Climate Call to Action
Climate Church, Climate World: How People of Faith Must Work for Change, Jim Antal (Lanham, Rowman & Littlefield, 2018).
Climate Change is one of the top five topics in the news. It is one of the most frequently googled phrases. Climate change and global warming are common topics of conversations. The causes of climate change may be controversial, but there is no denying the truth that it poises one of the greatest threats humankind has ever faced. The effects of global warming are so destructive to life on planet earth that people are paralyzed with fear. We simply don’t know what to do. This is especially truth of Christians and our communities of faith. We know that we have been called to care for the earth. We don’t know how to do that, especially given the earth’s precarious situation.
Into this cauldron of confusion and controversy, Jim Antal offers the church his book, Climate Church, Climate World: How People of Faith Must Work for Change. It is a book that might be able to calm the troubling brew and offer practical directions for action.
Antal writes from a position of authority. He has been involved in protecting the environment for decades. Currently he serves as the national spokesperson on climate change for the United Church of Christ.
A Congregational Handbook
Climate Church, Climate World is written for communities of faith. It is packed with information, sound theology, and dozens of ideas that congregations can incorporate into their ministries. Individuals can adopt these ideas into their lifestyles, also, but Antal stresses that we are all in the struggle to reverse global warming. We must act as communities.
The book is instructive and not dictatorial. At the end of each chapter there is a section of several discussion questions. These questions are ideal stimuli for small group Bible studies, councils and boards to delve into the many facets of climate change and determine their responses.
I heartily recommend this book. It addresses the looming threat of climate change in a clear, concise and positive manner. The book is not filled with gloom and doom, but rather is permeated with hope. It fills a need and should be on the short reading list of every pastor and congregational leader.
I received this book free from the author and/or publisher through the Speakeasy blogging book review network. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.