Presbyterian Outlook's Page Turners - Climate justice, climate hope 📚

Resources for Earth Day and beyond Dear Outlook Readers, Not that long ago, climate change was a “what if?” Today, it’s right here, right now. And people of faith get it! Christian authors are incorporating climate justice into broader works on everything from church history to living faithfully in the day-to-day. For example, in Seeing and Being Jesus in the World, Mihee Kim-Kort asks, “What does repentance look like in an age of climate crisis?”  She responds: “It looks like reorienting our lives toward the rhythms of creation … honoring limits, practicing Sabbath not only for ourselves but for the land. It looks like asking not just, 'What can I afford?’ but 'What can the earth sustain?'" Questions like this invite all of us into the conversation. Last week at church, I taught an adult education class on this topic, and my conversation partners expanded. Some folks find small and personal ways to care for God’s creation, feeding the birds and buying veggies at farmers' markets. Others tackle legislative challenges, advocating for green energy instead of fossil fuels and public transit over cars. We all agreed: we must continue the conversation and open lines of communication with our neighbors. Books like Climate Justice, Climate Hope, as well as earlier reviewed works, suggested below, help make this happen. Happy reading, Amy Pagliarella Book Review Editor P.S.: April’s featured books provide a sneak peek at the June Summer Books issue, which will also be chock full of General Assembly coverage. Subscribe to the Outlook to enjoy it all! We're currently running a special where first-time subscribers receive a year-long digital subscription for $9.95. BOOKS OF THE MONTH Climate Justice, Climate Hope: Building a Moral Economy Michael Malcom and abby mohaupt Fortress Press, 132 pages Published October 14, 2025   Pastors and activists Michael Malcom and abby mohaupt approach the impacts of climate change from a unique angle — that of the moral economy, in which people live out the biblical call to care for one another. They draw heavily on the story of Ruth and Boaz, explaining practices (like gleaning) that prevent exploitation, and lifting up Boaz’ incorporation of Ruth and Naomi into his familial community as a model for covenantal living today.    They quickly make the biblical imperative real, using accessible phrases like “Change the Rules” and “Resist the Wrong” to describe the levers available to create a moral economy. mohaupt, a PC(USA) pastor, has been active in the denomination’s effort to align our money and our values, as we divest our investments from fossil fuels. Her thoughtful discussion in the chapter “Move the Money” is essential reading for anyone eager to continue the conversation at the 2026 General Assembly about full divestment from fossil fuel companies.   For such a challenging topic, Climate Justice, Climate Hope reads like a curious conversation, filled with humorous asides. It covers familiar territory (environmental racism, divestment) in fresh ways, differentiating between fossil-fueled capitalism (predatory) and faithful capitalism (businesses where people/planet/profit coexist). QUOTE OF THE MONTH “The word ‘curiosity’ connects to the Latin word for care. We typically associate curiosity with the intellect, but it’s an act of love, rooted in compassion. When we care, we invest our time and attention, shaping our reactions into a supple question mark, not a taut exclamation point. Instead of making facile pronouncements, we wonder what could be. We lead from a place of empathy.” Better Than Normal: Virtues for an Off-Script Life MaryAnn McKibben Dana Eerdmans, 160 pages Published April 14, 2026 Book Giveaway!  Congratulations to Page Turners reader Mary Ann Crimmins. Thanks to our friends at Morehouse Publishing, she received a copy of Everlasting Jesus by Rick Hamlin. Many thanks to our friends at Eerdmans, who thoughtfully donated this month’s quoted book, Better Than Normal by MaryAnn McKibben Dana. One lucky reader, chosen at random, will receive a copy! If you're reading this note, then you're all set! Know someone else who should be reading Page Turners? Send them this link and they'll get entered for a chance to win, too. The contest closes on May 18. OTHER READS Life on a Little-Known Planet: Dispatches from a Changing World  Paul Dornan reviews Elizabeth Kolbert’s "Life on a Little-Known Planet" — an accessible, curious look at climate change, extinction and what it means to care for our changing world. Saving Us: A Climate Scientist’s Case for Hope and Healing in a Divided World "[Saving Us] is best read in faithful community – wherever two or more are gathered – whether a community of climate action enthusiasts, the quietly curious, the global warming skeptics or those without an opinion simply seeking to follow Jesus." Dear Marty, We Crapped In Our Nest: Notes from the Edge of the World Alfred Walker reviews Art Cullen’s "Dear Marty, We Crapped In Our Nest," a sobering look at climate change, farming and red-state politics. Good Soil: The Education of an Accidental Farmhand Journalist and pastor Jeff Chu reflects on the lessons he learned at Princeton Seminary's Farminary.

In a moment when empathy is often misunderstood — and sometimes dismissed as weakness — “On the Road to Empathy” invites churches to return to Scripture and rediscover empathy as a deeply Christian practice.