Toward an Ecology of Transfiguration - (Orthodox Christianity and Contemporary Thought) by John Chryssavgis & Bruce V Foltz (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

Can Orthodox Christianity offer spiritual resources uniquely suited to the environmental concerns of today? This book makes the case emphatically that it can indeed. In addition to being the first substantial and comprehensive collection of essays, in any language, to address environmental issues from the Orthodox point of view, this volume (with contributions from many of the most influential theologians and philosophers in contemporary world Orthodoxy) will engage a wide audience, in academic as well as popular circles--resonating not only with Orthodox audiences but with all those in search of a fresh approach to environmental theory and ethics that can bring to bear the resources of ancient spirituality, often virtually unknown in the West, on modern challenges and dilemmas.

Review Quotes

The contribution of Orthodox theology to the topic of environmental destruction has long been awaited in many Western Christian and secular groups alike. This definitive collection is that response, reflecting variations as diverse as its people, but more importantly, giving them a forum from which real debate on the relationship between the human and the rest of creation may finally arise.-- "Sobornost"

"I must say from the onset that my enthusiasm can hardly be contained!. . . . To my knowledge there are no books currently being offered that provide the depth and scholarship found here. . . . This manuscript has gathered the best in the field and collated them into what certainly can become a foundational text book for further academic study."-----Rev. Chad Hatfield, Saint Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary

"I rate this as perhaps the signature work on Orthodoxy and the Environment (and Nature) available in English. [Its] range of topics and specializations make it useful for people who are not Orthodox and for those with diverse academic backgrounds. It is difficult to imagine anyone who cannot learn or benefit from some chapters or parts of this book."-----Daniel P. Buxhoeveden, Research Professor, Founder and Director of the Religion and Science Initiative, University of South Carolina

This anthology is a monumental contribution to the literature on religion and ecology. The abundant contributions of the Orthodox tradition to seeing into the sacred depths of nature are evident in this rich collection of essays. It will stand as a classic in the field for years to come and help reshape reflections on our shared planetary future.-----Mary Evelyn Tucker, Forum on Religion at Ecology at Yale

About the Author

The Rev. Dr. John Chryssavgis, Archdeacon of the Ecumenical Throne, taught theology in Sydney and Boston. He currently serves as theological advisor to the Ecumenical Patriarch on environmental issues. His environmental publications include Beyond the Shattered Image (Light & Life) and On Earth as in Heaven (Fordham).

Bruce V. Foltz, Professor of Philosophy at Eckerd College is founding President for both the International Association for Environmental Philosophy and the Society for Nature, Philosophy, and Religion. His environmental publications include Inhabiting the Earth: Heidegger, Environmental Ethics, and the Metaphysics of Nature; Rethinking Nature: Essays in Environmental Philosophy; and The Noetics of Nature: Environmental Philosophy and the Holy Beauty of the Visible (forthcoming Fordham).