The Reenchantment of Nature: The Denial of Religion and the Ecological Crisis
McGrath, professor of historical theology at Oxford and prolific  author (this is his 15th title since early 2001, and another is  due in October) could easily write a fine book on religion and  ecology if he'd slow down long enough to eliminate repetition  and to organize his material so that its content supports his  stated theme. There is much to like in this apologia: its  nonsectarian Christian viewpoint, the author's dual passion (he  has Oxford doctorates in molecular biophysics and in theology)  and his use of analogy and poetry to illustrate his points.  Alas, McGrath does not focus. Although he announces that the  book "is intended to bring out the strategic resources of the  Christian faith for the environmental struggle" and says in the  final chapter that its basic theme "suggests that we reclaim the  idea of nature as God's creation and act accordingly," most  chapters are neither motivational nor practical but defensive.  Taking frequent shots at science writers and religion despisers  Lynn White and Richard Dawkins, McGrath argues that historically  it is not Christianity but prosaic, reductionistic godlessness  that has led to the destruction, domination and exploitation of  nature. Christians, unlike disenchanted heirs of the  Enlightenment, value nature as God's creation and as a source of  divine revelation, and this Christian worldview, he contends, is  as intellectually respectable as any scientific theory. While  Christian apologists and graduate students will find value in  this scientist-cum-theologian's perspective, McGrath's material  could have been more effectively presented in one well-crafted  magazine article. (Sept. 17)Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.