Speak with the Earth and It Will Teach You

Book excerpt: “I don’t think it is enough appreciated how much an outdoor book the Bible is,” wrote Wendell Berry, and author Daniel Cooperrider illustrates his point with beautiful narrative—like a stroll through the woods. Speak with the Earth analyzes the Bible’s treatment of nature and intersperses this analysis with the author’s own reflections on experiences in nature. Organized in sections touching on the four elements, the book engages with the multifaceted relationship between the Bible and nature through various media, including art, theology, the natural sciences, history, and lived experience. A timely work on the gift of the Earth that makes a strong case for environmental conservation as a cornerstone of religious life.