Ravished by Beauty : The Surprising Legacy of Reformed Spirituality

"In this novel exploration of Reformed spirituality, Belden C. Lane uncovers a "green theology" that celebrates a community of jubilant creatures of all languages and species. Lane reveals an ecologically sensitive Calvin who spoke of himself as ''ravished'' by the earth's beauty. He speaks of Puritans who fostered a ''lusty'' spirituality in which Christ figured as a lover who encouraged meditation on the wonders of creation. He presents a Jonathan Edwards who urged a sensuous ''enjoyment'' of God's beauty as the only real way of knowing God. Lane argues for the ''double irony'' of Reformed spirituality, showing that Calvinists who often seem prudish and proper are in fact a people of passionate desire. Similarly, Reformed Christians who appear totally focused on divine transcendence turn out at times to be closet nature mystics, exulting in God's glory everywhere. Lane also demonstrates, however, that a spirituality of desire can be derailed, ending in sexual excess and pantheism. Ecologically, holy longing can be redirected from a contemplation of God's splendor in the earth's beauty to a craving for land itself, resulting in disastrous misuse of its resources. Between the major chapters of the book are engaging personal essays drawn from the author's own love of nature as a Reformed Christian, and providing a thoughtful discussion of contemporary issues of species diversity and the honoring of an earth community."--Jacket Contents......Page 6 Permissions......Page 7 Beauty, Desire for God, and Delight in Creation......Page 8 Illustrations......Page 11 Abbreviations......Page 12 Prologue: Ring Lake Ranch, Wyoming......Page 16 1 The Double Irony of Reformed Spirituality: Nature, Desire, and the Easily Diverted Quest for God’s Beauty......Page 32 LANDSCAPES OF DESIRE: The Whole World Singing: A Journey to Iona and Taizé......Page 62 2 John Calvin on the World as a Theater of God’s Glory......Page 72 LANDSCAPES OF DESIRE: Can We Chant Psalms with All God’s Creatures?......Page 101 3 Nature and Desire in Seventeenth-Century Puritanism......Page 112 LANDSCAPES OF DESIRE: Open the Kingdom for a Cottonwood Tree......Page 139 4 The Schooling of Desire: Nature’s Purifying Role in Affliction......Page 149 LANDSCAPES OF DESIRE: Biodiversity and the Holy Trinity......Page 174 5 Jonathan Edwards on Beauty, Desire, and the Sensory World......Page 185 LANDSCAPES OF DESIRE: On Pilgrimage with Jonathan Edwards......Page 216 6 Transformed by Beauty: Environmental Ethics and the Wildness of God......Page 226 Epilogue: Dead Creek, East Saint Louis......Page 252 Notes......Page 262 A......Page 310 B......Page 311 C......Page 312 D......Page 314 E......Page 315 G......Page 316 I......Page 317 L......Page 318 M......Page 319 O......Page 320 P......Page 321 R......Page 322 S......Page 323 T......Page 325 W......Page 326 Z......Page 327