Review: Living Beyond the "End of the World"
It may already be clear to you that we (inclusively, globally speaking) are quite thoroughly screwed. Human civilization faces a multiplicity of threats, each one complex and monumental in scope; neither one addressed with the seriousness it deserves. All of these threats are of our own making, and yet there is little in the way of confession or repentance with regard to them. It’s enough to make one almost cheer on Christians of the dispensationalist variety who are certain that the end times are upon us and the Son of Man will soon be riding on the clouds. At least, that way, Jesus could get this over with and we could terminate humanity’s consistently failing project of trying to make it on its own.
But it’s not safe to sell the house and car and sit on a hilltop expecting the eschaton to arrive next Friday. So what are we to do in the face of a world turning toward a frightening future? Christian activist Margaret Swedish attempts to answer that question in her book Living Beyond the “End of the World”: A Spirituality of Hope (Orbis Books, 2008).
Swedish has done a good job reminding me of everything by which I am rightfully frightened. Most of the book is short on the “spirituality” and “hope” part as she builds a cumulative case of the ills generated by our modern, industrial civilization. We are hurtling headlong toward an unprecedented predicament driven by environmentally-destructive consumerism, climate change, the peak of oil production, and economic injustice.
Swedish is so good with the facts and figures in this major share of the book that one can’t help but be underwhelmed when she offers her answer in the latter part. We need to reconnect with nature and others to overcome our alienation. There needs to be a “turning” toward new values and perceptions and (how could one argue against this?) an “expanded” view of God. What that all means, I’m not exactly sure, but it all sounds nice.
In the end, Swedish is a liberal Christian with vague beliefs who seems more interested in a generic spirituality attuned to the crises of our time than any specific interpretation of this moment rooted in the
I thank Swedish for reiterating the seriousness of our ecological and social tempest and the fact that we are inevitably heading toward even more hard times – times that will require our best efforts to not only endure but to transform for something ultimately better. However, her “spirituality” lacks the substance of work done by Ellen Davis, Wendell Berry, and others. We’ll need more than an activist’s pet slogans to get through the coming days. In short, we’ll need the Holy Spirit leading us into all truth as we worship and pray and discern together.
Or maybe Jesus will come back tomorrow. That would save us a lot of trouble.
Labels: Ruins of Empire
Post a Comment