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 "e;Tolling Bells,"e; "e;Burning Planet,"e; "e;Eschatology in the Anthropocene,"e; and "e;The Downward Passage."e; "e;Tolling Bells"e; introduces the topic of climate change and several of its emotional and biblical implications. "e;Burning Planet"e; 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 "e;Eschatology in the Anthropocene"e; develop theological interpretations of climate change and examine its moral, spiritual, social, and psychological dimensions. "e;The Downward Passage"e; 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.