Katie's Book Club, Part II

We just started a new series at our church called God is Green...yes, we are talking about all the environment stuff that seems to be all over these days. I have never considered myself to be much of an environmentalist (aside from trying not to blatantly litter), but I am being challenged to reconsider. The speaker this morning, Dr. J. Matthew Sleeth, author of Serve God, Save the Planet: A Christian Call to Action, shared his personal journey of integrating his faith and his sense that something needs to be done about the declining state of the natural world around us. I haven't actually read his book yet, but I plan to. Here's the synopsis from Amazon, in case you're interested. You can also visit his site at http://www.servegodsavetheplanet.org/.

"Five years ago Dr. J. Matthew Sleeth and his family lived in a big house, had two luxury cars, loads of money, and lots of stuff. As chief of the medical staff at a large hospital, Sleeth was living the American dream--until he realized that something was terribly wrong. As he saw patient after patient suffering from cancer, asthma, and other chronic diseases, he began to understand that the Earth and its inhabitants were in trouble. Feeling helpless, he turned to his faith for guidance. He discovered how the timeless lessons of personal responsibility, simplicity, and stewardship taught in the Bible could be applied to modern life. The Sleeths have since sold their big home and given away more than half of what they once owned. In Serve God, Save the Planet, Sleeth shares the joy of adopting a less materialistic lifestyle, and reveals what was easy and what was hard about the changes his family has made. Drawing on science and religion, Sleeth builds a bridge between environmentalists and mainstream Christians. He and his family are harbingers of the creation care movement, which calls on all those who love God to love our planet. Sleeth shares how material downscaling led his family to healthier lifestyles, stronger relationships, and richer spiritual lives. Serve God, Save the Planet is more than a book: it is a prescription for taking personal responsibility for global survival."