Spiritual Life on a Burning Planet

Spiritual Life on a Burning Planet draws on scientific research in developing religious perspectives on anthropogenic climate change. Its four chapters are entitled "Tolling Bells," "Burning Planet," "Eschatology in the Anthropocene," and "The Downward Passage." "Tolling Bells" introduces the topic of climate change and several of its emotional and biblical implications. "Burning Planet" provides an overview of the science of climate change and surveys the effects of global warming on human life later this century. The essays in "Eschatology in the Anthropocene" develop theological interpretations of climate change and examine its moral, spiritual, social, and psychological dimensions. "The Downward Passage" focuses on Christ's descent, the harrowing of hell, understood as a point of doctrine and an exemplary image of forthcoming challenges as we advance more deeply into the Anthropocene. A spiritual path suited to the Anthropocene is outlined. Its watchword is penthos, a traditional practice with sufficient power to convey a person through the grief and mourning that represent a true grasp of our having forced the earth into a new geological epoch.