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The Hope of Nature: Our Care for God's Creation
In the face of possible environmental catastrophe, George B. Handley believes the restored gospel of Jesus Christ offers hope—not by promising believers an escape from the responsibilities of our stewardship over God’s creation, but by urging us to confront the global reality of our situation with faith, diligence, and courage. This collection of nine essays brings together over seventeen years of scholarship and writing by the leading voice on the relationship between the Latter-day Saint faith and the environment.
315 pages, Paperback
Published March 10, 2020
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About the author
George B. Handley
23 books76 followersA Professor of Interdisciplinary Humanities at Brigham Young University, George B. Handley's creative writing, literary criticism, and civic engagement focus on the intersection between religion, literature, and the environment.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
March 21, 2020
Lots of great gems here from George Handley. The book largely seems aimed at an audience that is religious (Mormon/LDS specifically), invested in preserving/conserving nature, and somewhat skeptical of environmentalism. As I don't need to be convinced of the value of environmental efforts, I found myself a little outside the target demographic for much of the book, BUT still found the insights and experiences that Handley shared valuable. Loads of compelling material here for engaging with other religious folks on issues surrounding the environment.
The final few chapters in the book resonated with me more than some of the previous ones, with compelling threads of repentance in the context of our relationship with Creation and some final thoughts on grace and joy. Also, loved some of the thoughts that to me seemed relevant to community work more broadly. Particularly, ones like this:
“The truth is, it is easier to criticize enemies than to articulate and work redemptively to achieve a good society that we hope to pass on to the future. A good society is not one that has finally gotten rid of the opposition; it is one that has learned how to make difference fruitful, which involves the work of listening, imagining, and even articulating others’ perception of the world. I wonder how well we are listening.” (247)
Lots to chew on here and to interrogate about my own relationship with the environment and my community more broadly. I'll be thinking through how to live out this particular principle for quite some time.
The final few chapters in the book resonated with me more than some of the previous ones, with compelling threads of repentance in the context of our relationship with Creation and some final thoughts on grace and joy. Also, loved some of the thoughts that to me seemed relevant to community work more broadly. Particularly, ones like this:
“The truth is, it is easier to criticize enemies than to articulate and work redemptively to achieve a good society that we hope to pass on to the future. A good society is not one that has finally gotten rid of the opposition; it is one that has learned how to make difference fruitful, which involves the work of listening, imagining, and even articulating others’ perception of the world. I wonder how well we are listening.” (247)
Lots to chew on here and to interrogate about my own relationship with the environment and my community more broadly. I'll be thinking through how to live out this particular principle for quite some time.
April 27, 2021
This is a sensitive, well-studied and -documented book about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (LDS/Mormon) perspective and teachings on the environment.
Handley writes in a very fluid and understanding manner. This isn't a book to rush through. I took about 6 months to read and study it--treating it somewhat like a college course. How I would love to sit in on some of his BYU lectures! I also found his footnotes to be very instructive as well.
This isn't light reading, but if you are LDS and care about the environment--read it. It is good reading for non-LDS environmental advocates as well. This book may be the common ground we need where we can begin to understand each other and reach out and work together to care for God's Creation.
Handley writes in a very fluid and understanding manner. This isn't a book to rush through. I took about 6 months to read and study it--treating it somewhat like a college course. How I would love to sit in on some of his BYU lectures! I also found his footnotes to be very instructive as well.
This isn't light reading, but if you are LDS and care about the environment--read it. It is good reading for non-LDS environmental advocates as well. This book may be the common ground we need where we can begin to understand each other and reach out and work together to care for God's Creation.
April 27, 2020
Such an insightful thought-provoking read. Learned a lot about what the restored gospel teaches about our relationship with God’s creations.
As a humanities professor and student of culture, Handley uses his training to explore the culture from which many Latter Day Saints often approach environmental issues. In doing so he cuts through many of the false assumptions held by people on both sides of the debate- religious and secular, “anti-environmental” and “anti-human”- and breaks free from the tired excessively worn ruts the conversation often travels in our politically polarized day, giving us hope that religion- especially the doctrine of the restored gospel- can give us renewed power in tackling climate change by inspiring the cultural changes we need to take it seriously.
LDS readers may be either relieved or surprised to read about how much their own doctrine supports the idea of stewardship towards the earth. He provides thoughtful and nuanced responses to the ideas I hear all the time repeated in church like “we are in the last days, of course climate change is going to happen” which for many actually means “why do we need to do anything about it?” or “the Earth was meant to used” which actually means “why should we bother ourselves about how much we consume?”. The assertion that “the earth is full” and “there is enough and to spare” is conditional on us living according to “my own way” and “not to excess neither extortion”. He demonstrates the richness of the doctrine in our expanded creation narratives and how little we appreciate or even realize the richness of the restored gospel’s ecotheology.
The hope part of it, as I understand it, is the spiritual blessing that comes to us when we truly appreciate- in amazement and wonder- the grace and beauty of God’s life-giving creation and give it the respect and care it deserves.
As a humanities professor and student of culture, Handley uses his training to explore the culture from which many Latter Day Saints often approach environmental issues. In doing so he cuts through many of the false assumptions held by people on both sides of the debate- religious and secular, “anti-environmental” and “anti-human”- and breaks free from the tired excessively worn ruts the conversation often travels in our politically polarized day, giving us hope that religion- especially the doctrine of the restored gospel- can give us renewed power in tackling climate change by inspiring the cultural changes we need to take it seriously.
LDS readers may be either relieved or surprised to read about how much their own doctrine supports the idea of stewardship towards the earth. He provides thoughtful and nuanced responses to the ideas I hear all the time repeated in church like “we are in the last days, of course climate change is going to happen” which for many actually means “why do we need to do anything about it?” or “the Earth was meant to used” which actually means “why should we bother ourselves about how much we consume?”. The assertion that “the earth is full” and “there is enough and to spare” is conditional on us living according to “my own way” and “not to excess neither extortion”. He demonstrates the richness of the doctrine in our expanded creation narratives and how little we appreciate or even realize the richness of the restored gospel’s ecotheology.
The hope part of it, as I understand it, is the spiritual blessing that comes to us when we truly appreciate- in amazement and wonder- the grace and beauty of God’s life-giving creation and give it the respect and care it deserves.
July 8, 2024
The structure of the book (a collection of talks and papers) made for some redundancy but the core message and theses are profound. My 5 stars is a reflection of the theses, not the quality of the writing or structure of the book. Some of the key take aways for me:
1) Our creation doctrine distinctly believes in creation ex materia (out of existing matter), and not ex nihilo. This reframes the importance and independence of matter in an eternal sense and our relationship with it
2) Spiritual creation came before physical creation. Moses 3:5
3) Plants and animals are “also living souls.” Moses 3:9 and 3:19
4) Since all living things have spiritual matter they are also subject to the conditions of the fall and of redemption. Both men and beasts and fowls of the air..not one shall be lost. D&C 29:23-26
5) We do not own the earth: The earth is the Lords and the fullness thereof. Psalm 24:1
6) Elder Marcus B Nash: LDS doctrine is clear: all humankind are stewards over this earth, not owners, and will be accountable to God for what we do with regard to His creation.
7) The lord created the earth to please the eye, enliven the souls and gladden the heart. D&C 59
8) Subduing the earth is about stewardship, not domination. Anthropocentric but with a sacred stewardship.
9) Brigham Young: “Not one particle of all that comprises this vast creation of God is our own. Everything we have has been bestowed upon us by for our action, to see what we would do with it—whether we would use it for eternal life and exaltation or for eternal death and degradation.”
Our doctrine rejects the premise that the spirit is superior to matter. “For man is spirit. The elements are eternal and spirit and element, inseparably connected.” D&C 93
1) Our creation doctrine distinctly believes in creation ex materia (out of existing matter), and not ex nihilo. This reframes the importance and independence of matter in an eternal sense and our relationship with it
2) Spiritual creation came before physical creation. Moses 3:5
3) Plants and animals are “also living souls.” Moses 3:9 and 3:19
4) Since all living things have spiritual matter they are also subject to the conditions of the fall and of redemption. Both men and beasts and fowls of the air..not one shall be lost. D&C 29:23-26
5) We do not own the earth: The earth is the Lords and the fullness thereof. Psalm 24:1
6) Elder Marcus B Nash: LDS doctrine is clear: all humankind are stewards over this earth, not owners, and will be accountable to God for what we do with regard to His creation.
7) The lord created the earth to please the eye, enliven the souls and gladden the heart. D&C 59
8) Subduing the earth is about stewardship, not domination. Anthropocentric but with a sacred stewardship.
9) Brigham Young: “Not one particle of all that comprises this vast creation of God is our own. Everything we have has been bestowed upon us by for our action, to see what we would do with it—whether we would use it for eternal life and exaltation or for eternal death and degradation.”
Our doctrine rejects the premise that the spirit is superior to matter. “For man is spirit. The elements are eternal and spirit and element, inseparably connected.” D&C 93
December 31, 2023
This book was a good one. George Handley does a good job of probing the relationship of environmental stewardship and the Gospel of Jesus Christ in this volume from a Latter-day Saint perspective. This book gave me hope that approaching important subjects like environmental care with a gospel perspective can serve as a model for how to productively engage in politics in ways that can heal divisions and build areas of consensus. George was the academic advisor of one of my good friends. We read most of this book before meeting up this summer for a visit, and it was the subject of hours of good conversation about environmental stewardship.
August 1, 2020
As a Latter-day Saint who is concerned about human's impact on the climate, this is a timely book. Handley does a beautiful job of expressing a Latter-day Saint theology that urges an awe of nature (it's beauty and ugliness), and how this transitions to stewardship, concern, and love for the Creation. This book helped me understand my concern for the environment though my faith, a gift I will try my best to make use of.
In short, this is a beautiful, well-crafted book that is hard to put down. I cannot recommend it with any more enthusiasm.
In short, this is a beautiful, well-crafted book that is hard to put down. I cannot recommend it with any more enthusiasm.
June 14, 2020
Very beautiful and insightful. I especially enjoyed the last 2 essays and the coda.
July 27, 2025
A fantastic treatise on the integral nature of caring for the Earth and all Creation in Latter-day Saint doctrine and theology. Highly recommended.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews