The Temple at the End of the Universe: A Search for Spirituality in the Anthropocene

Book, 2023, 224 pp
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A journalistic memoir by a lapsed evangelical Christian that examines how the ecological crisis is shifting the ground of religious faith.

Our species is leaving scars on the earth that will last for millennia. How has religious ideology helped bring humanity to the brink of catastrophe? What new expressions of faith might help us respond with grace, self-sacrifice, and love? What will spark our compassion, transcend our divisions, and spur us to action?

Josiah Neufeld explores how the interlocking crises of climate change have shifted the ground of religious faith on a quest that is both philosophical and deeply personal. As the son of Christian missionaries based in Burkina Faso, Neufeld grew up aware of his privilege in an unjust world. His faith gave way to skepticism as he realized the fundamental injustice underpinning evangelical Christianity: only a minority would be saved, and the rest would be damned.

He was left, though, with an understanding of how people's actions are influenced by spiritual motives and religious convictions, and of how a framework of faith can counter one's sense of personal powerlessness. The Temple at the End of the Universe is the rallying cry for a new spiritual paradigm for the Anthropocene.


This resource is part of the Together in Hope: Toward Faith-Based Intergenerational Dialogue and Action in the Climate Crisis collection.

Recommendated use: Individuals or book study groups

Recommended audience: adults

Difficulty level: This is a moderately advanced resource.

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