Question 2 - Chapter 4

In this chapter Berry talks about the Christian view of nature based on the complications many higher authorities saw with embracing this idea. The idea of "natural spirituality" faced issues that may have shook the foundation of what many clergy thought were the foundations of Christianity. The way people would put so much faith into nature that they would lose the idea of a personal savior in God. That God might come second and that Pagan ideas might overtake the central belief of Christians. Though with a balance we can see how activities like hiking and camping, etc. would continue to bring joy to Christians. This idea manifests inside people during the 20th century here in America who are looking for the same idea of manifest and spirituality in nature. For many nature became a way to escape what they felt was a world of distraction and connect deeper to their spirituality in the calm and peace of nature. Now days you can see this when people talk about going for hikes and getting outdoors as a way to retreat from the busy world we live in. In fact many people go on retreats with other Christians in order to have a better connection with God in nature. This is how we can see the affects of this change among people of today.