Dream of the Earth

'Dream of the Earth' by Thomas Berry, Sierra Club books, 1990.Reviewed by Lloyd Geering, SOF NZ Newsletter #12, July 1995

Father Thomas Berry, an American Catholic priest and scholar of the history of human culture, has been called "the most provocative figure among the new breed of eco-theologians". In these very readable essays he discusses the very serious ecological issues of our time out of a background of deep Christian conviction which has also enabled him to be more severely self-critical and radically constructive than is often the case with theologians today.

Following in the footsteps of Teilhard de Chardin he displays a deep love of the earth and of all life upon it and brings home to us the responsibilities now lying on our shoulders. Here are a few quotes:

"There is no definitive Christianity or Hinduism or Buddhism, but only an identifiable Christian process, Hindu process or Buddhist process...All traditions have their grandeur and their limitations...traditions must constantly go beyond any existing expression of themselves to new forms of expression.

The time has come for the most significant change that Christian spirituality has yet experienced, but this change is itself part of a much more comprehensive change in human consciousness brought about by the discovery of the evolutionary process. Discovery of this unfolding process of the universe can be considered a moment of supreme significance not only for the human community, but also for the universe itself, especially in its expression on the earth as the only biospiritual planet that we know."

This book would provide an excellent basis for study groups and could be accompanied by the audio-tapes referred to above.

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