Description: In Refugia Faith, Debra Rienstra explores nature's refugia--places where life endures in a crisis--and applies this model to faith. Drawing from theology, nature writing, and science, she examines how Christian spirituality and practice must adapt for a climate-altered planet.
Brief description:
Debra Rienstra is professor of English at Calvin University and the author of three previous books as well as numerous academic essays, literary essays, and poems. She writes biweekly about spirituality, pop culture, the church, the arts, higher ed, and more for the Reformed Journal blog called "The Twelve." With her husband, Ron Rienstra, she has three grown children.
Review Quotes:
"Because Rienstra is not an ecologist or any other kind of nature expert, her fledgling efforts feel relatable to me. Her tender and humorous accounts make the work approachable to those of us who haven't been trained (by our education or by our communities) to pay attention to the startling "beingness" of the lifeforms just outside our back door." --Christian Century
"Rienstra's idea of 'refugia' offers some combination of solace, realistic hope, and inspiration. One prays that, in particular, people of faith will use this as a goad and a help to take the actions we all know we must. This book is a small classic." --Bill McKibben, author of The Flag, the Cross, and the Station Wagon
"Filled with beauty, wisdom, and a vision for how things might be, this book itself serves as a refuge for the weary, discouraged, and disheartened. Imaginatively conceived and gorgeously written, it is a work of profound insight and deep goodness." --Kristin Kobes Du Mez, author of Jesus and John Wayne
"For most of us, a crisis like climate change is cause for panic and withdrawal. Rienstra beautifully, winsomely invites us to flip this script. Rather than viewing it as an insurmountable challenge, she argues that the climate crisis is an opportunity for transformation--if only we have the courage, imagination, and resiliency to seize it." --Kyle Meyaard-Schaap, vice president, Evangelical Environmental Network
"I highly recommend this book for people of faith as we live in the tension between our current climate-related suffering and the hope for what is possible for our planet." --Karyn Bigelow, co-executive director at Creation Justice Ministries
"Refugia Faith offers actionable hope for those who have become discouraged or even fatalistic about our ecological future. Get ready to rediscover your sense of wonderment!" --Randy Woodley, author/activist and co-sustainer, Eloheh Indigenous Center for Earth Justice