healthy way to one another and to the planet, the more confident we can be about the future." The case he makes for a new, human-centered faith is compelling, easy to follow, and long overdue.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars step by step we advance, January 16, 2010

By 

Gordon Hill "oldfuzz" (Las Cruces, NM) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Coming Back to Earth: From gods, to God, to Gaia (Paperback)

For me, Lloyd Geering is one of the foremost thinkers about finding and living ones values. In this book he traces the evolution of god as part of a more important discourse: how are we to live meaningful lives in our ever-changing world.

This is a book for all who live by John Wesley's admonition to "think and let think."

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Insights, February 20, 2010

By 

Herb Harmison (Ames, Iowa, USA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Coming Back to Earth: From gods, to God, to Gaia (Paperback)

This book is well worth the short time it takes to read it. Geering joins a few other thinkers who see the current theological landscape as a sterile desert. If you can get over the idea of not having a god to bail you out, you will enjoy this book.