Customer Reviews

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

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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!

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.