John Mc Connell Jr. was the famed founder and visionary of Earth Day. Mc Connell’s vision was one of creating a day of remembrance, solitude, and action to restore the broken human relationship to the land. Little acknowledged are Mc Connell’s religious convictions or background. Mc Connell grew up in a Pentecostal home. In fact, Mc Connell’s parents were both founding charter members of the Assemblies of God in 1914. His own grandfather had an even greater connection to the origins of Pentecostalism by being a personal participant at the Azusa Street Revival in Los Angeles in 1906. Earth Day, thus, began with strong religious convictions. Mc Connell, seeing the ecological demise through his religious background, envisioned a day where Christians could ‘show the power of prayer, the validity of their charity, and their practical concern for Earth’s life and people.’
In the spirit of Mc Connell, today’s Pentecostal and Charismatic theology has something to say about the earth. Blood Cries Out is a unique contribution by Pentecostal and Charismatic theologians and practitioners to the global conversation concerning ecological degradation, climate change, and ecological justice.
Tentang Penulis
A. J. Swoboda is a professor, author, and pastor of Theophilus (theophiluschurch.com) in Portland, OR. He teaches theology, Bible, pastoral studies, and Christian history at George Fox Evangelical Seminary, Fuller Seminary, and a number of other universities and Bible colleges. Previous to this, A. J. served as a campus pastor at the University of Oregon. His doctoral research at the University of Birmingham (UK) explored the never-ending relationship between the Holy Spirit and ecology. He is a member of the American Academy of Religion and the Society for Pentecostal Studies. A. J. is the author of A Glorious Dark and Introducing Evangelical Ecotheology, among other books. You can find his website and blog at www.ajswoboda.com.