A Sense of the Divine: The Natural Environment
From a Theocentric Perspective
by James Gustafson (1994) The Pilgrim Press

Upon first glance at this book, its whimsical dust jacket and compact size suggest a lighthearted approach to its subject.

While that impression ends up not being entirely correct, Luce Professor of the Humanities James Gustafson does present a very readable approach to the issue of God's relationship to the natural environment. The Moll Lectures, delivered by Gustafson at Baldwin-Wallace College in November 1992, provide the basis for this book; Gustafson has expanded on the lecture material and drawn from many of his experiences in directing the Luce Faculty Seminar at Emory.

In his preface, Gustafson, the well-known philosopher, admits that publications concerning ecological ethics abound and that if there is anything distinctive that he has to say, "it has to show that the theocentric perspective from which I developed ethics makes some difference in the way we think and act."

"Some difference" is a key phrase here: Gustafson does not at all set down a philosophy which, in turn, provides a proscribed set of actions. There is much ambiguity remaining, many challenges left for the reader to answer. In his foreword, Frederick E. Blumer, Moll Professor of Faith and Life at Baldwin-Wallace College, writes, "The purpose of this book is not to direct moral traffic. It is to call us into a broadened moral consciousness, to awaken us to the legitimate claims and stakes of all who participate in the world of nature."

The awareness of those claims and stakes, according to Gustafson, arises out of one's sense of divine wonder, and out of what Gustafson terms a theocentric perspective on the world. Gustafson presents a divine being that is "the power that brings all things into being," one that we encounter both in the broad sweep of nature and in the details of life. Man, on the other hand, is neither the caretaker nor the master of nature; rather, he is a participant in it. A theocentric perspective, writes Gustafson, "not only provides a framework for making conscious moral choices, but also is an attitudinal, dispositional, affective stance. It is a sense of dependence, a sense of gratitude, a sense of accountability which properly on occasions evokes a sense of remorse and even guilt, and a sense of the possibility to intervene for justifiable ends."

The title of the book comes from the basic reason Gustafson believes we are concerned about the natural environment -- an innate sense of wonder, or "a sense of the divine." He explores the other reasons we may be concerned about the environment -- the sociocentric perspective, which is concerned with maintaining quality of life; the species-centric perspective, which looks to the survival of our species; and the biocentric perspective, which seeks to preserve biodiversity. He then goes on to argue for a theocentric perspective, brought about by "a sense of the sublime, or even a sense of the divine in nature."

However, Gustafson's version of a sense of the divine is not a belief in a being that always works for the good of humankind. "If there is a sense of divinity," Gustafson writes, "it has to include not only dependence upon nature for beauty and sustenance, but also forces beyond human control which destroy each other and us."

The author does not lapse into long philosophical discourses; rather he frequently brings into play conversations with students and colleagues, his childhood memories, and even the English ivy that wages war with the fescue in his back yard. He uses films such as "My Life as a Dog," as well as the theories of H. Richard Niebuhr, to flesh out his ideas for his readers. These provide the book with its conversational tone and an opportunity for the reader to make the connections between philosophical reasoning and the details of life.

That is not to say that the reader will come away from this book with a coherent philosophy. In fact, Gustafson spends the last chapter of his book and the Coda discussing why a coherent philosophy can be difficult to arrive at and ultimately not the point. "As intentional participants we have responsibility, and the destiny of the natural environment and our parts in it is heavily in our hands, but the ultimate destiny of all that exists is beyond our human control."

-- Nancy M. Spitler