“In Deep Waters” Book Review
Review written by Jay Horton, MDiv
I had relatively low expectations from Rev. Talitha Amadeea Aho’s book when I initially picked it up. Many pastors write books with Fortress Press, just to say they’ve written a book, but the works tend to lack novelty and applicable substance. However, this is not the case for “In Deep Waters: Spiritual Care for Young People in a Climate Crisis.” The book is full of compassionate wisdom for a church and society seeking to support young people as they grapple with life and divinity in an age of calamity.
The book thoughtfully explores three spiritual needs most often experienced by youth in the twenty-first century: the need for love and belonging, meaning and direction, and interpersonal accountability. The author explores each through the experiences of teens in her youth group as they deal with wildfires, extinction, and climate change in California. The author does this all the while subtly modeling what it looks like to do environmental education and mission within the ecclesial context.
Aho does not avoid the difficult conversations either. She carefully considers ways to address the hopelessness of youth, wrestling with their doubt and common portrayals of God that minimize pain and suffering. She challenges workaholism and perfectionism elevated by Western capitalism as an inadequate solution to a sentinel issue. In their stead, Aho offers a deep faith in partnership with a deep environmentalism. She believes listening to the voices of young people in conversation with the groaning world around them is the best way to see sustainable change.
While primarily focused on supporting youth, the nuggets of insight Aho offers transcend generations. I found her critique of individual environmental work particularly inspiring. She writes, “Personal environmentalism makes a compelling religion: one can compete for purity, scoring points for never touching plastic. But it does not make an inclusive religion or a compassionate one. If your eyes are set only on personal goals, you are setting out alone.” There is sincerity to her writing and intellectual acuity that makes her words prophetic.
While at times I disagreed with her theology, particularly as it relates to concepts of salvation, and would have appreciated a greater exploration of environmental history, as a whole I found the book to be a valuable resource for my work. I commend “In Deep Waters” to all pastors, staff, and faithful environmentalists working in Christian ministry in the twenty-first century in hopes that together we may better care for the next generation.
And if you are reading this before Tuesday, July 11, 2023, join Georgia Interfaith Power and Light (GIPL) partner Creation Justice Ministries for a webinar with the author, Rev. Aho, at 6 p.m. ET. You do not need to have finished the book to participate. Find more information HERE.
