John Chryssavgis explores the sacred dimension of the natural environment, and the significance of creation in the rich theological history and spiritual classics of the Orthodox Church, through the lens of its unique ascetical, liturgical and mystical experience.The global ecological crisis affecting humanity's air, water, and land, as well as the planet's flora and fauna, has resulted in manifest fissures on the image of God in creation. Chryssavgis examines, from an Orthodox Christian perspective, the possibility of restoring that shattered image through the sacramental lenses of cosmic transfiguration, cosmic interconnection, and cosmic reconciliation. The viewpoints of early theologians and contemporary thinkers are extensively explored from a theological and spiritual perspective, including countering those who deny that God's creation is in crisis. Presenting a worldview advanced and championed by the Orthodox Church in the modern world, this book encourages personal and societal transformation in making ethical and economic choices that respect creation as sacrament.

Acknowledgments ForewordIntroduction: Restoring the Shattered Image of the WorldSection I: Theory and Theology1. The Lens of Grace: Reintegrating the Sacred and the Profane2. Transcendence and Immanence: Ancient Concepts for a Modern Crisis3. The Desert is Alive: The Sayings of the Desert Fathers and Mothers4. Divine Sophia: The Wisdom of the Word and Beauty of the World5. Ecology and Mystery: Creation as SacramentSection II: Principles and Practices 6. On Earth as in Heaven: Cardinal Symbols and Values7. Living Cosmology: Creation in Faith and Science8. Responding to Denial and Disdain: The Devil's Advocate, Part 19. Asking the Right Questions: The Devil's Advocate, Part 210. The Green Patriarch: A Contemporary Worldview and WitnessConclusion: The Way ForwardOriginal SourcesFurther ReadingIndex