Creation as Sacrament: Reflections on Ecology and Spirituality

John Chryssavgis explores the sacredness of the natural environment and the significance of creation in the rich theological history and spiritual experience of the Orthodox Church, through the lens of its unique ascetical, liturgical and mystical experience.

By engaging with a wide variety of perspectives - theological, sacramental, historical and philosophical - he illustrates a characteristically Orthodox approach of care for our environment. Chryssavgis examines the question of the role of religion in relation to creation, expressed in the patristic and monastic literature of the Early Church, as well as the theological and spiritual tradition of the Christian East. He presents an essentially Eastern Orthodox perspective in an irenic way, by discussing the dialogue between science and religion, the relationship between ecology and theology, as well as the practical application of philosophical principles. Chryssavgis is not afraid to voice his response to climate change denial and emphasizes here the extraordinary leadership of a principal religious leader.

The volume includes a foreword by the 'Green Patriarch' Bartholomew and ends with an afterword by the Eastern Orthodox metropolitan of Pergamon John Zizioulas.