Whether you are a person of faith or not, Rev. Sally Bingham’s book Love God, Heal Earth is both interesting and thought-provoking.
I first learned of Sally Bingham through the Interfaith Light & Power Campaign, a faith-based initiative addressing global warming that she co-founded. I have been curious to learn more about her so selected Love God, Heal Earth as my second book to read this March in honor of Women’s History Month.
Book Review
Love God, Heal Earth: 21 Leading Religious Voices Speak Out on Our Sacred Duty to Protect the Environment is the full title of the book that contains essays written by religious leaders from a variety of faiths with an introduction and afterword by Rev. Sally Bingham.
A line from the introduction describes what the book is about.
“It is a snapshot of a moment in human history – Earth history – when the future hung in the balance and communities of faith came together out of love for Creation.”
Readers will find essays by Christian, Jewish, Muslim, and Buddhist religious leaders who incorporate environmental stewardship into their respective ministries and daily lives. A few examples are included below.
- Rev. Fred Small participates in political activism and endeavors to engage people of faith in caring for Creation by framing supposed environmental issues as issues of justice and compassion.
- Rev. Pat Watkins seeks to connect faith and the environment through Biblical scriptures.
- Rev. Dr. Clare Butterfield leads the Faith in Place organization, which helps congregations make earth stewardship part of their religious life.
- Laurel Kearns directs the Green Seminary Initiative that equips religious leaders with tools to help them lead their congregations to a more sustainable and just society that values a healthy planet.
- Mary Evelyn Tucker studies and teaches in a university setting bringing together the fields of religion and ecology.
The following excerpt from the afterword succinctly wraps up the mission of everyone on Earth.
“Who are we, as human beings, if not caretakers of creation? Stewardship of the planet and our care for each other is our greatest moral duty.”
The Bottom Line
Rev. Canon Sally Bingham is an Episcopal priest and serves on the board of several environmental organizations and the Diocese of California Commission for the Environment. She is the founder and executive director of The Regeneration Project, whose mission is to deepen the connection between faith and ecology. Its main project is the Interfaith Power & Light Campaign, which helps congregations address global warming through energy conservation, energy efficiency, and renewable energy.
Although I did not learn as much about Sally Bingham as I would have liked, I was fascinated by the essays in Love God, Heal Earth. The authors approach the intersection between faith and ecology through the lenses of their own diverse backgrounds and religious beliefs, yet they are all on the same journey encouraging faith-based communities to care for Creation.
Love God, Heal Earth is about hope. Everyone should read it.
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Inspiring review. Now I shall have to read the book. Thanks for all you do on a daily basis to not only save the environment but inspiring others to do the same.