
Devoted to Nature explores the religious underpinnings of American environmentalism, tracing the theological character of American environmental thought from its Romantic foundations to contemporary... Read More
- CHOICE"A significant scholarly contribution to understanding environmentalism . . . Recommended."
- Journal for the Study of Religion, Nature, and Culture"Devoted to Nature is a delightful read that opens a very different window on an important period of American history. It provides valuable new insights on how turn- of-the-century popular Christianity contributed to the particular shape the American environmentalist movement has in the present. In doing so it offers key insights on how best to move forward."
- Agricultural History"Berry’s exclusive attention to recreation rather than labor may not immediately engage readers interested in agriculture, but his deft ability to show the ways that Christian theology permeated ostensibly secular organizations should encourage agricultural historians to re-examine their own subjects with a view toward religion. . . . his rich argument about the spiritual and social motivations of the early American environmentalists is persuasive and should receive wide attention."
- Environmental History". . . [Devoted to Nature] provide[s] excellent models for further scholarship, particularly for expanding on the interrelationships between theology, religious culture, and environmental activity during the mid- to late twentieth century to which both point, but neither sufficiently addresses."
- Spiritus: A Journal of Christian Spirituality". . . for those of us working at the intersections of Christian spirituality, Theology, and environmental concern Berry’s book is an essential read. Not only does it have impressive documentation and historical analysis of a critical moment in our recent spiritual history, but it should also inspire in us a critical questioning of our own work. . . . Devoted to Nature is an accessible read appropriate to undergraduate, graduate, and professional researchers. It would be at home in any historical, sociological, or theological inquiry into American environmentalism."
– CHOICE"A significant scholarly contribution to understanding environmentalism . . . Recommended."
– Journal for the Study of Religion, Nature, and Culture"Devoted to Nature is a delightful read that opens a very different window on an important period of American history. It provides valuable new insights on how turn- of-the-century popular Christianity contributed to the particular shape the American environmentalist movement has in the present. In doing so it offers key insights on how best to move forward."
– Agricultural History"Berry’s exclusive attention to recreation rather than labor may not immediately engage readers interested in agriculture, but his deft ability to show the ways that Christian theology permeated ostensibly secular organizations should encourage agricultural historians to re-examine their own subjects with a view toward religion. . . . his rich argument about the spiritual and social motivations of the early American environmentalists is persuasive and should receive wide attention."
– Environmental History". . . [Devoted to Nature] provide[s] excellent models for further scholarship, particularly for expanding on the interrelationships between theology, religious culture, and environmental activity during the mid- to late twentieth century to which both point, but neither sufficiently addresses."
– Spiritus: A Journal of Christian Spirituality". . . for those of us working at the intersections of Christian spirituality, Theology, and environmental concern Berry’s book is an essential read. Not only does it have impressive documentation and historical analysis of a critical moment in our recent spiritual history, but it should also inspire in us a critical questioning of our own work. . . . Devoted to Nature is an accessible read appropriate to undergraduate, graduate, and professional researchers. It would be at home in any historical, sociological, or theological inquiry into American environmentalism."