Faith in Disaster
Finding Deep Hope in the Climate Crisis
by Harold Munn

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How to Build a Seatbelt of Joy for Climate Collapse and Faith Collapse For anyone who secretly believes we are too late to save the planet, but hates saying so because it sounds so discouraging, this book is very good news. It’s neither a dystopia nor a road map to fix the climate crisis, but invites the reader into a transformed personal, relational and planetary life far more powerful than the fear, despair, and denial which have become so pervasive. Drawing courageously on very personal experiences of joy and fulfillment in times of his own despair, the author suggests such gifts of deep hope aren’t rare. He describes how, against all odds, a near-death experience at birth, deep childhood loss, and challenges in intimate relationships, became rich seed beds for joy and fulfillment. Additionally, the atheist and believer who fell in love in the first book of this series now live together, are deeply committed to fighting the climate crisis, but fail in that commitment and in their relationship. Yet mysteriously they find themselves immersed in joy and fulfillment through both failures. In the final climactic scenes of the book we experience joy and meaning being returned to humanity through the very disaster that now threatens our hope and purpose. The author uses the image of constructing a climate collapse seat belt woven from failure, grief, despair, and strangely, humility, to describe how, if climate collapse does happen, we can be protected from all kinds of chaos, and find ourselves buckled into deep joy and full life.

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"In the midst of this unfolding climate disaster, Harold Munn weaves together his lived experience, reflections on faith and a story of a young couple’s journey through climate grief to understanding and joy. I was moved by the honesty of the author’s story. It shows that we need not be alone in these times. This is essential reading for our own journeys." —Bill Darnell, Climate and Justice worker, a founder of Greenpeace, United Church member.

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Harold Munn has lived in a variety of locales and cultures, growing up in Victoria, B.C., and in Lytton in the interior of B.C., and served as an Anglican priest in close contact with First Nations and with issues of inner-city poverty, in Yukon, Edmonton, Victoria and Vancouver. He received awards for his columns in church newspapers. Intrigued by science since childhood, he taught high school science in Malawi for three years and is an associate member of the international Society of Ordained Scientists. His first book, Faith in Doubt, explores what happens when an atheist scientist and a believer enter into conversation and friendship and how faith and secularism might creatively do the same. Passionate about the climate crisis, Rev. Munn has been active in demonstrations, public speaking, and non-violent direct action with Extinction Rebellion. He and his wife of fifty years live in Vancouver, British Columbia, and they have two adult sons and four grandchildren.

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Contributors

Author

Harold Munn

Illustrator

Lena Lenz