Sacred Longings: The Ecological Spirit and Global Culture (review)

Throughout the ancient biblical tradition and in the writings of great religious thinkers and mystics down through the ages, the call for a change of heart remains a constant and prominent theme. Mary C. Grey's important work contributes to the universal call to conversion and transformation. Unlike other works of its kind, however, Grey's haunting text takes readers into new intellectual and spiritual depths that both inform and challenge how life is lived on the planet in the face of escalating globalization.

The book opens with a clear introduction that provides an honest and thoughtful description of the present-day global reality. The appeal to the biblical prophetic tradition sets the tone for the work which is "prophetic" on many levels insofar as it exposes—without judgment—the loss of intimacy, the loss of integration, the loss of integrity, and the loss of life-sustaining relationships in the face of the driving consumerism and greed that have become substitutes for authentic fulfillment. Grey addresses her work to "us," characterizing ours as "a broken hearted culture" whose dreams and hopes have been manipulated and compromised (x). Written from a cosmological and ecological perspective, the text also unveils how greed, consumerism, and globalization have impacted negatively on the planet. It sheds light on the link between social and environmental injustice, and the plight of the poor within the human and non-human communities of life. For Grey, hope lies in the pilgrimage to truth and the recovery of the heart.

Part One, "Losing Heart," examines the present-day globalized culture, the ecological crisis of water and its impact on poor nations and peoples, and the dualisms that have long plagued the theological tradition, the results of which have left so many believers estranged from themselves, estranged from God, and estranged from their home, earth. Woven into the text's first three chapters are stories, both imaginative and actual, about people who bring to bear a sense of the truth about globalization. These stories bring to light the omnipresent and invasive character of globalization, as well as some of its insidious effects, caused by unchecked power, control, and domination. Grey bluntly asserts, rightly, that globalization cannot be escaped. Corporate mergers and the coalescence of other companies will continue as transnational corporations assume their places as key players in the world's economic and political spheres. Grey highlights the point that movement of money now takes precedence over movement of goods, i.e., manufactured and agricultural produce. While globalization may have its benefits, Grey's essential question has yet to be entertained in depth: are we as a people, and women in particular, really better off because of globalization? With a business model in place as a model for life, Grey sees globalization in its current form as dependent upon "a massive failure of compassion . . . towards [the] suffering" caused by the broken connections with one another and with the earth (21).

Deeply troubling, yet prophetic, are the facts that Grey uncovers with regard to the planet's water shortage and the effects that this is having and will have on poor communities. This is especially the case insofar as the only solution being offered is the privatization of water supplies, which will result in clean water only for those who can afford to buy it. Gray also mentions the effects that globalization is having on women in countries like India, and on wilderness in various parts of the globe. The last part of the book's first section succinctly lays out the theological teachings and perspectives that have contributed to the culture's "disembodiment." Grey challenges the dualisms inherent in traditional theology, and raises questions about the role that theology has played in the past, employing a jargon-filled language often addressed only to the intellectual elite. Wondering if theology has lost its public role, she evaluates past and current models of theological education, and then calls for new models aimed at a genuine...