Praise for Life After Doom
"When I finished Life After Doom, I was overcome by a single unexpected response: gratitude. In these pages, Brian is pastor, teacher, therapist and prophet as he guides us through the multiple crises of our current situation. He challenges both debilitating despair and false hope to awaken our capacity to dream and act courageously for the future. This is his most mature work, a book of rare wisdom, genuinely profound in depth and scope, written in clear and exquisitely crafted prose. It is for all those who are haunted by sadness, who feel alone in their fears, unsure of the way ahead. You will thank him." —Diana Butler Bass, author of Christianity After Religion
"With his usual patience and clarity, Brian McLaren invites us to do necessary spiritual work: face square-on the deepening climate crisis. .. To guide us on this path, McLaren draws from his own heart, from pastoral experience, and from many trusted voices, especially those who already know what it means to face doom and survive. We learn here the difficult practice of rejecting religious and economic narratives that deal death. And we discover, after doom, the magnificent and beautiful task set before us. This book has convinced me that indeed, we must do this inner work now." —Debra Rienstra, author of Refugia Faith: Seeking Hidden Shelters, Ordinary Wonders, and the Healing of the Earth
"In a world of overwhelming challenges, McLaren serves up a cocktail of hope and pragmatic action. Life After Doom is more than just a book; it's a movement, a manifesto, and most importantly, a roadmap to a brighter tomorrow." —Tripp Fuller, Host of the Homebrewed Christianity Podcast, and Visiting Professor of Theology, Luther Theological Seminary
"Two questions haunt our time: how bad can it get and what can we do about it? McLaren answers both of those questions in his new book. He gives us clear visions of our shared future and offers us pragmatic responses that are our best hope. In a word, he gives us ideas that work." —Steven Charleston, Choctaw elder and Retired Episcopal Bishop
"McLaren says the quiet part out loud. He invites us to cultivate resilience, to create meaning, to join communities of care." —Kate Davis, Director of the Center for Transforming Engagement,The Seattle School
"These are turbulent times indeed, and the indications are that instability, polarization, and fear will only increase. A book like this, from a man as politically astute and spiritually sensitive as Brian McLaren, is timely and vital. I’d recommend it to anybody concerned about the future of our society and even the very dignity of humanity." —Rev. Michael Coren
"Life After Doom provides a way out of no way. After facing the most frightening of climate futures, McLaren invites us to live into a new and redemptive story." —Rev. Dr. Jim Antal, author of Climate Church, Climate World and Special Advisor on Climate Justice to the head of the United Church of Christ
"[Life After Doom] is certainly the most important book you will read this year given our current situation. The book has a wide lens, drawing from numerous, and sometimes unexpected sources and yet, it is very personal; You will find yourself in conversation with Brian throughout. I can’t say it enough: Read this book! Read this book!"
—Randy Woodley, Author/Speaker, Co-sustainer at Eloheh Indigenous Center for Earth Justice. Eloheh.org
"In Life After Doom, Brian McLaren does what he does best: helps us hold the liminal space of hoping for a better world while grieving the one we have created today. In these pages, McLaren helps us name hard truths and ask questions that often feel exhausting to ask, and reminds us along the way that we are not alone in those questions. Do we want to better understand our own humanity? We have to dig deep and remember who we are, and Brian’s stories and calls to action help us do that. This book isn’t just a list of boxes to check in order to save ourselves and save Mother Earth, but a reminder that we are human beings in need of relationship and care, just as Mother Earth is a being in need of relationship and care. I hope that when you pick up Life After Doom, you’ll hold space for what you find in its pages, and when you’re done, you’ll hold space for yourself to put your sacred gifts to use in a world that is mourning and hoping for a better future and a gentler way forward."
—Kaitlin B Curtice, citizen of the Potawatomi Nation and award-winning author of Native, Living Resistance and Winter’s Gifts
"An illuminated roadmap guiding us to islands of light and hope in the world while not denying what lies ahead. Read this book - and feel like you have been given real tools to cope with climate change grief from a spiritual master." —Theresa Martella, Spiritual Ecologist, retired U.S Environmental Protection Agency scientist
