By Jerusha Matsen Neal

Jerusha Matsen Neal: Holy Ground

“Find your Elizabeth. Find the person who sees the gifts in you and names them. That’s really significant.” — Jerusha Matsen Neal

Author and professor Jerusha Matsen Neal joins us on the podcast to discuss the importance of place as we consider the spiritual implications of climate change around the world.

In our world today, the effects of climate change have become more and more inescapable. But how can our own sense of place enlarge our understanding of the intricate links between us and those across the earth? Author and professor Jerusha Matsen Neal joins us on the podcast to explore a theology of place and the ways we can look at the presence of climate catastrophe with clear eyes and a faithful response. In her book Holy Ground: Climate Change, Preaching, and the Apocalypse of Place, Jerusha helps us learn from the sermons of displaced Indigenous communities in the South Pacific, exploring the effects of colonialism and inviting us into a space of learning and reflection. Jerusha and I also discuss her convictions on the power of preaching and the ways we can move forward to better the world today.

In addition, Jerusha wanted listeners of this podcast who are interested in purchasing her book to know that you can get a 20% discount if you buy the book from Baylor University Press and use the promo code: 17PROMO. You can find a link to the book and the discount code in the show notes. And if you listen to the end of the credits, you’ll hear an excerpt from our conversation where Jerusha shares her best advice for someone who is considering working or studying overseas.

So jump right in! We're so glad you're here.

 

You can listen on iTunes or at The Women Scholars and Professionals Podcast. We hope you enjoy this conversation as much as we did.

Further resources for this interview:

 

Photo by Paul Morris on StockSnap

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About the Author

Rev. Dr. Jerusha Matsen Neal, Assistant Professor of Homiletics at Duke Divinity School, is an ordained ABC(USA) pastor who has served as a Global Ministries mission partner in the Fiji Islands through the United Methodist Church.  Her first book, The Overshadowed Preacher: Mary, the Spirit, and the Labor of Proclamation, challenges preachers to leave behind false shadows of approval to embrace the overshadowing Spirit of God. Her most recent book, Holy Ground: Climate Change, Preaching, and the Apocalypse of Place, engages the climate crisis through the sermons of South Pacific communities displaced by rising tides.  A former actress and playwright, she has also authored a collection of dramatic monologues, Blessed: Monologues for Mary (Cascade, 2012).

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