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Holy Ground: Climate Change, Preaching, and the Apocalypse of Place
By Jerusha Matsen Neal
Baylor University Press, 2024
Where is God’s Word to be found in the midst of climate catastrophe? Jerusha Matsen Neal wrestles with the question of place and the reality of climate disaster. Through collaboration with the Methodist Church in Fiji and Pacific Theological College, Neal centres the voices of those whose relationship to place has been violently disrupted by environmental devastation. Drawing upon the wisdom and reality of these voices, Neal challenges the colonial assumptions which often undergird Western understandings of climate change and climate justice.
In conversation with Ezekiel, Neal urges us to move beyond preaching which is merely descriptive of climate disaster. Instead of aiming to persuade congregations to acknowledge the reality of climate change, Neal argues for preaching marked by a renewed commitment to place. In both Ezekiel and the voices of South Pacific Ministers on the frontline of climate disaster, Neal finds a covenantal commitment to place which asks the question: what is our responsibility to the place of others? It is only through repentance and the unveiling of false idols where our understanding of covenantal relationships is reframed: we are drawn into the place of the other. Here, preaching is the place not only of encountering God, but of surrender and renewed relationship. Neal’s argument is marked by deep attention to the other, an abiding commitment to listen well and a resolute conviction that God’s voice can be found even in the midst of apocalypse.
In the face of an ever-unstable climate crisis, the role of preaching can seem murky or, even, futile. Reckoning with the reality of climate change can seem overwhelming. For those of us in the West, largely sheltered and economically shielded from the harsh realities of climate change, the task for preachers can seem daunting. How do we preach on issues of climate justice, giving due attention to the reality of what is at stake? How do we lead congregations to acknowledge and repent of our role in the injuring of creation? Where is God’s hope to be found in this exile?
As we wrestle with these questions, so often the result can be preaching which ignores the reality, or stays with a mere description of climate change. Neal pushes us to a better response. For preachers who feel overwhelmed or discouraged about how to preach in the face of climate disaster, this book provides an honest, hopeful and prophetic voice calling us forward. For preachers who are wondering what the Biblical text has to say to communities in the face of such devastation, this book provides a compelling comparison between Ezekiel’s exilic moment and our own. Neal is clear: God’s voice is to be found. It is to be found in a deeper relational commitment – a sacrificial solidarity with creation.
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