Confessions

For 50 years, John B. Cobb, Jr. has been teaching readers that theology is not confined to biblical and doctrinal exegesis but rightly includes economics, politics, education, and science. His prophetic warnings about climate change date back to the early 1970s; his critiques of higher education and American foreign policy are incisive. But for all the pertinence of his views, Cobb has refrained from giving them full expression—until now. In the preface to this book, which he aptly names his “confession,” Cobb writes:

“My original intention was to write this manuscript primarily for myself. I felt that all my previous writings were written from the perspective of, or directed to, the church community, the theological community, the process community, or a particular organization. I did not state anything in those writings that I do not believe, but not everything that I believe came to expression. My personal priorities were not often clearly expressed.

“Before I died, I wanted to write once to state, if only for myself, what I really felt most keenly about, without worrying about whom I might offend. That primary concern has, for many years, been the global crises and the policies of my own country that, on the whole, speed up the move to the destruction of civilization and the physical world that supports life. I have felt called by Jesus’ Abba to do what I could for the healthy survival of the biosphere and for an ecological civilization for humans.”

In these pages, a “here I stand” near the end of a long and prestigious career, Cobb declares his faith, tells us his view of the world, names the dangers we face, and urges us to act.

John B. Cobb, Jr., is an American theologian, philosopher, and environmentalist. Cobb is the preeminent scholar in the field of process philosophy and process theology, and the author of more than fifty books. In 2014, he was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Cobb is a founding co-director of the Center for Process Studies and Professor Emeritus of Claremont School of Theology and Claremont Graduate University.