Title: Coming back to earth : from gods, to God, to Gaia /
Authors: Geering, Lloyd, 1918-; Hall, Tom, 1932-
Publisher: Polebridge Press,
Year: 2009
Subjects: Christianity; Christianity Forecasting; Postmodernism Religious aspects Christianity; Christianity and culture.; Secularism.; Gaia hypothesis
Abstract: "According to Lloyd Geering the doctrines of Incarnation and Trinity, which began as attempts to reflect the indwelling of God in human beings, were soon distorted to proclaim the reality of a sacred realm in the heavens. But the collapse of supernaturalism, he says, has produced a new and different pattern of reality: the self-creating universe, the self-evolving human species, and the emerging global consciousness. In light of these changes, he asks, Is Christianity going anywhere ? His answer, simply put, is that Christianity will not survive unless it can be harmonized with the secular global world. He further observes that all religious traditions must incorporate a concern for the present ecological crisis, And, he insists, any credible faith tradition must embrace a secular or humanist spirituality. Geering concludes that the most credible scenario for Christianity s future depends on accepting the Gaia concept as a powerful modern myth that will sustain individual humans spiritually, and our planetary home ecologically." -- Publisher.
Contents: Preface -- Introduction -- The secular Trinity -- Is Christianity going anywhere? -- Christianity at the crossroads -- Excavating Jesus -- The recovery of Jesus' teaching -- The diverse futures of Christianity -- The greening of Christianity -- The global crisis -- Beyond "our Father who art in heaven" -- The ecological imperative, a new ethical dimension -- Greening rites and festivals -- In praise of the secular -- What does "secular" mean? -- The emergence of the secular age -- The value of being secular -- Spirituality in the secular world -- Moving towards a new form of mysticism.