Dorothy C. McDougall

Gebundenes Buch

The Cosmos as the Primary Sacrament

The Horizon for an Ecological Sacramental Theology

Beschreibung

The magnitude of the current ecological crisis demands a fundamental redefinition of human identity. It is no longer viable to regard human beings as the apex of creation; rather, humans must be recognized as existing within an intricate web of cosmic relations. For Christian sacramental theology, this redefinition requires that the horizon of theological reflection be shifted from a redemption-centered focus to a cosmocentric one. In this book, Dorothy C. McDougall elaborates the construction of an ecological sacramental theology based on the metaphor of the cosmos as the primary sacrament. McDougall draws on the work of Thomas Berry, with its foundation in a new and emergent scientific perspective, as well as the social critique of ecofeminism as two significant resources.

Autor

The Author: Dorothy C. McDougall is Director of the Doctor of Ministry Program at the Toronto School of Theology in Toronto, Canada. She received her Ph.D. in systematic theology from the University of St. Michael¿s College in Toronto. She has written a number of articles in professional and academic journals, and has given numerous workshops, talks, and retreats on the themes of ecology, theology, and spirituality.

Produktdetails

• Verlag: Peter Lang
• Artikelnr. des Verlages: 66714
• 1. Auflage
• Seitenzahl: 196
• Erscheinungstermin: 24. Juli 2003
• Englisch
• Abmessung: 236mm x 160mm x 15mm
• Gewicht: 390g
• ISBN-13: 9780820467146
• ISBN-10: 0820467146
• Artikelnr.: 23899424

Rezensionen

«Traditionally, Christians have said that the rule of prayer is the rule of faith. Dorothy C. McDougall's book, 'The Cosmos as the Primary Sacrament', brings the lived practice of liturgy together with a renewed vision of ecofeminist theology in a way that is of tremendous importance for transforming the living consciousness of Christian churches.» (Rosemary Ruether, Carpenter Professor of Feminist Theology, Graduate Theological Union, Berkeley, California)
«This is a splendid book, whose publication is a welcome and timely event. In successive waves over the turn of the new millennia, the Christian community - from Synods and the Vatican to concerned laity and devout communities in the 'third world' - have awakened to the connections

between the Earth and the Gospel ... but it is taking more time for the Christian community to embrace the new cosmology as Dorothy C. McDougall has done with lucidity and a very approachable style. It may indeed come as a surprise that her topic moves right to the heart of the life of the community, liturgy and Eucharist, with this perspective, which has so far eluded the great number of scholars and writers.
Reading through 'The Cosmos as the Primary Sacrament', one discovers the origins of this spiritual path in ancient and modern theological writings. With admirable skill, McDougall provides a gentle path to understanding what might otherwise be thought very difficult connections between cosmology and sacrament. More important in this time of ecological crisis, the reader is presented with a rich contemporary perspective on cosmology that honors social justice and feminist developments within Christian thinking and never allows the Eucharistic liturgical life to become isolated or totally inward looking. This is a horizon, in the terminology of Bernard Lonergan, within which the Christian community can realistically and, perhaps, enthusiastically take its place with other agents of change in today's society to help restore the earth to health before it is too late.
McDougall provides a rich resource for Christians who sense the need to make room for 'lament' in their Eucharistic piety. Individuals and groups catching the waves of ecological awareness within the Christian community will profit handsomely from this book.» (Steve Dunn, Founder and Former Director of the Elliot Allen Institute for Theology and Ecology, University of St. Michael's College, Toronto, Canada; Co-Editor of 'Befriending the Earth: A Theology of Reconciliation Between Humans and the Earth')