Natural Saints: How People of Faith are Working to Save God's Earth [Hardcover]

Mallory McDuff (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 28, 2010

At La Capilla de Santa Mar�a, parishioners weatherized their church in an effort to decrease the utility bills that took up a fifth of the annual budget. At Jubilee Community Church, parents and the education coordinator revised the Sunday School curriculum to integrate care of creation for all age levels. And at All People's Church in Milwaukee, the sanctuary became a free farmer's market on Sundays with produce grown by youth.

Natural Saints shares the stories and strategies of contemporary church leaders, parishioners, and religious environmentalists working to define a new environmental movement, where justice as a priority for the church means a clean and safe environment for all. Mallory McDuff shows that a focus on God's earth is transforming both people and congregations, creating more relevant and powerful ministries . As a result, people of faith are forming a new environmental movement with a moral mandate to care for God's earth.

McDuff highlights eight key ministries: protecting human dignity, feeding the hungry, creating sacred spaces, responding to natural disasters, promoting justice, making a pilgrimage, educating youth, and bearing witness. With two daughters in tow, she traveled across the country to document environmental actions grounded in faith. This journey transformed the author's own faith and hope for a sustainable future. Congregations and individuals seeking to integrate care of creation into their faith community will find inspiration and concrete advice in the lives of these natural saints.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Mallory McDuff provides a narrative on the church's role with environmental issues that is rich with stories and contextual detail. This book is a must read for anyone interested in how churches are working to protect God's Creation."

--Cassandra Carmichael, Director of Washington Office and Eco-Justice Programs, National Council of Churches

"In her stories about cob ovens, toxic tours, mountaintop removal, and eco-Shabbat prayer, Mallory McDuff gives voice to grassroots individuals and movements that address hard questions of race, poverty, hunger and economics in 21st century America. She challenges religious communities to be 'partners for justice' not mere 'givers of charity.' We should all take notice."

--Bill J. Leonard, Professor of Church History, the Divinity School, Wake Forest University

"The action needed to protect the environment and provide a sustainable future will not happen without the moral voice that religion brings to the dialogue. McDuff brings those actions motivated by Christian values together with crucial environmental needs, demonstrating that merging the two will result in justice and reconciliation. This is an important book for understanding the role that religion will and must play in healing this wounded Creation."

--The Reverend Sally G. Bingham, President, The Regeneration Project, Interfaith Power and Light Campaign

"This plain-spoken book is both unsettling and hope-inspiring, as it surveys works of destruction and of healing across our land. McDuff offers detailed yet clear analyses of what motivates individuals, congregations, and organizations, and what makes their ministries effective. The breadth of coverage here gives readers the opportunity to widen their concerns and perhaps to find their own calling to work for the healing of the earth and of local communities."

--Ellen F. Davis, author of Scripture, Culture, and Agriculture: An Agrarian Reading of the Bible

"Every now and then a book takes hold of you and you can't stop thinking about it. As you read it, slowly you realize that if you were to really do what the book advises, you could change your life. When you close the book, you realize you could change the planet . . . such a book is Natural Saints. . . [McDuff's] book, the result of visits to churches across the country, is proof that American churches are now actively combining environmental theology with traditional spirituality."--Rapid River Arts & Culture Magazine

About the Author

Mallory McDuff teaches at Warren Wilson College in the Swannanoa Valley near Asheville, North Carolina, where she lives with her two daughters. She grew up on the Gulf Coast in Fairhope, Alabama, where her parents connected faith to environmentalism through actions such as giving up driving for Lent. She has a Ph.D. in wildlife ecology and conservation, with a focus on environmental education.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA (September 28, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0195379578
• ISBN-13: 978-0195379570
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.8 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #837,173 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Mallory McDuff teaches environmental education at Warren Wilson College
in the Swannanoa Valley near Asheville, NC. She grew up on the Gulf
Coast in Fairhope, Alabama, where her parents connected faith to
environmentalism through actions such as giving up driving for
Lent one year. She lives on campus at Warren Wilson College with her
two daughters, Maya and Annie Sky, and worships at The Cathedral of All
Souls. She has a Ph.D. in wildlife ecology and conservation, with a
focus on environmental education.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Powerful and inspiring, August 31, 2010

By 

LAlovesdogs "lalovesdogs" (Seattle, WA United States) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Natural Saints: How People of Faith are Working to Save God's Earth (Hardcover)

I read this book straight through in a weekend and was moved by the many success stories about people of faith making a difference in their communities. Whether you call it religious environmentalism, creation care, stewardship, or common sense, it's undeniably true that we as Christians have a moral responsibility to be good tenants of God's Earth. There's something for everyone here. Each chapter focuses on a different religious institution or organization's work around the country and encompasses a wide range of Christian denominations. Three chapters really spoke to me:

Chapter 3. Creating Sacred Spaces: Energy Efficiency, Green Jobs and Green Building. This chapter focuses on North Carolina Interfaith Power & Light and how integrating creation care into management of church facilities reflects reverence and stewardship of the Earth.

Chapter 5. Promoting Justice: Environmental Justice, Toxic Tours, and GreenFaith. Set in New Jersey, this chapter brings home the fact that environmental degradation is most often visited upon low income and communities of color, and articulates the role of the faith community in working for justice.

Chapter 8. Bearing Witness: Engaging People of Faith in Environmental Advocacy. This chapter follows the work of Earth Ministry in Washington State, teaching religious leaders advocacy skills and providing opportunities for Christians to make their voices heard on environmental issues in the state legislature and Congress.

I highly recommend this book and plan to give copies of to my pastor and members of my church's green committee. It should be required reading in every congregation!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Relevant and Meaningful Work, August 19, 2010

By 

Atlanta Parent - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Natural Saints: How People of Faith are Working to Save God's Earth (Hardcover)

The stories in this book spoke to me on a personal and practical level. Natural Saints shows us how churches can lead the way to creating healthy communities for all. I am buying copies of the book for everyone I know.