Claiming Earth as Common Ground: The Ecological Crises through the Lens of Faith

Can religious people save the environment? Can the environmental challenge save religion?

Our planet is in trouble, and it will take an amazingly large and powerful force to shift into a more sustainable way of living. Spiritual leader and environmental activist Andrea Cohen-Kiener tells us that people of faith have the numbers, the passion and the mandate to do it―and that nothing else is strong enough to counterbalance "business as usual."

In this urgent call to action, Cohen-Kiener gathers insights from ecology coalitions, emerging theologies and spiritual and environmental activists to rally and inspire us to work across denominational lines in order to fulfill our sacred imperative to care for God's creation. Cohen-Kiener and contributors clearly outline the shared values of our faith traditions that drive our commitment to care for the earth. Acknowledging the challenges in working together to implement positive change, they present steps―both big and small, for individuals and groups―for reversing our direction from consumption to sustainability.

Contributors include:

• Rev. Woody Bartlett, founder, Georgia Interfaith Power and Light
• Rev. Tom Carr, National Council of Churches Working Group on the Environment
• Rev. Donna Schaper, senior minister, Judson Memorial Church, New York City
• Rev. Margaret Bullitt-Jonas, Religious Witness for the Earth
• Eboo Patel, executive director, Interfaith Youth Core
• Dr. Lowell “Rusty” Pritchard, national director of outreach, Evangelical Environmental Network

Andrea Cohen-Kiener is director of the Interreligious Eco-Justice Network (Connecticut's Interfaith Power and Light) and spiritual leader of Congregation Pnai Or of Central Connecticut. As a teacher, rabbi and community organizer, she has practiced the art of bringing a spiritual perspective to problem solving for over three decades.

Rev. Sally Bingham is an Episcopal priest and founder of the Regeneration Project, a nonprofit organization that created a national Interfaith Power and Light Campaign to unite all faiths in efforts to prevent the catastrophic effects of global warming.