Spirituality & Wilderness
Reading Recommendations

Terry Tempest Williams, William B. Smart, and Gibbs M. Smith, editors.  New Genesis: A Mormon Reader on Land and Community.  Layton, UT:  Gibbs Smith 1998

"Three diverse authors have compiled essays written by distinguished LDS writers who have documented a wealth of information and experience on environmental situations affecting Utah and surrounding environs today. This material encompasses the sweep and majesty of a land of astonishing beauty that cries for understanding and respect from its inhabitants and visitors alike."

Bratton, Susan Power.  Christianity, Wilderness, and Wildlife:  The Original Desert Solitaire

"This book reviews the long history of Christian wilderness spirituality and beneficial Christian interactions with wild nature.  Beginning with the relevant Genesis texts, the volume documents the importance of wilderness as a location for spiritual events and suggests that wilderness has traditionally been the landscape where the divine may be most clearly discerned and directly encountered.  It makes the case that our contemporary relationships with wild nature require an increased understanding of its value to God."

Gottlieb, R.  A Greener Faith:  Religious Environmentalism and Our Planet’s Future.  Oxford, New York:  Oxford University Press, Inc.

Gottlieb maps out the history of the religious environmentalism movement.  In a time of mounting environmental crisis, his perspective holds people of every faith and background accountable for the state of the planet.  Addressing the environment is a political, religious, and moral issue, and Gottlieb suggests that what we chose to do with it represents who we are and how we respect life.  A Greener Faith connects spirituality, environmentalism, politics, and justice.

Taylor, Sarah McFarland. Green Sisters: A Spiritual Ecology. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. 2007

“Green Sisters gives a firsthand understanding of the practice and experience of women whose lives bring together Catholicism and ecology, orthodoxy and activism, traditional theology and a passionate mission to save the planet.  As green sisters explore the ways of living a meaningful religious life in the face of increased cultural diversity and ecological crisis, their story offers hope for the future and for a deeper understanding of the connections between women, religion, ecology and culture.”

Wheatley, M.  Turning to One Another:  Simple Conversations to Restore Hope to the Future.  San Francisco, CA:  Berrett-Koeler Publishing, Inc.  2002

Wheatley’s book is based on the belief that two-way conversation can lead to world change.  She discusses the difference between honest conversation and negotiation or debate.  This simple book is filled with examples of how to better listen and speak from the heart.

Wilson, Edward O.  The Creation: An Appeal to Save Life on Earth. W.W. Norton. 2006.

“Famed entomologist, humanist thinker, and cogent writer Wilson issues a call for unity between religion and science in order to save the "creation," or living nature, which is in "deep trouble." Addressing his discourse to "Dear Pastor," he asks why religious leaders haven't made protecting the creation part of their mission.”