Building an Eco Church library
There are an increasing number of books which explore environmental issues from a faith based perspective. But where to start?
Whether you’re wondering about what practical steps you can take, what the Bible says, nature and spirituality or enjoy reading real life stories, there’s something for you.
A Christian Guide to Environmental Issues by Martin and Margot Hodson is designed for group or personal use. The book covers eight key issues including climate change, biodiversity, food and development. The chapters are part autobiographical and part background information; they also include Biblical reflections on the themes and Bible studies with questions for reflection or discussion. This is a great introduction for anyone who would like to study a few key areas in some depth and relate them to the Bible.
L is for Lifestyle: Christian living that doesn’t cost the earth by Ruth Valerio is divided into 26 bite sized chapters, one for each letter of the alphabet. It’s a book to encourage practical action and after an overview of the topic each section ends with some suggestions of things you can do to make a difference. There are also lists of websites and books for further reading. Ruth is also the author of the 2020 Archbishop of Canterbury’s Lent Book Saying Yes to Life which uses Genesis 1 to explore environmental issues.
Dave Bookless’
Planetwise is a book of two halves – the first looks at the Biblical basis for creation care and the second looks at living it out through discipleship, worship, lifestyle and mission. Each chapter ends with some questions for reflection. This book might particularly appeal to anyone interested in how the church as a whole might respond to environmental issues but it is also the story of how Dave and his family changed their lifestyle. Their story is also the focus of
God Doesn’t Do Waste which is more autobiographical and tells how Dave became involved with the Christian charity A Rocha. Dave and the A Rocha team turned an urban wasteland in Southall (West London) into a Country Park. This is told in a narrative style and would be a good read for anyone who prefers a book that can be read straight through.
Graham Usher has written two excellent books about spirituality and landscape: Places of Enchantment, Meeting God in Landscapes and The Way Under Our Feet: A Spirituality of Walking. Places of Enchantment uses chapters themed round different kinds of landscape such as sea, forest and mountain to explore how and why we encounter God in the natural world. It is a very readable book which is clearly rooted in Usher’s own experiences and reflects on them in the light of the Bible and church tradition. As the blurb on the back of The Way Under our Feet has it, when we walk we “We become more ready to recognize the needs as well as the joys of others; we sift our thoughts; we seek to heal our battered world, even as we glory in the beauty of nature; we find ourselves companying with our three mile an hour God.” The book is wide ranging with each chapter taking its title from active words like thinking, seeing or accompanying. Like Places of Enchantment, it draws on the authors own experiences of walking and mixes this with Biblical reflection.
Grove Books produce short pamphlet length (28 pages) introductions to a variety of topics. They say "We would like Grove Books to be your first call for comment on contemporary issues that is based on biblical principles, engages with best practice, and offers practical application." The John Ray Initiative has a handy webpage with details of all the books that deal with environmental concerns. The pamphlets come from across the Grove series: Ethics, Biblical, Discipleship, Doctrine, Education, Spirituality, Worship and Youth, so there's something for everyone!
Words for a Dying World. Stories of Grief and Courage from the Global Church. (ed. Hannah Malcolm) asks How do we talk about climate grief in the church? And when we have found the words, what do we do with that grief?
Read a full length review by one of our Eco Church team.
