Garbage theology
"A great book club or small group offering to talk about creation care with your congregation!"
“Caleb’s passion, experiences, and hope are compelling. Garbage Theology is a practical tool both for those who want to learn where and how to begin the journey and those who wish to deepen their understanding of the subject. It is a compelling reminder that participation in the life and mission of God is holistic; it includes striving to steward well God’s creation.”
- Filimão M. Chambo, General Superintendent in the Church of the Nazarene
- Filimão M. Chambo, General Superintendent in the Church of the Nazarene
We are excited to share this resource from our Nazarenes for Creation Care's co-leader, Caleb Cray Haynes:
Garbage Theology
The unseen world of waste and what it means for the salvation of every person, every place, and every thing
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A great resource on why and how Christians are called to care for creation!
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The greatest illusion of our time comes in the form of waste. From landfills to micro-trash to invisible emissions to imperceivable pollutants to the factories and shores we never see… it’s all hidden away from our sight. However, the harmful effects of this global wastefulness reaches far and wide. It’s touching the lives of everyone you love, every place you’ve been, and every single thing you can imagine.
So, what if God is actually very interested in your waste? What if your faith requires a greater awareness about the things you eat, buy, and throw away? Could it be that your salvation is tied to all of God’s creation and that you have the opportunity to join God’s work of restoration?
Garbage Theology springs out of Caleb's years of pastoring while also working in the waste and recycling industry. Through a Wesleyan/Holiness framework and lens of Caleb's personal stories, the book addresses, in a very accessible way, why it is that Christians should care for creation.
The hope is that this will be a valuable resource and study for individuals and congregations to re-engage with our ancient calling and story to "serve and keep" God's good creation!
Garbage Theology is available now!
More info at CalebCrayHaynes.com
What others are saying...
“Garbage Theology is the best book ever written on our over consumption and how our lifestyle harms God’s beautiful creation. Bi-vocational Garbage-man Pastor Caleb Cray Haynes opened my eyes to wonderful biblical insights on waste, destruction, and renewal for our common home and our relationship with its Creator. With honest humor that is also troubling, Garbage Theology overturns poor biblical understanding with correct Biblical truth for defending God’s creation.”
- Mitch Hescox, President/C.E.O., The Evangelical Environmental Network and co-author of Caring For Creation: The Evangelicals Guide to Climate Change and Healthy Environment
"If you intend to live in ease and comfort, you won't read this book. But if you love your neighbor, and are willing to imagine what that looks like in practice, you will open yourself to new ways of thinking about trash, consumption, and simplicity. This book messed with my ease and I predict it might do the same for you."
- Dan Boone, President, Trevecca Nazarene University
"Garbage Theology is anything but! Full of Scriptural insights and practical applications, Garbage Theology is a must-read for anyone concerned about God's glorious creation and the health of future generations. Told from an unusual (if not unique!) perspective of a clergy-garbage collector, Pastor Haynes makes a convicting case for focusing less on stuff and more on treasures that will never rust, ruin, or rot."
- Matthew Sleeth, MD, Executive Director of Blessed Earth
"From the get-go this book captures the imagination, forces deep questions, teases us into surprising places of agreement, reshapes our thinking and offers challenges to our lives and solutions - things we can do. In a readable way the pastoral heart of Rev. Haynes pushes us towards being a healing people: our relationship with possessions, the earth, lands, places, ourselves, our values and our ideas all come under the gaze of someone who communicates creation care with passion and wisdom and pushes us to become part of God's healing of the world. Rooted in Scripture and vibrant with integrity, the book takes us a journey through global and local spaces - calling us personally and collectively to a new way of life, and a new way of being church. Each chapter is researched well, and then leaps into reflection and action that can be done as an individual or as a small group - together we can make a difference and bear witness to God's goodness and love for the world. Thankfully, Garbage Theology made me sense that I too could be part of God's hope breaking out on earth as it does in heaven."
- Deirdre Brower Latz, Principal of Nazarene Theological College
"Garbage Theology is far more than a treatise on how we can reduce waste and care for creation, which would be a worthy goal in itself. Rev. Caleb Haynes lays out a clear theological foundation, amplified by scientific data and real-world experience, for reframing our relationship with things, people, culture, and ultimately, God. The practices contained in this book are deeply spiritual, practical, and most importantly, doable. Learning to be responsible stewards of the earth, and the people living in it, is not only a way to preserve our God-given home, but also an opportunity to bear witness to the ongoing redemptive work of Christ in the world. This book is a vital resource that comes at just the right time."
- Albert Hung, District Superintendent, Northern California District Church of the Nazarene
"From my earliest days I was taught that the earth was a gift of God and was to be cherished and protected. Our family vacationed by camping in the mountains, on the coast, and in great forests. Dad was a Nazarene pastor who loved the out of doors, especially sensing the presence of God in the beauty of nature. Wherever we camped there were moments when the awe of God's presence in creation was specifically addressed. We were always expected to leave the campsite cleaner than when we found it as an expression or our stewardship of creation. Dad insisted that holiness of heart led, among many other expressions, to care for God's good earth, for the sake of everyone.
This book challenges me to recall, and to reclaim, one of the essential expressions of what it means to be holy. I love the book and its premise. It seems to capture what I believe so deeply: Care for creation is an act of worship."
- Jesse C. Middendorf, NTS Executive Director of the Center for Pastoral Leadership &
General Superintendent Emeritus in the Church of the Nazarene.
- Mitch Hescox, President/C.E.O., The Evangelical Environmental Network and co-author of Caring For Creation: The Evangelicals Guide to Climate Change and Healthy Environment
"If you intend to live in ease and comfort, you won't read this book. But if you love your neighbor, and are willing to imagine what that looks like in practice, you will open yourself to new ways of thinking about trash, consumption, and simplicity. This book messed with my ease and I predict it might do the same for you."
- Dan Boone, President, Trevecca Nazarene University
"Garbage Theology is anything but! Full of Scriptural insights and practical applications, Garbage Theology is a must-read for anyone concerned about God's glorious creation and the health of future generations. Told from an unusual (if not unique!) perspective of a clergy-garbage collector, Pastor Haynes makes a convicting case for focusing less on stuff and more on treasures that will never rust, ruin, or rot."
- Matthew Sleeth, MD, Executive Director of Blessed Earth
"From the get-go this book captures the imagination, forces deep questions, teases us into surprising places of agreement, reshapes our thinking and offers challenges to our lives and solutions - things we can do. In a readable way the pastoral heart of Rev. Haynes pushes us towards being a healing people: our relationship with possessions, the earth, lands, places, ourselves, our values and our ideas all come under the gaze of someone who communicates creation care with passion and wisdom and pushes us to become part of God's healing of the world. Rooted in Scripture and vibrant with integrity, the book takes us a journey through global and local spaces - calling us personally and collectively to a new way of life, and a new way of being church. Each chapter is researched well, and then leaps into reflection and action that can be done as an individual or as a small group - together we can make a difference and bear witness to God's goodness and love for the world. Thankfully, Garbage Theology made me sense that I too could be part of God's hope breaking out on earth as it does in heaven."
- Deirdre Brower Latz, Principal of Nazarene Theological College
"Garbage Theology is far more than a treatise on how we can reduce waste and care for creation, which would be a worthy goal in itself. Rev. Caleb Haynes lays out a clear theological foundation, amplified by scientific data and real-world experience, for reframing our relationship with things, people, culture, and ultimately, God. The practices contained in this book are deeply spiritual, practical, and most importantly, doable. Learning to be responsible stewards of the earth, and the people living in it, is not only a way to preserve our God-given home, but also an opportunity to bear witness to the ongoing redemptive work of Christ in the world. This book is a vital resource that comes at just the right time."
- Albert Hung, District Superintendent, Northern California District Church of the Nazarene
"From my earliest days I was taught that the earth was a gift of God and was to be cherished and protected. Our family vacationed by camping in the mountains, on the coast, and in great forests. Dad was a Nazarene pastor who loved the out of doors, especially sensing the presence of God in the beauty of nature. Wherever we camped there were moments when the awe of God's presence in creation was specifically addressed. We were always expected to leave the campsite cleaner than when we found it as an expression or our stewardship of creation. Dad insisted that holiness of heart led, among many other expressions, to care for God's good earth, for the sake of everyone.
This book challenges me to recall, and to reclaim, one of the essential expressions of what it means to be holy. I love the book and its premise. It seems to capture what I believe so deeply: Care for creation is an act of worship."
- Jesse C. Middendorf, NTS Executive Director of the Center for Pastoral Leadership &
General Superintendent Emeritus in the Church of the Nazarene.