John DEAR, They Will Inherit the Earth: Peace & Nonviolence in a Time of Climate Change. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 2018. pp.160. $20.00 pb. 978-1-62698-264-2. Reviewed by Marie CONN, Chestnut Hill College, Philadelphia, PA 19118.

The collection of quotations—Gerard Manley Hopkins, Chief Seattle, Thich Nhat Hanh, Pope Francis, Terry Tempest Williams, Philip Berrigan—that precede the table of contents of this small but powerful book prepares us to be open to John Dear’s laments and challenges.

As he begins the book, Dear, reflecting on the Beatitudes, cites Thomas Merton’s observation about “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.” Merton tells us that “meekness” is the biblical word for nonviolence. Dear adds his own conviction that a life of nonviolence “leads to oneness with creation and her creatures.” (2) So perhaps it’s fair to say that Dear’s goal in writing this book is to help all of us “make the connection between active nonviolence and oneness with creation, so that we all might live peacefully” on this beautiful Earth. (3)

In the first chapter, Dean recounts his experiences living and ministering in New York City during 9/11 and its aftermath. Here he cites Archbishop Desmond Tutu’s observation that “the millions spent on one U.S. fighter bomber sent to bomb Afghanistan could have built thousands of schools in Afghanistan….” He also recalls Martin Luther King’s words the night before he was killed: “The choice is no longer violence or nonviolence. It’s nonviolence—or nonexistence.”

The next few chapters describe Dear’s experiences as he moved to the desert near Los Alamos, experiences that convinced him of the connection between nonviolence and care for the earth. He recognized Jesus as the model of nonviolence and thus our model for relating to Mother Earth and her creatures. He also points to indigenous peoples as our guides in trying to put this into practice.

Subsequent chapters introduce us to extraordinary people who are fighting for an end to climate change and to the rape of Mother Earth in a variety of ways. Marian Naranjo, an elder of the Santa Clara Pueblo, founded Honor Our Pueblo Existence (HOPE). She is particularly active in the area of nuclear safety issues; the pueblo lies in the shadow of Los Alamos. One chapter honors the Standing Rock Sioux Nation in North Dakota who inspired a contemporary version of the Civil Rights Movement with their planning, training, and organizing the thousands of people who joined in their protest against the Dakota Access Pipeline.

In his later chapters, Dear talks about the need for a global movement for Mother Earth. He builds extensively on Pope Francis’ encyclical, Laudato Si’. Dear also draws attention to the decades-long work of Bill McKibben, cofounder of the global environmental action movement, www.350.org.

In Chapter 14, “Mother Earth Rules,” lists a new set of rules, challenging all of us to pay attention to the “guidelines originally set by the Creator”. (120) He goes on to list and to expand upon 14 ways or “rules” that will lead us to harmony with Mother Earth and her creatures. One, for example, urges us to take time each day for meditation; another calls us to talk about and educate others, particularly religious and civic leaders, about environmental issues; still another insists that true care for the earth and for the poor who are most affected by the damages of climate change requires that we become vegetarians.

As I read Dear’s words, I was reminded of Leonardo Boff, whose 1997 book, Cry of the Earth, Cry of the Poor, linked questions of poverty with issues of ecological degradation. Perhaps, had we listened to Boff and others of his day, Dear would not have felt the need to write this book.

Dear writing is quite accessible. I would strongly recommend this book to readers of all kinds, including undergraduate and graduate students, book clubs, prayer groups, in short, to anyone interested in the future of Mother Earth.