Living Beyond the "End of the World": A Spirituality of Hope

Were Hurricane Katrina and the loss of New Orleans a sign of things to come? Margaret Swedish argues that we face a series of interrelated forces that could well undermine the fabric of society as we know it: global warming and climate change; the depletion of petroleum sources and a looming energy crunch; the exhaustion of other resources needed to sustain life as a result of over-exploitation and population growth; the collapse of a debtor economy; and a crisis in U.S. democracy. Ecological Hope addresses these crises and poses a challenge to people of faith: What kind of human beings will we be as we approach this difficult period in human history? After forecasting the dangers, Swedish lays out the values, a framework of meaning, and a spirituality that might plant seeds of a new human community and ensure a future for coming generations.