tHE SPIRITED BOOK CLUB discusses ‘Rooted & Rising: Voices of Courage in a Time of Climate Crisis,’ Leah. D. Schade & Margaret Bullitt-Jonas, eds.
Rooted and Rising is for everyone who worries about the climate crisis and seeks spiritual practices and perspectives to renew their capacity for compassionate, purposeful, and joyful action.
With a foreword by Mary Evelyn Tucker and a special introduction by Bill McKibben, the book presents an interfaith perspective that welcomes and challenges readers of all backgrounds.
BOOK OVERVIEW
“The hour is late, the stakes are high, the obstacles are great, and the time left for effective action is terrifyingly short.”
Leah Schade and Margaret Bullitt-Jonas gather twenty-one faith leaders, scientists, community organizers, theologians, and grassroots climate activists to offer wisdom for fellow pilgrims grappling with the weight of climate change. Acknowledging the unprecedented nature of our predicament—the fact that climate disruption is unraveling the web of life and threatening the end of human civilization—the authors share their stories of grief and hope, fear and faith. Together, the essays, introductory sections, and discussion questions reveal that our present crisis can elicit a depth of wisdom, insight, and motivation with power to guide us toward a more peaceful, just, and Earth-honoring future.
Reviews
“It is now clear: prophetic, spiritual resilience in the face of the Earth emergency is indispensable to our health and a catalyst for any eco-social transformation we might muster. In Rooted & Rising, climate activists beneath the Abrahamic canopy—Jews, Muslims, Christians—voice exactly what we need and show the way. Kudos to Margaret Bullitt-Jonas and Leah Schade for convening this remarkable gathering and offering spiritual practices to accompany the inspiring witness.” — Larry Rasmussen, Reinhold Niebuhr Professor Emeritus of Social Ethics, Union Theological Seminary
“Whatever your faith or spiritual background, this provocative collection of essays will stimulate new thought and action. This book is for everyone who has been frustrated by the lack of progress in addressing climate change. These pages will educate and inspire you and renew your strength.” — Sally Bingham, founder and president emeritus, Interfaith Power and Light
“Margaret Bullitt-Jonas and Leah Schade have gathered the spiritual and practical wisdom we need for such a time as this. As ministers, activists and scholars, they know we must take bold action that heals the land, the waters, the skies and the whole family of God. They also know our faith traditions provide us with the fuel we need. I hope people of faith everywhere will open this book, explore the diverse and rich collection of voices, and be encouraged, challenged, informed, strengthened, rooted and driven to prayer and action.” — The Most Rev. Michael B. Curry, presiding bishop and primate of The Episcopal Church
Note from Sheri Brown
“We’ll be discussing Rooted and Rising: Voices of Courage in a Time of Climate Crisis. As many of you know, I’ll be facilitating workshops through Lent on ways to practice renewed and improved care of creation. This book, also recommended by the facilitators for Spirit’s Climate Justice retreat later in March, has become a necessary companion. As its editors say in the Introduction, “We worship a God who, in the Christian tradition, promises resurrection, even after all hope has been crucified.” This month, we read for hope, for wisdom, for guidance.
“I so look forward to talking with you on March 2 and March 16 because, frankly, the more I learn about climate change, the more I despair. I need … all of us need … to hear and to be voices of courage. Let us not be silent in these days, this era already marked as the sixth mass extinction event since life began on the planet.”
CLUB DISCUSSION dates
BOOK CLUB meets Thursdays, March 2 and March 16 @ 2:00 – 3:00 pm
++Book discussion facilitated by Sheri Brown
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