Thomas W. Mann is a biblical scholar and retired parish minister and the author of numerous books and articles. He is particularly interested in how experiences in nature prompt theological reflection based in the Bible, shaping our sense of sacred time and place, and how the lectionary readings of the church year also provide a spiritual calendar for the seasons of our lives. The result is a conversation inspired by poets and writers like Mary Oliver, Wendell Berry, and John Muir, but also by philosophers and theologians ranging from Abraham Joshua Heschel to David Kelsey. Along the way, we enter "beach time" and take backpacking trips in the Sierras, but also join the "triumphal entry" parade on Palm Sunday and listen to the stable animals on Christmas Eve. We perceive the beauty of creation through the eyes of science as well as religion, sensually as well as intellectually. We celebrate our communion with all creatures, from fungus to forests, inspired with awe and reverence, and with a responsibility to care for the earth, so threatened by climate change.
Thomas W. Mann is a biblical scholar and retired parish minister and the author of numerous books and articles. He is particularly interested in how experiences in nature prompt theological reflection based in the Bible, shaping our sense of sacred time and place, and how the lectionary readings of the church year also provide a spiritual calendar for the seasons of our lives. The result is a conversation inspired by poets and writers like Mary Oliver, Wendell Berry, and John Muir, but also by philosophers and theologians ranging from Abraham Joshua Heschel to David Kelsey. Along the way, we enter "beach time" and take backpacking trips in the Sierras, but also join the "triumphal entry" parade on Palm Sunday and listen to the stable animals on Christmas Eve. We perceive the beauty of creation through the eyes of science as well as religion, sensually as well as intellectually. We celebrate our communion with all creatures, from fungus to forests, inspired with awe and reverence, and with a responsibility to care for the earth, so threatened by climate change.
Thomas W. Mann has taught religious studies at the college, seminary, and doctoral levels and has served as a parish minister in the United Church of Christ. He is the author of The God of Dirt (2004), The Book of the Former Prophets (Cascade, 2011), and The Book of the Torah (2nd ed., Cascade, 2013).
"Reading the Two Books of God is a delightful companion through the
times of the year: both calendar and liturgical. . . . Mann invites
the reader into deeper consideration of aspects of nature and
Christian Scripture that may have been skimmed as familiar or
rudimentary. The reader is likely to experience both nature and
Scripture differently after reading this offering."
--Anne Herndon, retired counseling psychologist
"Understanding his sermons in terms of Scripture and nature, Tom
has gracefully woven his theology through them. In his sermons, you
hear and see his love of nature and his profound understanding of
the biblical Scriptures. . . . The ideas he gleans from the Bible,
his garden, and his hikes are fresh and redemptive. This book makes
the Bible meaningful and the earth integral to each day of our
lives."
--Lucy A. Austin, retired pastoral counselor
"An extraordinary collection of sermons that engages the reader's
imagination and intellect, Reading the Two Books of God integrates
a spiritual sensuality of experience with a reverence for Scripture
and theology (with a dash of gentle humor). . . . Mann challenges
readers to a deep listening and a deep looking at time. Highly
recommended--a superb and rare blend of scholarship, theological
humility, and commitment to the goodness of the created world."
--Linda Browne, chaplain, Salemtowne Retirement Community
"Reading the Two Books of God is an extraordinary gift to religious
leaders and others who seek to hear God through the words of
ancient poets and prophets and through the whispers, thunders, and
'wow'-inducing ordinariness of canyons, deserts, oceans, mountains,
and neighborhood backyards. Each sermon invites readers to proclaim
'glory' and then head outdoors to experience that 'glory' with
Scripture in their hearts and minds and the sacred dirt of God's
good earth under their feet."
--Jill Y. Crainshaw, Wake Forest University School of Divinity
"Reading the Two Books of God is a compelling argument for not
reading Scripture and nature as though they had nothing to do with
one another but understanding each in light of the wisdom offered
by the other. . . . This beautifully written book will enrich both
readers' faith and their commitment to social justice for God's
good but imperiled earth."
--George W. Stroup, Columbia Theological Seminary, emeritus
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