Reconsidering Nature Religion (Rockwell Lecture Series) - Softcover

Catherine L. Albanese is Professor of Religious Studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara.

"This is a delightful, short, and almost lyrical piece that seeks to demonstrate, in sweeping terms, the passionate religious bases of such modern impulses as New Age, animal communication, vegetarianism, and environmentalism. It stands in the tradition of the programmatic, incisive essay and is a satisfying read — historically, conceptually andliterarily." Linda Mercandante Ph.D., Methodist Theological School in Ohio.Blurb from reviewer. (Linda Mercandante)

Drawing on such diverse and eclectic sources as Native Americans, EdwardAbbey, Ralph Waldo Emerson, and Aldo Leopold, Catherine Albanese deftly argues that a range of practices, including osteopathy, environmentalism, and animal communication, properly fall under the rubric "Nature Religion," which she devised more than a decade ago. This fascinating book represents an important advance on her earlier thinking. Randall BalmerAnn Whitney Olin Professor of American ReligionBarnard College, Columbia UniversityBlurb from reviewer. (Randall Balmer)

This is a remarkable work. In a brief span Albanese demonstrates the historical roots of the religious dimensions of today's environmental and ethical movements, and does it with reliability, richness of detail, and eminent readability.Peter W. Williams, author of Popular Religion in America and America's Religions.Blurb from reviewer. (Peter W. Williams)

"Catherine Albanese has consistently, throughout her distinguished career, invited her readers to explore the breadth of American religion, drawing them beyond conventional understandings of what it has meant to live in the world religiously. In this fine book she explores, in a lucid and imaginative way, the implications of her argument that the American fascination with nature has repeatedly displayed religious sensibilities and assumed religious forms. She instructs and delights, and she allows us to see the seemingly familiar in fresh and surprising ways."E. Brooks Holifield, Charles Howard Candler Professor, Emory UniversityBlurb from reviewer. (E. Brooks Holifield)

"This is a delightful and almost lyrical piece that seeks to demonstrate, in sweeping terms, the passionate religious bases of such modern impulses as New Age, animal communication, vegetarianism, and environmentalism. A satisfying read-historically, conceptually, and literarily." (Linda Mercadante)

"Catherine Albanese deftly argues that a range of practices, including osteopathy, environmentalism, and animal communication, properl fall under the rubric 'Nature Religion,' which she devised more than a decade ago. This fascinating book represents an important advance on her earlier thinking." (Randall Balmer)

"This is a remarkable work. In a brief span Albanese demonstrates the historical roots of the religious dimensions of today's environmental and ethical movements, and does it with reliability, richness of detail, and eminent readability." (Peter W. Williams)

"In this fine book, Albanese explores, in a lucid and imaginative way, the implications of her argument that the American fascination with nature has repeatedly displayed religious sensibilities and assumed religious forms. She instucts and delights, and she allows us to see the seemingly familiar in fresh and surprising ways." (E. Brooks Holifield)

"This is a delightful, short, and almost lyrical piece that seeks to demonstrate, in sweeping terms, the passionate religious bases of such modern impulses as New Age, animal communication, vegetarianism, and environmentalism. It stands in the tradition of the programmatic, incisive essay and is a satisfying read — historically, conceptually andliterarily." Linda Mercandante Ph.D., Methodist Theological School in Ohio.Blurb from reviewer. (Sanford Lakoff)

Drawing on such diverse and eclectic sources as Native Americans, EdwardAbbey, Ralph Waldo Emerson, and Aldo Leopold, Catherine Albanese deftly argues that a range of practices, including osteopathy, environmentalism, and animal communication, properly fall under the rubric "Nature Religion," which she devised more than a decade ago. This fascinating book represents an important advance on her earlier thinking. Randall BalmerAnn Whitney Olin Professor of American ReligionBarnard College, Columbia UniversityBlurb from reviewer. (Sanford Lakoff)