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A journalistic memoir by a lapsed evangelical Christian that examines how the ecological crisis is shifting the ground of religious faith.
Our species is leaving scars on the earth that will last for millennia. How has religious ideology helped bring humanity to the brink of catastrophe? What new expressions of faith might help us respond with grace, self-sacrifice, and love? What will spark our compassion, transcend our divisions, and spur us to action?
Josiah Neufeld explores how the interlocking crises of climate change have shifted the ground of religious faith on a quest that is both philosophical and deeply personal. As the son of Christian missionaries based in Burkina Faso, Neufeld grew up aware of his privilege in an unjust world. His faith gave way to skepticism as he realized the fundamental injustice underpinning evangelical Christianity: only a minority would be saved, and the rest would be damned.
He was left, though, with an understanding of how people’s actions are influenced by spiritual motives and religious convictions, and of how a framework of faith can counter one’s sense of personal powerlessness. The Temple at the End of the Universe is the rallying cry for a new spiritual paradigm for the Anthropocene.
“Josiah Neufeld’s fascinating quest is both a memoir and investigation into religion’s attempts — and refusals — to confront the ecological crisis facing modern society and the natural world. This is an urgent and beautifully written exploration of the search for a new understanding.” — Deborah Campbell, Hilary Weston Prize–winning author of A Disappearance in Damascus
“A fascinating journey described in clear and compelling prose, from stifling certainty to constructive questioning. Anyone who's tried to make sense of the deformed Christianity that wields so much power in our world will profit from this book — and so will anyone who's on a quest of their own, determined to figure out how to help this beautiful and ailing planet.” — Bill McKibben, author of The Flag, the Cross, and the Station Wagon
“A spiritual quest has a whole new meaning when the natural world as we know it is in peril, and we could not ask for a better companion on the journey than Josiah Neufeld. His curiosity, insight, and honesty in The Temple at the End of the Universe are extraordinary.” — Joan Thomas, Governor General Award–winning author of Five Wives
“A gorgeously written and immaculately considered interrogation into faith in the age of climate change. Simultaneously demanding and stirring, The Temple at the End of the Universe is a necessary companion for anyone questing for meaning under dark-looming clouds while questioning their place in the future of the world. This is a book that speaks to the imperilled soul of our moment.” — Harley Rustad, bestselling author of Lost in the Valley of Death and Big Lonely Doug
“Peripatetic … tormented … fascinating.”” — Broadview
“The Temple at the End of the Universe is a thoughtful memoir, searching for greater meaning in a fraught world, and learning to be connected to the land once again … Perfectly on tone for the current state of our world.” — Miramichi Reader
“A thoughtful contribution to much-needed discourse about aligning personal values with public action to curb the climate crisis.” — Literary Review of Canada