This book was written during the lockdown caused by the Covid crisis: streets were emptied, churches closed down, and all of a sudden we began to hear the sounds of nature. A new relationship with nature developed in which new questions arose: is God present in nature? Is communion with God in nature possible? Is there a relationship between the God of creation, the God of history and the God we worship in Sunday liturgies. This book seeks to explore some of these questions by going back to the Bible. In the Old Testament it discovers texts that talk about Nature praising God. In the Christian tradition it shows that nature is understood as a living community, is graced by God, and has a sacramental character to it. More particularly the Incarnation of the Word made flesh in Jesus is of profound significance for a new understanding of nature and the way we worship. The Incarnation reveals the integrity of nature, the sacred character of the natural world and the presence of some form of 'interiority' in the life of nature An awareness of nature praising God stands out as a rebuke of humanity's self-absorption at the expense of other creatures, a critique of a man-centred view of liturgy, and an invitation to join the cosmic choir in giving glory to God . The overall result of these explorations is the outline of a new theology of nature praising God, with lessons for the way we worship God in our churches today.

This book opens with an examination of the meaning of the innocent sounding category of "Integral Ecology" in contemporary thought and its significance for theology today. According to well known Irish theologian Dermot Lane, Integral Ecology changes everything. In this book he focuses on the neglected implications of Integral Ecology for systematic theology. Ecology challenges theology to reimagine who we are, who the Spirit of God is, who Christ is, where creation is going, and what is the role of liturgy in society-- all in the glare of the ecological crisis. This book also mines the theology within and behind the ground-breaking encyclical Laudato Si': On Care for our Common Home. In listening to ecology, Lane seeks to open a conversation between religion and science in the context of climate change, to develop a theology of the natural world, and to recover the lost link between creation and liturgy. A new theology of the Spirit permeates most chapters as the key to addressing the current ecological crisis as well as engaging with the increasing number of people who describe themselves as "spiritual but not religious". Until fairly recently, climate change was left to the scientists, politicians, and activists. More is needed. Now is the time to hear voice of religion in that debate in the public forum with a view to initiating new, transformative practices in society, in politics, and in religions. This new book will be of interest to activists, politicians, priests, christian educators, and theologians. The book is born out of the conviction that climate change is not just one more problem to be addressed by politicians; rather it is the challenge facing humanity in the 21st century and as such is the challenge underlying all other challenges at this moment in history.