Years ago (mid 1990s) I discovered Belden Lane. I was in the big, big bookshop in Hanover, New Hampshire. There I found Lane's newest book, The Solace of Fierce Landscapes. Beautifully written, theologically alert and aimed at helping us understand the deserts and wildernesses of both the world and on our life journey. I wrote to him in appreciation and got a lovely reply.
In 2011 Lane published another volume, Ravished By Beauty. The Surprising Legacy of Reformed Spirituality. Lane shows us a Calvin who was 'ecologically sensitive'; Puritans who dug deeply into human affections and creaturely joy in the wonders of creation; Jonathan Edwards who urged a 'sensuous enjoyment' of God's beauty revealed in the intricate marvels of the created order.
Both books weave theological and biblical reflection, with Lane's own encounters with wilderness and creation as places where God is to be sought, and perhaps met. Lane has since moved to a much broader and more progressive position though he still identifies as a Presbyterian. His more recent work reflects more of Richard Rohr's elusive spirituality than the more clearly delineated contours of Reformed spirituality.
But The Solace of Fierce Landscapes, and Ravished by Beauty remain rich and provocative contributions to desert spirituality and Reformed Spirituality respectively, as resources for a green theology earthed in Christian traditions and practiced by Lane whose other books include Backpacking with the Saints!.
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