EcoActivist Testament: Faith Explorations for Fellow Travelers

UPDATE: EcoActivist Testament is now available as an audiobook. On audible or Apple Books.

EcoActivist Testament: Faith Explorations for Fellow Travelers (2022) is written for those who are now at the front lines of discipleship in this era of planetary emergency, especially for those who sometimes feel spiritually isolated or exhausted. In this forthright and plain-spoken book, longtime Christian ecojustice activists and well-known ecological theologian H. Paul Santmire, inspired by the witness of Saint Francis of Assisi, tells a powerful personal story. This engaging first-person narrative will appeal both to faith-based ecoactivist of long standing and to those who are pondering this calling for the first time.

Available now through Wipf and Stock (Cascade Books) and on Paul’s bookshop.org store.

Daniel R. Smith

"EcoActivist Testament bears witness to the goodness of creation and its integrity, offering grace hope for all people of faith concerned about our planetary crisis. As Santmire shares his own journey of becoming a champion of nature and a pioneer in the field of eco theology, the reader is invited first to let go and be -- praising God with creation -- then to find their own path toward the healing of earth and all her creatures."

—Daniel R. Smith, Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary

Phoebe Morad

“This book allows you to walk in the woods with a theologian who as taught about the Bible’s impact on human relationship with nature for several decades. You also get to travel with Santmire underwater amidst a coral reef, within a powerful river’s current, alongside ponds emerging with life, and various other islands of wilderness. This book is a true gift, as Santmire moves beyond theory and speaks with a pastoral presence to accompany weary fellow justice seekers.” —Phoebe Morad, executive director, Lutherans Restoring Creation

Kiara Jorgensen

“In today’s Anthropocene, ‘thin hope’ is analogous to what Bonhoeffer called ‘cheap grace.” Hope is often claimed but not actively pursued… Santmire addresses this theological deficiency and offers intimate commentary on living into radical hope amid planetary ruin. Born of fifty-plus years of place-based reflection, study, and prayer, EcoAcvitist Testament threads story, scriptural reasoning, spiritual practice, and lament into a fabric that is capable of girding Christians who seek strength and joy in the struggle to be ‘Earthkin.’” —Kiara Jorgensen, St. Olaf College

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