Art and Poetry

EcoTheo Review

Image courtesy of ecotheoreview.org

In 2013, several seminary friends set out to bring ecological and faith groups together and to “create a lasting affection toward the natural world.” The EcoTheo Review publishes art on their website and through their digital quarterly. Sharing writings and art, their active website and blog continue to publish posts in between official publication of the journal.

The journal can be purchased and submissions can be made through their website. Click here to be directed to the website.

Radical Joy for Hard Times

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Picture courtesy of radicaljoyforhardtimes.org/

Radical Joy for Hard Times is a worldwide community of people dedicated to bringing meaning, beauty, and value to places that have been damaged by human or natural acts. Rad Joy educates, supports, and connects communities around the world to create Earth Exchanges, experiential gatherings in which people visit wounded places, get to know them as they are now, share their stories of what they mean to them, and make a simple, spontaneous work of art there. Often, this “gift to the place” is the Rad Joy Bird, made by the group out of materials found on site. To read more about Radical Joy for Hard Times, click here.

Creation Centered Hymns

Picture courtesy of interfaithpowerandlight.org

Faith Climate Action Week created a resource for creation centered hymns. This list offers hymns on a variety of topics including equality of creatures, the beauty of the earth, and more. To view the entire list, click here.

The Worship of Nature

Picture courtesy of poetryfoundation.org/

The Worship of Nature is a poem by John Greenleaf Whittier published in 1867. The poem describes nature and forests as a holy place and Whittier makes a comparison to it being an altar. He describes the winds as hymns of praise and the blue sky as the temples arch. To read the entire poem, click here.

A Hymn for Hurricane Relief

Picture courtesy of sojo.net

This article from Sojourners magazine provides a hymn written in response to the recent severe storms. Titled, “O God, We’ve Prayed in Wind and Rain,” describes the prayers that have been said for those suffering from hurricanes in the U.S to devastating flooding in Nepal, India, and Bangladesh. To view or download this hymn click here.

Religion and Environment Songs: Dust Bowl Dance by Mumford & Sons

Picture courtesy of mumfordandsons.com

Song Picks by Natalie

Dust Bowl Dance is a song by Mumford & Sons. The song is describing the historical dust bowl that occurred in the 1930’s in the United States. The band is describing the hardships farmers had to endure. Many were forced to leave their land and some even died from the extreme dust storms that happened. The lyrics state,

“I’ve been kicked off my land at the age of sixteen
And I have no idea where else my heart could have been
I placed all my trust at the foot of this hill
And now I am sure my heart will never be still
So collect your courage and collect your horse
And pray you never feel this same kind of remorse”

Later in the song he then says,

“There will come a time I will look in your eye
You will pray to the God that you’ve always denied”

The band is telling the story of a boy that was a victim of the times and was forced to leave his land. I think that this connects to Christianity because he describes turning to God in his time of anger. Throughout the song, the lyrics describe the people who took the land as greedy and says they cannot love the land when they took it from the hands of the poor. I think that this then leads to the lyrics listed above, where they say “You will pray to the God that you’ve always denied.” I think that they are saying by being greedy and not doing anything about the land that was being destroyed by the dust bowl, which is what forced this boy to leave his land, that they are denying God. To listen to the Dust Bowl Dance click here. To view the lyrics, click here.

Earth Ministry Songs and Hymns

Picture courtesy of
earthministry.org

Earth Ministry created a list of songs and hymns that are related to creation. The list is meant to be a resource for creation honoring worship services. To view the all of the songs, click here.

Religion and Environment Songs: Mitakuye Oyasin by Nahko and Medicine for the People

Picture courtesy of nahko.com

Song Picks by Natalie

Mitakuye Oyasin is a song by Nahko and Medicine for the People that I feel relates to spirituality and nature. The phrase comes from the Lakota language and reflects the world view of interconnectedness held by the Lakota people of North America. The phrase translates in English as “we are all related.” The song begins with the lead singer describing being thankful for receiving a greater wisdom so that we as people can help all living things and calls this a prayer. The lyrics of the song describe being thankful for all that we have been provided before and then says,

“All of the blessings I have received
How could they have been bestowed upon me?
So I’ll put it all back in the ground
Back in the soil where I am found”

The band is describing their connection to the Great Spirit, or Wakan Takan Skan Skan, which translates from the Lakota language as Sacred Great Spirit. The song ultimately describes being thankful for this relationship and returning the blessings by taking care of the earth and all its creations. To hear Mitakuye Oyasin click here. To read the lyrics, click here.

From the Smallest Seed

Picture courtesy of arocha.us

From the Smallest Seed is a project from A Rocha to connect faith, ecology, and songwriting. They have created two albums, From the Smallest Seed being the first volume, and Together in the Harvest being the second volume. These albums formed from a project held by the Nashville chapter of A Rocha where a group came together over ecology and songwriting. To purchase, or get a sneak peak of these albums click below.

Volume 1 : From the Smallest Seed

Volume 2: Together in the Harvest

Poems and Prayers for the Earth

Picture courtesy of irejn.org

Poems and Prayers for the Earth is a project by the Interreligious Eco-Justice Network. They are creating a passionate call for stewardship by collecting poems and other inspired writings about the earth. They plan to read all submissions and select a variety to publish. To read the entire article and see how to submit your own writing, click here.