Customer Reviews

Sacred Longings: The Ecological Spirit and Global Culture

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Sacred Longings is a liberation theology with a twist, and the twist is water. At the heart of Grey's book is that the poverty engendered by globalisation is symptomatic of a departure from nature or, more specifically, the com-modification of nature. With this departure from a recognition of the earthiness of humanity from the web of life comes a desacralisation of life that is inherently selfish and addictive. Aside from a retreat from from a holistic theology of life this leads to oppressive politics, among which women are most harshly affected. So it is that Sacred Longings is presents a theology that seeks to offer some contribution to justice by recognising the interrelatedness of all life and that our stance of superiority over nature is a source of oppression.

What is perhaps most helpful is the discussion of both the believer's (Grey does not limit her discussion to the Church and this is something I am sceptical of) and God's relationship to suffering. Grounding her discussion in the idea of divine kenosis Grey offers a way of challenging this hegemony by creating communities of simplicity and voluntary sacrifice (although she argues this very carefully). This is an interesting and provocative book; I'll be honest and say I find the style of writing (interweaving myth and narrative) difficult but it is worth the perseverance.

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Casper Denck, author of 'The Nicodemist' Blog.