Book: Faith in a Changing Climate ― Table of Contents
We are working on a book Faith in a Changing Climate. Shown here is the top-level working Table of Contents. (We stress the word working — the contents will change as the book progresses.)
A .pdf version of the Table of Contents is available here:
Chapter 1: Themes and Stories
The Parable of the Wine Yeast
Parables
Themes
Organization of This Book
The Missing Happy Chapter
Wisdom and Cleverness
Caution
Aha! Moments
Aha! Moment #1: The Machine Stops
Aha! Moment #2: Entropy: Into the Greenhouse World
Aha! Moment #3: The Biofuel Surprise
Aha! Moment #4: Twilight in the Desert
Aha! Moment #5: No Brighter Future
Aha! Moment #6: Light Bulbs
Aha! Moment #7: The Ladder of Awareness
Step 1. Dead Asleep
Step 2. Awareness of One Fundamental Problem
Step 3. Awareness of Many Problems
Step 4. Interconnections Between Many Problems
Step 5. All Aspects of Life
Aha! Moment #8: Augustine’s City of God and Benedict’s Rule
Aha! Moment #9: COP 21 / 29
Aha! Moment #10: Scalable Projects
Aha! Moment #11: No Going Back
Aha! Moment #12: INTJs
The Ultimate Dilemma
Vision Statement
Awakening to Limits: A Reflection
Chapter 2: Exile
The Parable of the Inheritance
Exile to Babylon
The Prophets
Decline and Fall
Collapse
Complexity
Catabolic Collapse
Historical Comparisons
Dark Ages
World Views
Medieval World View
Scientific World View
Schrödinger’s Cat
Three Cultures
Generations
Boomers
Gen Z
A Changing Perception
Failure of Secular Leadership
The Church’s Opportunity
The Church’s Decline
Young People
The Church During COVID
Church Leadership
Laudato Sí
Spiritual Intuition
Walking in Exile: A Reflection
Chapter 3: The City of Man
The Parable of the Reindeer
The 300-Year Party
Deforestation
Coal and Steam Power
Systems
Limits to Growth
Oil — The Magic Fuel
Oil Refining
Petrochemicals
Peak Oil
The Hubbert Curve
Global Outlook
Energy Returned on Energy Invested
The Parable of the Red Queen
Nine Pounds of Gold
Defining ERoEI / The Energy Cliff
Climate Change
The Parable of the Virginia Gardener
Global Temperature Change
The Permian Triassic Extinction
Net Zero by 2050
Sectors
Other Greenhouse Gases
The Clathrate Gun
Climate Change Consequences
The Uninhabitable Earth
Six Degrees
Deep Adaptation
The Biosphere
Shifting Habitats and Species Ranges
Phenological Disruptions
Coral Bleaching and Ocean Ecosystems
Forests
Extinction Risk
Population
Economics
Growth
Usury
The City of Man: A Reflection
Chapter 4: Green Technology to the Rescue
The Parable of King Knut
The Parable of the Cruise Ship
Bright Green Denial / Techno-Optimism
Paradoxes / Unintended Consequences
Jevons’ Paradox
Exponential Growth
The Tragedy of the Commons
The Renewables Paradox
The Carbon Capture Paradox
The Global Dimming Paradox
The Saving Energy Paradox
The Progress Paradox
The Slowness Paradox
Multi-Discipline
Scalability
Thermodynamics
First Law
Second Law
The Carnot Cycle
Third Law
Zeroth Law
Alternative Energy Sources
Nuclear Power
Nuclear Power Plants
Nuclear Waste Storage
Thorium Reactors
Clean Coal
Solar
Wind
Biofuels
Hydrogen
Ammonia
Geothermal
Hydroelectric
Geoengineering
Carbon Capture and Sequestration
Point of Release Carbon Capture
Direct Air Capture
Solar Radiation Management
Artificial Intelligence
The Parable of the Blind Golfers
The Limits of Green Technology: A Reflection
Chapter 5: Response
The Parable of the Green Factory
Truth
The Parable of the Bandits
Plato’s Cave
De Mendacio
Challenge to Science and Technology
Humility
The Educated Citizen
The Slough of Despond
Grief and Anger
Stoicism
Stoicism and Christianity
The Parable of the Tech Entrepreneur
Denial
Honest Denial
Dishonest/Cynical Denier
Individualism / Tribalism
Ecological Amnesia
Pluralistic Ignorance
Don’t Want to Think About It
Priorities
Responding to Denial
Climate Science
Liberal Thinking
Increasing Awareness
The Dunning-Kruger Effect
One Funeral at a Time
Humor
Bottom-Up / Top-Down
Practice Collapse
Low-Tech Skills
Victory Gardens
Hope with Patience
Lighthouse Keeper Parables
The Complacent Lighthouse Keeper
The Generous Lighthouse Keeper
The Eschatological Lighthouse Keeper
Prophets, Not Chaplains: A Reflection
Chapter 6: Theological Guidelines
The Parable of the Church Kitchen
Types of Theology
Faith and Belief
The Church’s Opportunity
Historical Precedents
Augustine of Hippo
Monasticism
Celtic Christianity
A New Monasticism
Preserving More Than Knowledge
The Shape of Modern Monasticism
The Monastery as Prophecy
Two Christianities
Revelation
The Sermon on the Mount
The Parable of the Cat on the Mat
Three Theological Guidelines
Guideline #1: Understand Physical Realities
Quantification
Guideline #2: Accept and Adapt
Accept
Adapt
Guideline #3: Live Within Gaia
Natural Equilibrium
Asimov’s Gaia
Genesis and Human Domination
Taoist Spiritual Philosophy
The Tao and the Moral Law
The Tao and the Word (Logos)
The Ineffable Name of God
The Canticle of the Sun
The Task of Theology in an Age of Limits: A Reflection
Chapter 7: A City of God
The Parable of the Tea Cup
Vignette: The Thursday Meal
Vignette: Another Thursday Meal
Paradise ― Not Heaven
Vignette: A Solar Church
Vignette: A Wary Solar Church
Spiritual Foundation
Reverence for Creation
Limits as Sacred Discipline
The Sacraments of Daily Life
Community
Friendship
Story Telling
Trust and Security
Vignette: The Garden Gate
Vignette: The Well that Wasn’t Hidden
Social Justice
Vignette: Saturday Market Day
Vignette: Justice on Market Day
The Church
Ritual
The Priest / Preacher
From the Pulpit
Sacrifice
Vignette: The Silent Wind
Plant a Tree
Vignette: The Council at Trondheim
A Slightly Happier Chapter
Final Thoughts
Glossary
