Earth Habitat [Paperback]

Dieter Hessel (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 5, 2000

This signal volume gathers theologians from around the world to address three pressing questions: How can Christianity and Christian churches rethink themselves and their roles in light of the endangered earth? What "earth-honoring" elements does justice-oriented Christianity have to contribute to the common good? And how can communities and churches respond creatively and constructively on a local level to these vast global forces?

This volume captures the chief themes and presentations from the October 1998 conference on social justice, ecology, and church, entitled "Ecumenical Earth" and held at Union Theological Seminary. Among the 18 contributors to this trailblazing conference are Rasmussen and Hessel, James Cone, Kusumita Pedersen, Brigitte Kahl, Ibrahim M. Abu-Rabi, Steven Rockefeller, Havid Hallman, Ernst Conradie, Peggy Shepard, and Troy Messenger.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

The papers collected in this casebook were first presented at a 1998 Union Theological Seminary conference, "Ecumenical Earth," which was jointly sponsored by international theological and environmental action groups. With the exception of a succinct, inventive article by Troy Messenger on "earth-friendly" liturgy and a refreshing interpretation of the Adam and Eve story by theologian Brigitte Kahl, these essays are tedious reading for the novice. A few, such as the article by Peggy Shepherd on pollution in West Harlem, are informative but outdated. Editors Hessel, former social policy director for the Presbyterian Church U.S.A., and Rasmussen, a professor at Union, present a well-balanced array of men and women contributors from South Africa, Canada, Europe, and the Middle and Far East. However, it would have been helpful if all the contributors had been profiled in the introductory material not just the main speakers at the conference. The audience for this volume is primarily academic, though the book might also be helpful to parish pastors and lay volunteers seeking a detailed overview of the eco-justice crisis. For seminary and church libraries. Joyce Smothers, Monmouth Cty. Lib., Manalapan, NJ
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About the Author

Dieter Hessel is founding director of the ecumenical Program on Ecology, Justice and Faith, Princeton; author of Social Ministry; and editor of After Nature’s Revolt and (with Rosemary Ruether) Christianity and Ecology.

Larry Rasmussen is Reinhold Niebuhr Professor of Social Ethics at Union Theological Seminary, New York. Among his prior works are Moral Fragments and Moral Community and Earth Community, Earth Ethics.

Product Details

• Paperback: 264 pages
• Publisher: Augsburg Fortress Publishers (September 5, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0800632958
• ISBN-13: 978-0800632953
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #641,382 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

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5.0 out of 5 stars Earth Habitat, October 18, 2011

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Holley,PE (Wilberforce, OH) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Earth Habitat (Paperback)

Earth Habitat is helpful to view ways the Christian church can respond to ecological injustices. It includes the Earth Charter as one of its appendixes. I use this text in my course, Eco Justice & the Christian Faith.