Tom Hayden, a founder of SDS, member of the Chicago Seven, and longtime progressive California legislator--presents an impassioned plea for reclaiming our spiritual bond with the Earth. Hayden makes a persuasive case for retrieving that older world view by taking a fresh look at the core traditions and early teachings of Christianity, Judaism, and Buddhism.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com Review
Drawing upon the work of John Muir, Henry David Thoreau, St. Francis of Assisi, and even the Dalai Lama and Pope John Paul II, activist Tom Hayden writes that religion is the answer to today's environmental crisis. Though he berates many religions for perpetuating man's dominance of earth, he cites a growing awareness of the sanctity of all creation. He calls for the unification of increasing numbers of eco-spiritualists and a revamping of traditional religious doctrines--including the Ten Commandments--to include guidelines for taking care of the earth and to acknowledge the dependency of our own lives on its healthful existence.
From Publishers Weekly
In a beautifully argued and well-written book, California state senator Tom Hayden argues that that Christian pastors must rediscover what he calls the "lost Gospel of the Earth" and rouse their congregations to environmentalist political action. Unless they do so, he contends, our governing bodies will never face up to the environmental challenges wrought by burgeoning population and what he calls a "dominion theology." Hayden's book is a call to political action of the sort that marked the civil rights movement, a political action that began in the churches. This is a clearheaded manifesto from a savvy politician who understands what it will take to oppose what he believes to be a rip tide of right-wing millennialist theology that has reconstructed Christian tradition to justify continued plundering of the planet in the name of Christ. Hayden's timely book is a dramatically argued eco-spiritual manifesto designed to reanimate the ecological wisdom of Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism and Native traditions and bring it into the political sphere.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Extraordinary--If You Read One Book This Year, Read This One,
By Mona Clee (naheelah@ix.netcom.com) (San Francisco Bay Area) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Lost Gospel of the Earth: A Call for Renewing Nature, Spirit and Politics (Hardcover)
This is one of the most remarkable books I have ever read. It addresses a fundamental question now facing humanity: will we continue to delude ourselves that we are lords of the universe, that the Earth is ours to do with as we please, or will we come to understand and acknowledge our kinship with nature and the Earth, and our utter dependence upon them for our survival? There is a great spiritual division in our society today. One man or woman walks through a redwood forest, and sees the hand of God at work; another walks through the same forest and sees only board-feet. Which viewpoint ultimately wins over the hearts, minds, and allegiance of our species will determine whether or not we survive. Hayden realizes that if we come to understand the "immanence of the divine" in all creation, we can shape the future of politics to protect it. This is very heartening; "Lost Gospel" is not another hand-wringing book which offers us no guidance. By the way, the first reader review is a classic illustration of this chasm between viewpoints. How anyone at all familiar with the environmental record of the former Soviet bloc could confuse todays Greens with yesterday's Reds has me scratching both my green cover and my red, curly head! There is no need to look for an ulterior motive or hidden agenda to explain environmentalist passions. The goal is to save the Earth. Environmentalism is not a means to any other end, be it restriction of private property rights or anything else.
12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A thoughtful and well-written plea for Mother Earth!,
By kknighto@linknet.kitsap.lib.wa.us (Seattle) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Lost Gospel of the Earth: A Call for Renewing Nature, Spirit and Politics (Hardcover)
...Well, I read this book and found it very rich ( although not exhaustive ) in its attempt to search out the religious/spiritual sources of our alienation from the earth. Hayden is looking in the right places here; the environmental problem is wholly a spiritual/moral issue. How can we honor the Creator whilst heaping contempt upon Creation? So clear to me; so impossible for others...to see. A great book, Tom!
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Addressing previous criticism on this page,
By
This review is from: The Lost Gospel of the Earth: A Call for Renewing Nature, Spirit and Politics (Hardcover)
Tom Hayden's work in this text, while not perfect, illustrates some legitimate concerns about religion's role in the environmental crisis. To discredit this work based on his background or denounce the writing as "sophistry" would be a poor evaluation.The work is worth reading, and if necessary, refuting based on the content.
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