Following Jesus in a Warming World
A Christian Call to Climate Action
Kyle Meyaard-Schaap’s inspiring religious book Following Jesus in a Warming World is a spirited call to evangelicals to show some love for the planet.
Meyaard-Schaap came of age in the post-Reagan years. His book begins with a personal anecdote: fifteen years ago, Meyaard-Schaap’s brother came home and announced that he’d become a vegetarian. For his Bible-believing, evangelical-leaning household, this came as a shock—a decision that was outside of the bounds of traditional teachings. Meyaard-Schaap explores how the evangelical world became so entrenched before asserting that such rigidness cannot continue.
In contrast: Meyaard-Schaap rediscovers an environmentalist message in the Bible and in Jesus’s words. The “big story” of the Bible, he writes, is one that calls for caring for the earth and for other people. In supporting this model, he confronts a series of religiously-supported lies, including the notion that Christians must be Republicans and that going to heaven lets people off the hook for caring for the here and now. Here, clinging to theologically expedient answers is shown to have replaced care for creation. Indeed, Meyaard-Schaap spells out the problems with the reigning mindset in neat form.
Throughout the book, Meyaard-Schaap encourages fellow evangelicals toward his perspective in approachable terms. His work is evocative of sermons: he uses anecdotes, scriptural references, and calls for change. And his book closes with practical advice regarding spiritual practices that support Christian environmental activism, bringing a hopeful environmental message to communities that have largely been deaf to the needs of the earth.
Following Jesus in a Warming World is a needed call to the evangelical world to take climate change seriously and to use their political power to help the environment.
Reviewed by
Jeremiah Rood
Disclosure: This article is not an endorsement, but a review. The publisher of this book provided free copies of the book to have their book reviewed by a professional reviewer. No fee was paid by the publisher for this review. Foreword Reviews only recommends books that we love. Foreword Magazine, Inc. is disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
