{"product_id":"loving-gods-wildness-the-christian-roots-of-ecological-ethics-in-american-literature-hardback-9780817318574","title":"Loving God's Wildness; The Christian Roots of Ecological Ethics in American Literature (Hardback) 9780817318574","description":"\u003cfont face=\"Georgia\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"6\"\u003eLoving God's Wildness\u003c\/font\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\r\n\u003cfont size=\"5\"\u003eThe Christian Roots of Ecological Ethics in American Literature\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"4\"\u003eJeffrey Bilbro (Author)\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003e9780817318574\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003eHardback, published 30 April 2015\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003e288 pages\u003cbr\u003e22.8 x 15.2 x 2.7 cm, 0.513 kg\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\u003cp align=\"justify\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003eAnalysing writings ranging from the Puritans to the present day, \u003cem\u003eLoving God’s Wildness\u003c\/em\u003e traces the effects of Christian theology on America’s ecological imagination, revealing the often conflicted ways in which Americans relate to and perceive the natural world.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWhen the Puritans arrived in the New World to carry out the coloni­zation they saw as divinely mandated, they were confronted by the American wilderness. Part of their theology led them to view the natu­ral environment as “a temple of God” in which they should glorify and serve its creator. The larger prevailing theological view, however, saw this vast continent as “the Devil’s Territories” needing to be conquered and cultivated for God’s Kingdom. These contradictory designations gave rise to an ambivalence regarding the character of this land and humanity’s proper relation to it.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eLoving God’s Wildness\u003c\/em\u003e rediscovers the environmental roots of America’s Puritan heritage. In tracing this history, Jeffrey Bilbro demonstrates how the dualistic Christianity that the Puritans brought to America led them to see the land as an empty wilderness that God would turn into a productive source of marketable commodities. Bilbro carefully explores the effect of this dichotomy in the nature writings of Henry David Thoreau, John Muir, Willa Cather, and Wendell Berry.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThoreau, Muir, Cather, and Berry imaginatively developed the Puritan theological tradition to propose practical, physical means by which humans should live and worship within the natural temple of God’s creation. They reshaped Puritan dualism, each according to the par­ticular needs of his or her own ecological and cultural contexts, into a theology that demands care for the entire created community. While differing in their approaches and respective ecological ethics, the four authors Bilbro examines all share the conviction that God remains ac­tive in creation and that humans ought to relinquish their selfish ends to participate in his wild ecology.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eLoving God’s Wildness\u003c\/em\u003e fills a critical gap in literary criticism and environ­mental studies by offering a sustained, detailed argument regarding how Christian theology has had a profound and enduring legacy in shaping the contours of the American ecological imagination. Literary critics, scholars of religion and environmental studies, and thoughtful Christians who are concerned about environmental issues will profit from this engaging new book.\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\u003c\/font\u003e","brand":"The University of Alabama Press","offers":[{"title":"Brand New","offer_id":52570144932120,"sku":"9780817318574","price":37.39,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"url":"https:\/\/freshlyprintedbooks.co.uk\/products\/loving-gods-wildness-the-christian-roots-of-ecological-ethics-in-american-literature-hardback-9780817318574","provider":"Freshly Printed Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}