About Laurel Kearns

Dr. Laurel Kearns is Associate Professor of Sociology and Religion and Environmental Studies at Drew Theological School and the Graduate Division of Religion of Drew University, where she has taught certification, masters, Ph.D and D. Min students since 1994. Born and raised in Florida, she received a B.A from Florida State in Religion, Art and Humanities, her M.A. and PhD from the Institute of Liberal Arts at Emory University in 1994, with a concentration in the Sociology of Religion. She has researched, published and given talks around the globe on religion and environmentalism for over 20 years. In addition to helping found the Green Seminary Initiative, she has been a board member of GreenFaith since 1995, and is now serving on the Sustainability Committees of both Drew University and the American Academy of Religion, where she also chaired the Religion and Ecology Steering Committee.

In addition to EcoSpirit: Religions and Philosophies for the Earth, co-edited with Catherine Keller, she has contributed chapters to volumes such as the Blackwell Companion to Modern Theology and the Companion to Religion and Social Justice; the Oxford Handbook on Climate Change and Society; Religion in Environmental and Climate Change; Grounding Religion: A Field Guide to the Study of Religion and Ecology; Religion, Globalization, and Culture; Earth and Word; God's Earth is Sacredand Love God, Heal the Earth as well as articles in the Encyclopedia of Religion and Nature; The Encyclopedia of Women and World Religion; The Spirit of Sustainability; and journals such as Sociology of Religion and the Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, Nature and Culture.

Her teaching interests include the interplay of religion(s) in social change and social movements, particularly those addressing issues of racism, sexism, sexuality, sustainability, globalization, disability, peace and environmental issues; the religious landscape of the U.S., with particular interest in the religious expressions of women, new immigrant groups and attitudes toward nature; feminist and environmental sociology; and religion and ecology, with a particular interest in eco-justice and environmental racism. She also serves in the Environmental Studies and Women's Studies programs at Drew. Her research is focused on religious, particularly Christian, involvement in ecological issues and movements in the U.S., nature spirituality, and religious responses to global warming. She routinely reviews manuscripts and articles in this area.