For the Life of the World: An Eastern Christian Approach to Nature and Environmental Care explores climate change and global ecological issues via the ability of Christianity-one of the world's most frequently practiced religions-to provide insight. Author Robin Gibbons outlines the tradition of prior Christian involvement in the issue, drawing upon ideas of freely given care and human stewardship of the world. Recently, the issue of climate change and the Christian community's inability to act against it has been characterized by a disconnect between human life and nature, with the biblical model of human stewardship subsumed by politics, business, and greed. In contrast, this book advocates for embracing an older model of Christian thought, theoretically surmounting the consequences of climate disaster through care and respect for nature.
"Today we are witnessing a global crisis in the relationship between humanity and the natural environment. To face this ecological challenge, what is required is a significant cultural response that draws upon all our resources in a creative and imaginative way. The Christian theological and spiritual tradition has from its very beginnings 'lived' within its landscape, crafting an intimate spirituality in the desert, among the forests, and towards vast horizons of the seas. In For the Life of the World, Robin Gibbons makes a fine dialogical contribution, based upon his long familiarity and engaged commitment to the ecclesial, liturgical, and theological traditions of the Christian East. In the polyphony of concerned voices, For the Life of the World offers new and ancient perspectives for guiding us along the path." -Anthony O'Mahony, Fellow at Blackfriars, University of Oxford, and the Sir Daniel and Countess Bernardine Murphy Donohue Chair in Eastern Catholic Theology at the Pontifical Oriental Institute (2018)