Author Description

This book explores the basic and important question of whether nature is sacred in and of its own right, and if so, what is a proper understanding of our human place within it. The book offers insightful perspectives from an interdisciplinary panel including leading scientists, theologians, and philosophers. Our authors also represent diverse religious perspectives, including Evangelical Christian, Roman Catholic, Jewish and Muslim. Beginning with a brief tour of the universe led by NASA astronomer Jennifer Wiseman, the book proceeds to lay important foundations of building bridges between science and religion. Once this bridge is provided, theologians step in to reflect on the meaning of the sanctity of nature, and of what it means to be human. The current model of seeing humans as the stewards of nature, with all its good intentions, is seriously questioned. New models are proposed, leading readers to fresh considerations of our use of, and care for nature. The companion DVD continues the conversation, as our authors respond to several related questions. In addition to the video interview segments, the DVD contains written transcripts of the full interviews, as well as pictures of the actual conference that brought our panel together.